Vietnam: return of visa-free travel for French nationals

The reopening of Vietnam's borders, which took effect on 15 March, comes with another piece of good news: the return of the visa on arrival system, which requires no further action on the part of the French. But Cambodia is doing even better. It is once again allowing travellers to enter the country without any formalities...
Arrival of the first international passengers in Hanoi on 15 March (Photo: VNA via Xinhua)

It's last-minute news, and it's good news! The Vietnamese government from completely reopen its borders to international travellers is also accompanied by a a return to pre-Covid practices for formalities to enter the country.

This is how 13 countries - excluding ASEAN members - are once again eligible for a free visa on arrival without any formalities. European Union countries include Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. FranceItaly and Sweden. Norway and the United Kingdom are also concerned. The visa waiver is valid for a stay of no more than 15 days.

The country has been open to all travellers since 15 March.. The latter, if they benefit from a full vaccination scheduleThese are no longer subject to any restrictions. About forty of them.

From now on, the only formalities will be to present proof of full vaccination or recovery to Covid-19. A negative PCR test must also be carried out before departure (48 hours for PCR and 24 hours for an antigenic test).. Finally, the traveller must have subscribed travel insurance with cover of at least $10,000 for possible Covid-19 treatments on site.

Still few direct flights between France and Vietnam

Non-vaccinated people, on the other hand, continue to undergo a seven-day quarantine.

From France, Air France and Vietnam Airlines are partnering to offer two weekly flights. On Tuesdays, an Air France aircraft flies between Paris-CDG and Ho-Chi-Minh City. On Thursdays, a Vietnam Airlines aircraft flies between Paris-CDG and Hanoi. The two airlines should rapidly increase the density of their services with the full resumption of travel between France and Vietnam.

Phnom Penh and the rest of Cambodia are once again accessible without any formalities (Photo: Maharaja45, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Cambodia lifts final restrictions

For its part, Cambodia has just announced a complete return to the pre-Covid situation for arriving travellers. Travellers are no longer required to present a negative test before entering Cambodia. However, the Cambodian Ministry of Health recommends that travellers carry out a self-test. Visas on arrival have also been reinstated for all countries that benefited from them before 2020...