Like all countries around the world, Vietnam has temporarily banned the entry of all foreign nationals when the Covid-19 pandemic started in March of last year. But now that the country is trying to save its economy, the Vietnamese government has started to allow the entry of visitors for essential reasons. These include business people and skilled workers. However, the entry of tourists is still banned.
If you are a foreigner and you’re thinking of going to Vietnam to do business, or perhaps, you are a foreign employee of a Vietnam-based company, the first thing that you need to do is to apply for a visa. Thankfully, Vietnam has resumed the issuance of business visas for foreign visitors, so getting one should be easy.
Since November 2020, Vietnam has been allowing the entry of foreign nationals who have essential reasons to visit Vietnam. Below is a list of visitors who are allowed to enter Vietnam during this Covid-19 pandemic:
If you are a foreign businessman or a skilled worker for a Vietnamese company, you can apply for a Vietnam business visa. To qualify for the visa, you must have the following:
Take note that the issuance of e-visa and visa on arrival is still suspended. Therefore, the only way you can apply for a business visa at the moment is through a Vietnamese sponsor company. The process could take several weeks, depending on the Vietnam Immigration. You must send your visa application, along with the corresponding requirements to your sponsor company. The sponsor company must forward your application to Vietnam’s Immigration Department in order to apply for the visa on your behalf.
Now that the entry to Vietnam is still very limited, the flights are also very limited. It is not like before where you can easily book flights online. But if you are going to Vietnam for business during this pandemic, you will be required to book a flight. In fact, this is one of the requirements for getting your business visa approved.
Vietnam Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, has flights in and out of Vietnam coming from the major cities in Asia, including Tokyo and Seoul. Other airlines have also been allowed to fly to Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese authorities will only allow a maximum of two flights per week per airline. Therefore, you must book your flight as early as possible. You can also check with the Vietnam embassy in your country if they have scheduled repatriation flights for Vietnamese nationals and see if you can join that flight.
If you already have a flight date to Vietnam, the next step is to get tested for Covid-19. As mentioned above, a negative Covid-19 test result is required to enter Vietnam. Remember that the Covid-19 test certificate will only be considered valid if it’s taken within 3 to 5 days from your departure to Vietnam. Make sure that the Covid-19 test was conducted on authorized testing facilities in your country.
In order to prevent the entry of the Covid-19 virus into the country, the Vietnamese authorities have required all foreign visitors to undergo quarantine upon their arrival in the country. Therefore, you need to book your stay from any of the designated hotels in the city you are visiting. The Vietnamese government has designated some hotels in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh to be used for quarantine. So book your hotel in advance and make sure that your booking is good for 14 days. Aside from your hotel booking, you are also required to pre-book the car that will pick you up from the airport going to your hotel.
As mentioned above, the only way you can apply for a business visa to Vietnam at the moment is through a sponsor company. But what happens if you don’t have one? In this case, you can apply through a local agency that will process the application for the business visa on your behalf. You can find them online. Send them an email and inquire how they can help you to get a business visa if you want to visit Vietnam at this time.
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