Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Maybe Malaysia Reopening For Visitors In March

by SharonKurheg

Vietnam

Vietnam had not planned to open for tourism until this summer. However the Vietnamese tourism ministry is now hopeful the country will be able to fully reopen its borders to foreign visitors as of March 15.

All visitors will need to be vaccinated against COVID within the previous six months and at least 14 days ahead of travel to Vietnam. The tourism ministry’s reopening plan will require international travelers to test negative for COVID before departure to Vietnam and again upon arrival in the country.

Visitors also would be required to quarantine for the first day of their trip and carry travel medical coverage for up to $10,000.

From  the US Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam’s website:

…incoming tourists may only be required to have proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 and a negative test result certificate issued within 24 hours (rapid test) or 72 hours (RT-PCR) of departure. Most travelers will only be required to take COVID-19 test prior to boarding and pay an insurance fee of approximately 30 USD.

Japan

As of March 1, business travelers and foreign students will be allowed to enter Japan, if they have a sponsor (Universities can serve as sponsors for students and researchers. Companies can do the same for business people).

Those who plan to go to Japan need to prepare the following documents before departure:

  • A Covid-19 test certificate acquired within 72 hours of departure
  • A signed copy of the Written Pledge (available in English and Japanese)
  • A completed questionnaire administered digitally by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (available in multiple languages)

Once you’re in Japan, before leaving the airport, you must:

U.S. citizens will not need to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated and boostered.

Taiwan

Taiwan was one of the few places that were still pursuing a zero-Covid strategy but has announced they will now start to open up again to foreign travelers.

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) said late last week that restrictions would start to be eased for foreigners coming in for business purposes, including inspection, investment, employment or fulfilling contractual obligations.

“We will open to foreign businesspeople starting March 7 in line with some relaxations in the overall pandemic prevention measures,” said Chen Tsung-yen, deputy head of the CECC.

As per the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, applicants wishing to travel to Taiwan should apply for a special entry permit at a R.O.C. overseas representative office.

Also effective March 7, the 14-day mandatory quarantine for all arrivals will be cut to 10 days, in addition to a week of monitoring in place.

The country has no date of when it will reopen for tourism.

Malaysia

In early February, Reuters reported that Malaysia’s coronavirus recovery council recommended a full reopening of borders, without mandatory quarantine, as early as March 1. However since then, there’s been pushback from some politicians and public health experts. Their concern is, not surprisingly, the country’s surging Omicron wave and the health and safety of its citizens.

According to Al Jazeera, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters in mid-February that, “…borders were realistically only likely to reopen in the second quarter of the year, with the ministry preparing standard operating procedures (SOP) for lifting restrictions in the coming weeks.”

So at this point, Malaysia reopening any time in March has become something of a “maybe yes, maybe no” situation. But until they say it is or isn’t happening…? Anyway, for right now, they’re a “maybe.”

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1 comment

Marc March 3, 2022 - 1:21 pm

Not only fully vaccinated travelers can enter the country, those who have Certificate of recovery are falling in the same category as vaccinated people. Unvaccinated tourists can also travel to Vietnam but they need to quarantine for 7 days.

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