Larsay

Not good ! Since over 2 months, new daily cases with "new" covid. Not to panic, 50-80 cases a day out of 97 000 000 inhabitants, but it borders closed to foreigners (unless you like to spend 21 says in quarantine), many restaurants closed (open only for delivery and take-out), as well as all public places such as movie theater, museums, temples and pagodas, etc. Total cases since Feb 2020 : 8354 , deaths remain at 51. LONG LIVE VIETNAM !

jacketwatch

Where is VN in terms of the vaccine situation. ?

Larsay

They are buying vaccines, but, right now, it is reserved to GVT employees

The last news about vaccination are not good. The Gvt will recognize a vaccination pass ONLY if the vaccines used are the same as the one used here.

jacketwatch

Hmmm. So what vaccines are used there please. ? Does this mean non citizens can't enter if they have not had one of the vaccines used there?

Thank you.

Larsay

AstraZeneca and Sisopham

jacketwatch

Wow! So if you took the Pfizer, Moderno, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine’s then did do not recognize that??

Larsay

Apparently not ! In fact all this is because the GVT does not want any foreigner until covid has disappeared for good (they were talking of opening for countries with 0 cases for a month). Can't blame them !!!

jacketwatch

Puzzling. The three vaccines I mentioned have proven to be the most effective versus the two that the government requires. I Woodleigh don’t understand that but let’s see how this unfolds. Do you know if Vietnam is open for a cruise passengers?

Larsay

Do you know if Vietnam is open for a cruise passengers?
Open to NOBODY , except diplomats, engineers and experts

jacketwatch

Thank you. Just have to wait and see I suppose. Seems eventually they will have to open to vaccinated cruise passengers most of whom I think will have had one of the three aforementioned but not currently on their governments lists.

Cheers sir!

Larry

Larsay

On the list of people who can get a visa, I forgot Businessmen if they can prove that they are and that they come to Vietnam for business, not tourism

Bad situation in Saigon, with 30-50 new cases of covid a day

crellston

Hi Jacketwatch,

In addition to the Astra Zeneca, Sinopharm and Sputnik vaccines, Vietnam has also approved Pfizer BionTech. Whether they will accept visitors who have proof of these vaccinations into the country is an entirely different matter. My personal view is that as Vitenam has been so successful in limiting the spread of the virus by effectively closing its borders, they are unlikely to throw those gains away by opening up before the majority of the population is vaccinated and the country has achieved so called "herd immunity". If they are successful in sourcing the vaccines and can roll out the vaccination effectively, then I would expect to see them start allowing tourist to enter by Q1 2022. The G7 announcements this month re vaccine sharing seems to point towards Q4 2022 before meaningful supplies are distributed.

From what I read (and indeed hear from US friends) the attitude in the US seems to be that once vaccinated it is ok to travel. That is not the case in too many other countries though. Indeed we were hoping for that in the U.K.but then we import the delta variant from India and it seems that all bets are off in that respect and caution remains the name of the game once again!

We were half planning on a US trip sometime later this year and we’re hoping that Joe and Boris would come to some form of bi lateral agreement re travel, but that still seems to be a way off yet .

jacketwatch

Good to hear from you again Clive.

Your conclusions makes sense. Why rock the boat now.

I do not know much if anything about the effectiveness of the Sinopharm and Sputnik vaccines. Isn't the latter the Russian one they developed so quickly or is it a newer version?

Here in Illinois were are practically fully open with the vaccination rate at around 70% and rising. So only mask required by those not vaccinated, in schools, hospitals and MD office buildings. Shaking the masks will take more time I think as most seem to err on the side of caution.

We were supposed to travel to Southampton in Sept. for a cruise but personally felt it best to wait so we transferred the booking to 2/2023, a long way off, to for a 14 days cruise otr of Barbados with I think 9 port stops and most of them we have never been too.

We are doing much better here though quite a few states are lagging behind.

if you ever get to Chicago, hey I know a few places. .

Time to go out for Father Day lunch. Indian!

All the best.

Larry.

crellston

I don’t know much about the Sputnik vaccine except that it is on its fifth iteration and that Putins daughter had it ( so it must be ok ) or the Sinopharm vaccine. I 5hink Vietnam is also developing its own home grown vaccine, so things look as though they are moving in the right direction there. I think it is just a question of how quickly.

There is a massive final push here at the moment to get everyone jabbed in the next month and I am increasingly hopeful of travel to and from the U.K. being a lot easier in a month or two. The NHS is now working on rolling out a third target booster for the Brazilian , Indian and our very own Kent variants plus any others that emerge. I assume that they will incorporate it into the seasonal flu jabs.

Will certainly look you up when we eventually make it to Chicago, likewise if ever you are in London we will introduce you to some of our favourite Indian restaurants. Who knows, we may even bump into one another in Vietnam at some point!

jacketwatch

I trust Putin as much as much as I trust the NK Kims. . I do wonder how Sputnik has changed from the 1st stage to the present one. The Pfizer and Moderna AFAIK have stayed the same. Hmmm.

Like you we have friends who travel extensively and they are strip crazy being locked in for so long. Its hard to be confined when you are used to being on the go. Illinois opened up fully June 11 and of course people were out in droves. we finally got to dine out downtown with our son and DIL though it was at an outdoor terrace connected to the hotel. And it was packed! .

We have a cruise June of next year out of Iceland which terminates in Southampton. Not sure about the logistics but we could plan a day over in London before flying home from LHR though of course that is a long way off.
lLets say in touch!

Larry .

Larsay

Right now, the situation is bad all over Vietnam. Since 2 days, new cases have passed the 5000 a-day level. Saigon is under confinement, with 1-2000 cases a-day, and all the flights to the city are banned. Few new cases in Hanoi (1-5 a-day), but the authorities have nevertheless recommended that people stay home except for emergencies; they have installed such a panic that, today, eggs and vegetables are rare in the markets. imposed restrictions on going out . Curiously, the province of Danang is spared and everything is open, including the restaurants in Hoi An. Total tally as of today; 55 845 cases and 255 deaths; we are still way below the Occidental records !.

jacketwatch

Thank you for the update.

Here in the US the Delta variant is running rampant though infecting the unvaccinated at over 90%. However there are some few cases of the fully vaccinated getting it.

Vaccines are available but there is still still resistance by some.

Sad.