Hopes that Vietnam was about to open its doors to international tourists suffered a setback last week as officials admitted second and third Covid-19 waves across Asia could scuttle their plans.

Regional outbreaks, including India, Thailand and the Philippines, cast doubt on plans to introduce a staggered reopening phase starting with travel bubble channels involving central Vietnam’s beach resorts.

According to a report in VietnamNet Global, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism planned to resume international tourism between July and September, focusing first on beach and golf resorts around Danang that were popular with South Korean tourists prior to the Cold War.

Markets were tested and safety measures such as the Covid-19 test were maintained while vaccinated passengers were on the agenda. It would have set the stage for the city to fully open to international tourists in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Some other towns, in addition to Danang, Hoi An, and Quang Nam, want to reopen to international tourists. Kien Giang Province says it wants to establish a travel channel to bring Russians to resorts on Phu Quoc Island, with conditions such as limiting entry to those who have been vaccinated.

Vietnam has gained the upper hand in the pandemic and is hastening vaccination rollout. However, there is still concern that outbreaks in other countries, such as Cambodia and Thailand, will prevent borders from reopening.

On a more positive note, Taiwanese authorities have stated that they intend to negotiate travel bubble agreements with six destinations, including Vietnam.

Taiwan's Tourism Bureau is negotiating with Vietnam, Guam, Hawaii, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore following the success of the Taiwan-Palau travel bubble. Palau is a country of islands in the western Pacific.

Taiwan has been widely praised for its pandemic management, with one of the world's lowest per capita Covid-19 rates, with 1,110 infections and 12 deaths since the first Covid outbreak in January 2020.

In March 2020, Vietnam will cease all international commercial flights. It has yet to reintroduce tourist visas or visa-free travel agreements. At the moment, only foreigners invited by government agencies for business ventures or official visits are permitted to enter Vietnam.