S. Korea Opens Air Route to Vietnam... Promotes Special Entry for Businesspeople

1646 Companies and Over 4000 People
Scheduled to Depart Sequentially from the 22nd
Largest Single-Country Departure Since COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is promoting a large-scale special entry program for domestic businesspeople to Vietnam following the COVID-19 pandemic. This is expected to partially alleviate concerns about local business disruptions faced by Korean companies operating in Vietnam.

On the 21st, KCCI announced that starting from the 22nd, it will implement a special entry program for about 4,000 people to ease difficulties in global business activities for domestic companies. This special entry is the largest single-country scale since the spread of COVID-19.

The special entry targets a total of 3,953 people, including 3,016 essential personnel from 1,646 companies and 937 businesspeople and expatriate family members. Considering the two-week quarantine period upon arrival in Vietnam, the entries will be staggered at 15-day intervals starting from the 22nd.

After arriving in Vietnam, these special entrants will complete quarantine at designated quarantine hotels in Halong City, Quang Ninh Province, and Vinh Yen City, Vinh Phuc Province, before moving to their respective workplaces and residences to begin work.

This delegation includes essential personnel related to plant construction, production line expansion, and operations, as well as businesspeople and expatriate family members who had previously been excluded from special entry.

Kwon Sung-wook, CEO of KTSY, a telecommunications equipment installation company operating in Hanoi, said, “I briefly visited Korea for work on January 19 this year, but due to COVID-19, the air routes were blocked, and I could not return to Vietnam. I am glad to participate in this special entry to normalize business operations that had been disrupted and to reunite with my wife and two daughters in Vietnam after more than half a year of separation.”

Previously, the Vietnamese government temporarily suspended 15-day visa-free visits for Koreans starting February 29 and then temporarily halted entry for all foreigners from March 22. From April 1, it banned all international flights from landing in Vietnam, effectively initiating a national lockdown.

In response, KCCI, in close cooperation with related ministries such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups under the ‘Team Korea’ initiative, directly led the entire process of entry negotiations, visa issuance, securing flights, and quarantine hotels for the business trip.

KCCI plans to continue safety management and educational support, including providing non-face-to-face programs during the two-week quarantine period after the delegation’s arrival in Vietnam.

Woo Tae-hee, Executive Vice Chairman of KCCI, stated, “This special entry is expected to alleviate concerns that Korean companies operating in Vietnam might miss local business opportunities and will also greatly contribute to the economic cooperation relationship between Korea and Vietnam.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.