COVID-19 Could Not Close Vietnam's Skies

<상의, Arranged a Total of 21 Vietnam Business Trip Flights
Supported Entry of 4,233 People from Over 2,000 Companies>

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Since the spread of COVID-19, more than 4,000 Korean businesspeople who entered Vietnam have continued their business activities thanks to the prompt response of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

On the 22nd, KCCI announced that it has published a white paper documenting the process and achievements of the special entry support project for businesspeople entering Vietnam, which is currently underway, marking its first anniversary.

Amid the severe restrictions on cross-border movement of businesspeople due to the spread of COVID-19, the purpose of this white paper is to share the process and cases of successfully enabling special entry into Vietnam, a key economic cooperation partner of Korea, thereby enhancing the level of economic cooperation between the two countries and supporting Korean businesspeople to continue their success stories in Vietnam.

Titled "Beyond COVID-19, One Year of Vietnam Air Routes," the booklet contains detailed explanations of trade status between Korea and Vietnam and special entry procedures, along with local correspondent experiences, interviews with participating companies, quarantine life, and business support details.

According to KCCI, starting with the first special entry on April 29, 2020, flights have been operated about twice a month on average, allowing a total of 21 flights and 4,233 businesspeople to travel to Vietnam for business trips so far. By industry, 66.2% were engaged in manufacturing, followed by construction (10.7%), distribution (5.2%), and service (3.7%).

In fact, Company A, which focuses on the food business in Vietnam, experienced a reverse boom in the food production and distribution industry after the spread of COVID-19. Demand for Korean foods such as dumplings and kimchi in Vietnam increased by 50% compared to the previous year, and production managers who entered through the special entry in July were able to meet the increased orders on time.

Also, Company B, a leading domestic construction firm, had to complete Vietnam's first petrochemical complex construction project by the end of June 2022. Through special entry, they were able to continuously dispatch technicians, significantly improving the progress rate that had been delayed due to travel restrictions after COVID-19.

Furthermore, Company C, a clothing OEM manufacturer that established a factory in Vietnam in 2010 and exports to Korea and the United States, received a large production order from a buyer while undergoing restructuring due to COVID-19. They needed to find not only their local direct factory but also subcontracted factories, but entry into Vietnam was impossible. In this situation, they were able to discover new subcontracted factories through the Vietnam special entry, ultimately fulfilling the buyer's product delivery deadline safely.

Meanwhile, KCCI plans to dispatch a "Fast Track Delegation" that exempts quarantine measures after entry. They intend to strengthen special quarantine procedures before and after entry and propose to the Vietnamese government a system that enables more thorough health monitoring to create faster entry procedures than currently available. Inquiries related to the "Korea-Vietnam Special Entry Procedures" can be made to the "KCCI Vietnam Special Entry Office."

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