They include China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Laos and Cambodia.

Tuoi Tre reports that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed weekly flights between Vietnam and six prominent Asian cities, in what would become the first resumption of commercial inbound flights since March.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has already agreed to allow the resumption of flights to Vietnam from China, though there isn't an exact date for any flights yet and coronavirus testing and quarantine regulations are still to be determined.

Airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Korean Air and China Airlines have been operating flights into and out of the country, but the inbound flights have only carried cargo or Vietnamese citizens on special repatriation routes. Under the CAAV proposal, only Vietnam Airlines would initially operate flights between the six countries listed above.

An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people would enter the country per week under the plan, all of whom would be quarantined upon arrival. The state agency also outlined specific destination airports for flights from each country, namely: Guangzhou-Da Nang, Tokyo-Hanoi, Seoul-Hanoi, Taipei-Saigon, Vientiane-Quang Ninh, and Phnom Penh-Can Tho.

This would ensure that quarantine facilities in one region aren't overwhelmed, and also reduce pressure on Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, both of which only have one functioning runway due to major ongoing repairs.

While the introduction of these flights would give people more options to enter Vietnam, the trips will still be targeted at diplomats, experts, investors, skilled foreigner workers and foreign students. There has been no mention of resuming tourism in the near future.

Foreign nationals have been barred from entering Vietnam since March 22, except for those who go through a rigorous application process and undergo 14 days of quarantine.

[Photo: Vietnamese nationals arrive in Van Don Airport after a repatriation flight organized by the Vietnamese government/Lao Dong]