After Thailand and Vietnam closed their borders and suspended travel for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now that the situation has eased and people have been vaccinated, both countries have started to allow travel between them. As I did not travel during the pandemic, I had some unfinished work to catch up on. When I learned that travel was possible again with relaxed measures, allowing me to enter Vietnam without quarantine, I quickly arranged a trip. However, for this trip, I had to prepare myself and my documents to show that I was in good health before entering Vietnam. The things I had to prepare before the trip were as follows:

1. Before traveling, I have to take a COVID test at a hospital that is certified to conduct the test. If I take the RT-PCR test, the result must be within 72 hours before travel. If I take the Rapid test or ATK, the result must be within 24 hours before travel.

For this trip, I took the ATK test at Paolo Hospital, which cost 750 THB. I chose this type of test because it gives a quick result and is cheaper than the RT-PCR test. Also, don’t forget to inform the hospital before taking the test that it will be used for international travel and the result should be in English.

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2. The International Vaccine Certificate, or International Certificate. It can be obtained by registering through the “Mor Prom” application and selecting the International Certificate option. Then, fill in the necessary information for the system to send the document to you via email. This process takes approximately 3 business days.

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3. Register through the website https://tokhaiyte.vn to obtain a QR code. After accessing the link, click on “Entry Declaration” and then on the British flag to switch to English. Enter your personal information, hotel or accommodation details in Vietnam, flight information, travel dates, COVID-19 vaccination status, test results, and upload relevant documents. It is crucial to enter the correct airport name under the “Gate” field, such as “Tan Son Nhat Airport” for Ho Chi Minh City or “Noi Bai Airport” for Hanoi. Otherwise, you may experience delays and have to correct your information. After completing and confirming the form, you will immediately receive a QR code that you can save on your mobile device for quick access.

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4. Prepare the necessary information in advance for returning to Thailand. During my travels, I need to book a hotel for Test & Go measures in order to enter Thailand. I have to book a package that includes 1 night’s accommodation for quarantine while waiting for the test results. The package also includes transportation from the airport to the RT-PCR test and a set of ATK test kits for self-testing on the 5th day after returning to Thailand. To apply for Test & Go entry to Thailand, I have to provide personal information, information on my entry into Thailand, information on vaccination, and a certificate of reservation for the aforementioned package on the website https://tp.consular.go.th. The application process takes about 3-7 working days. If approved, the system will send a QR code to my email. (Calculate the return date to Thailand and the processing time carefully… it’s very important)

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5. Download the application : PC COVID. This is because some hotels or venues require to scan a QR code for check-in.

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6. Purchase travel insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment. It is not mandatory. But recommended.

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Once everything is ready… I’m ready to travel… After not traveling outside the country for more than two years, I’m feeling quite excited this time. This time, I’m flying with Air Asia, the airline that has been serving the Bangkok (Don Mueang : DMK) – Ho Chi Minh route for a long time, even before COVID.

Herewith the flight information.

Route : Bangkok – Don Maung (DMK) – Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

Flight No. : FD 656 (Air Asia)

Aircraft : Airbus A320

ETD : 07.35am (GMT+7)

ETA : 09.15am (GMT+7)

Duration : 1 Hour 30 minutes

Cabin : Economy

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I arrived at Don Mueang Airport (International Terminal) around 4:30 pm, three hours before the flight. I wanted to allow extra time for document checks, which could take longer than usual because there were several certificates required to enter Vietnam. The airport was very quiet, with most of the lights turned off. Only the check-in counter of Air Asia was open, as it was the only airline operating international flights. Perhaps because of the recent reopening of travel, there were still few flights

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When I arrived at the check-in counter, the staff asked for all the necessary documents as mentioned earlier and advised me to have something to eat before passing through Immigration because there were no shops or restaurants open after that point.

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After check-in, I loaded my luggage and received the boarding pass. I went through the security and immigration process as usual. It was very quiet inside the airport. Today, there were only four flights departing from the international terminal, all of which were operated by Air Asia. I was not used to this situation because Don Mueang Airport usually bustles with people, with hundreds of flights departing and arriving each day. I hope everything returns to normal soon, and I can see the bustling travel scene once again 🙂

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On that day, I would take off from gate 21, which wasn’t too far away, and the plane was already waiting for me.

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When it was time, the staff called for boarding. The passengers on this flight were mostly Vietnamese and foreigners, there weren’t many Thai people. From my estimation with my eyes, there were only about 40 passengers, probably because the travel just started.

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The seating arrangement on this plane was a 3-3 configuration, following the typical single-aisle layout. The width was compact, adhering to the low-cost model. However, since it was only a flight of just over an hour, it wasn’t too bad.

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After I boarded the plane, we pushed back and took off on time. The flight wasn’t very long and we landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport right on schedule. It had no food served or sold in-flight to prevent transmission of COVID. 😦

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When I arrived, it was an important process where I had to submit all the documents that I had prepared to the officer in order to skip the quarantine process. Before going through the immigration process, there was a counter where an officer checked the QR code that I obtained from registering on the website https://tokhaiyte.vn. They also asked to see my International Vaccine Certificate and a negative COVID test result. I had to pass this verification process by the officer before being able to proceed with the regular immigration check. However, there was no need to worry as long as my documents were complete and correct according to the requirements, passing through this process was not difficult.

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Once I completed all the steps, I could retrieve my baggage and consider myself successfully entered Vietnam. I was now free to travel within the country without any further quarantine requirements. However, I still needed to regularly check-in using the PC COVID app when entering different locations, maintain personal hygiene by frequently washing my hands and wearing a mask whenever I left my accommodation, as COVID is still present.

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It is not difficult to travel to Vietnam for tourism or business reasons now that quarantine is no longer required. As long as I prepare my documents and information, there is nothing to worry about. Lastly, I would like to end this article with a picture of Ho Chi Minh City, which is always beautiful and vibrant every time I visit. I wish everyone a happy journey. 🙂

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Written by : SHIPY SIWARIT TIASUWATTISETH

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