The Ministry of Transport sent an urgent document to the Vietnam Aviation Administration and national airlines on March 31 requesting them to stop transporting international passengers to Vietnam due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, with the suspension set to come into force from 00:00 hours on April 1 until the end of April 15.

The halt to flights will not apply to cases involving the entry of people for diplomatic and official purposes, foreign guests attending important external activities, experts, business managers, highly skilled workers, and special cases that receive the consent of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, according Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan.

Earlier on the afternoon of March 29,the Ministry of Transport had sent a document to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and carriers requesting them to limit domestic flights from 00:00 hours on March 30 until the end of April 15. The aim of which is to reduce the risk of the COVID-19 being transmitted from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to other localities around the country.

At present, the coronavirus epidemic has broken out globally, with more than 72,000 infections and nearly 3.5 million deaths across over 200 countries and territories, and there has been no sign of halting.