Uncertainty, staffing shortage loom as Vietnam heads towards fully reopening to foreign tourists

The tourism industry shed 70 to 80 per cent of its employees in 2020 after fears about virus transmission shuttered borders. - AFP

BANGKOK, March 5 (The Straits Times/ANN): With the clock ticking towards Vietnam's earlier announced reopening to international tourists on March 15, the government has yet to confirm which groups of travellers would be granted visas on arrival.

The country's tourism ministry, meanwhile, has disagreed with the health ministry over new safety protocols for an industry worth $45 billion annually before the Covid-19 pandemic.