The Vietnamese government announced on Tuesday the full opening of the country's borders to foreigners, which have remained closed for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the news portal VnExpress reported.

According to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, starting from today, all restrictions on entry into the country by foreigners, which were imposed in the spring of 2020 because of the outbreak of coronavirus infection, will be removed. The government also restores the visa-free entry policy to Vietnam for citizens of many countries, including Russia, which was in effect before the pandemic. Now Russians can once again visit Vietnam by taking advantage of the visa-free regime for a stay of up to 15 days.

The government's decision to open the country to foreigners is aimed at reviving the local tourism industry after the pandemic. According to the National Tourism Administration of Vietnam, the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a serious blow to the Vietnamese tourism industry, contributing to a significant decline in the local tourism market. With the epidemic generally under control in Vietnam and in line with a strategy approved by the Government, the country has entered a phase of safe, flexible adaptation and effective containment of COVID-19, the authorities intend to create favorable conditions to boost the tourism business to give it a new momentum. This year, Vietnam plans to receive at least 5 million foreign visitors, and in the next five years, gradually return the foreign tourist flow to the pre-pandemic level as of 2019 - 18 million people.