VIETNAM TO REQUIRE HEALTH DECLARATIONS FOR ALL CROSS-BORDER TRAVELERS FROM JULY 1

People entering, leaving or transiting through Vietnamese border gates will be required to submit health declarations from July 1 - PHOTO: ARCHIVES

HCMC – People entering, leaving or transiting through Vietnamese border gates will be required to submit health declarations under Government Decree No. 165/2026/ND-CP, which will take effect on July 1, 2026.

The decree was issued to provide detailed regulations and guidance for the implementation of several provisions of the Law on Disease Prevention, including health quarantine requirements for inbound, outbound and transit travelers, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Under the regulation, inbound, outbound and transit travelers must complete health declarations either electronically or on paper using forms issued by the Ministry of Health.

Those making health declarations must provide proof of vaccination and evidence of preventive measures taken when requested by the Ministry of Health.

Health declarations will be available in both Vietnamese and English. Depending on the global disease situation, additional languages may also be used at border gates.

The decree states that health declarations must be completed within seven days before entry, exit or transit through Vietnamese border gates.

The minister of health will issue guidance on the subjects and duration of health declaration requirements at border gates for each infectious disease, based on the global disease situation and the risk of transmission into Vietnam at different times.

Regarding quarantine procedures, health quarantine officers will conduct direct and indirect observation and monitor travelers’ health conditions and body temperature using medical surveillance equipment to detect suspected infectious disease cases.

When a suspected case is identified, quarantine officers will carry out on-site inspections, including interviews, collection of epidemiological information, review of preventive measures already taken, and checks for signs and symptoms of infectious diseases.

If a person is found to require medical measures under the Law on Disease Prevention, health quarantine officers will carry out the necessary medical procedures.

Under the decree, the maximum time allowed to complete an on-site inspection for one individual is two hours.

Vietnam’s Law on Disease Prevention will take effect on July 1, 2026. Under Article 20 of the law, subjects subject to health quarantine include inbound, outbound and transit travelers, means of transport, goods, corpses, remains, ashes, biological specimens, tissues and human body parts transported across Vietnam’s borders.

Source: The Saigon Times