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The one-kilometer pedestrian zone spanning Phan Boi Chau to Dong Hai streets will open from 6 p.m. to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as holidays, according to the provincial People’s Committee.

The launch of the pedestrian zone is part of authorities’ efforts to diversify tourist services and develop the local night-time economy.

From April 23 to May 2, the central province will host a tourism week with a range of activities including a street carnival, street music shows and traditional boat racing on Nhat Le River to attract tourists and improve revenues after more than a year of Covid-19 impacts.

Quang Binh, a popular tourist attraction, is home to UNESCO heritage site Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and often referred to as the “Kingdom of Caves” as it boasts many limestone caves including Son Doong, the world’s largest.

In July 2020, the government approved a master plan for night-time economy development in the country, allowing major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang as well as other tourist destinations like Hoi An, Hue, Da Lat and Phu Quoc to pilot night-time services from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Hanoi, HCMC, Quang Ninh, Hue and Hoi An are among those now piloting night-time services.

Quang Nam Province, home to UNESCO heritage sites Hoi An ancient town and My Son sanctuary, is pending government green light to become the first locality to welcome foreign tourists carrying Covid-19 vaccine passports.

Dinh Hai, former director of the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the central province is capable of meeting traffic infrastructure, health service and tourism demands implicit in welcoming vaccinated foreign tourists. “Quang Nam has Chu Lai International Airport and some large resorts in South Hoi An.”

He proposed only welcoming tourists to two cordoned off resorts in Duy Xuyen District or Nui Thanh District in the province, which neighbors Da Nang City. They along with resort staff would be strictly supervised to avoid the risk of spreading the virus to the community.

Phan Xuan Thanh, president of the Quang Nam Tourism Association, said: “This is a competition and if we do not take the initiative, we will lag behind other countries.”

“Foreign tourists will stay in a separate area, just play golf or use tourism services there and would not travel to other localities,” Thanh added.

Associate Professor Pham Trung Luong, former head of the Hanoi-based Institute for Tourism Development Research, has a more cautious perspective on the pilot project. He said Vietnam should discuss with other countries a uniform procedure for recognizing vaccine passports and Covid-19 tests.

“Currently, countries around the world are using different Covid-19 vaccines with different testing procedures, so it is necessary to ensure that these certificates are suitable to Vietnam. The nation also needs to build a system to detect fake vaccine passports, which are cropping up in some countries.”

Luong added that the most ideal condition for Vietnam to reopen its door to international tourists would be when the country gains herd immunity. “While herd immunity not yet achieved, potential Covid-19 outbreaks are more likely, even when hosting foreign tourists in cordoned off areas.”

Under the vaccine passport pilot project outlined by Quang Nam authorities, arriving foreign tourists must have a vaccine passport (documented proof of two shots of vaccination) and a certificate from medical agencies showing negative Covid-19 test results, and only stay in cordoned off resorts. They will be tested for Covid-19 from once to twice.

The project will have visitors entering Vietnam on tours organized by international travel agencies. During the first phase proposed to start in July, Quang Nam authorities are expected to welcome visitors from South Korea and countries that have contained the outbreaks.

The group of tourists will arrive on a charter flight at Chu Lai Airport and be taken straight to resorts in Duy Xuyen District or Nui Thanh District for a maximum stay of five days to play golf, visit casinos or enjoy sea tourism services.

Under the plan, they will be exempt from centralized quarantine. As per Health Ministry protocol, currently, foreign passengers entering the country must be sent to centralized quarantine facilities for 14 days.

Due to the closure of the borders as a pandemic safety measure, the number of international visitors to Vietnam was only 3.7 million in 2020, down 80 over 2019.

Vietnam stopped all international commercial flights in March 2020. International visitors entering the country since are mainly experts, high-tech workers, investors and foreigners working on national projects.

* Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng has said that China-US relations should be put back on track.

* India reported on Thursday 314,835 new cases of the coronavirus over the previous 24 hours, the highest daily increase recorded anywhere, while Japan is expected to issue a third state of emergency on Tokyo and three western prefectures that could last for about two weeks.

* Russia will issue electronic visas with a streamlined application procedure to attract more foreign tourists, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

* More than 200 million shots of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States as of Wednesday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). US President Joe Biden announced the country has hit 200 million COVID-19 shots, a target he had set out to meet by the end of April.

* European countries prepared to start using Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and speed up their vaccination campaigns after Europe’s drug regulator backed the shot and deliveries started trickling in after a week-long pause.

* New Zealand and Australian foreign ministers on Thursday discussed ways to continue and deepen bilateral cooperation to “meet the shared challenges facing our region.”

* At least 78 Taliban militants were killed in various operations conducted by Afghan government forces in the past 24 hours, according to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday.

* A senior US State Department official said on Wednesday that the second round Vienna talks over the Iran nuclear deal “made some progress,” but important disagreements still existed between the United States and Iran.

* Police clashed with protesters in Berlin as they tried to disperse a rally against the lockdown, as parliament approved a law to give Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government more powers to fight a third wave.

* Malaysia’s government enacted a new emergency law allowing it to use funds derived from oil and gas contributions to pay for vaccine procurement, as it looks to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccination programme.

* Two Australian states urged staff and guests in COVID-19 quarantine hotels to get tested immediately and fully self-isolate, launching investigations into three suspected cases of travellers contracting the virus from other residents.

* Argentina is going through its “worst moment” of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health minister said, as deaths from the virus hit 60,000 amid a sharp second wave that has forced the country to re-impose some lockdown measures.

* Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that his government will strengthen surveillance actions on the country’s southern border in order to offer more protection to migrants, especially minors.

* Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented on Wednesday a “roadmap” for the further reopening of his country’s economy and social life in May. Greece has been in a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown since Nov. 7, 2020, which is now being gradually eased.

* South African researchers hope to next week resume a study using JNJ’s vaccine to immunize healthcare workers, one of the scientists leading the programme said.

* Ecuador implemented a nighttime curfew and other mobility restrictions as a spike in coronavirus cases again overwhelms hospitals in the Andean country, which in 2020 experienced one of the region’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks.