by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:17 AM ET, Wed March 2, 2022
Two weeks before Vietnam is set to reopen to international tourism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the country's risk level to "Level 4," citing high COVID-19 transmission and encouraging Americans not to travel to the country when it reopens.
Vietnam announced its reopening date of March 15 in late February, three months earlier than previously expected due to fewer hospitalizations and deaths due to the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible but less deadly than previous variants.
According to Travel + Leisure, more than 130 destinations around the world are classified under the "Level 4: Do Not Travel" designation, including popular destinations like Mexico, France and Spain.
The CDC classifies a country as "Level 4" if it reports more than 500 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people over the last 28 days. Vietnam is currently reporting a sharp spike in positive cases, on March 1 having recorded over 95,000 positive cases in one day, the highest number of daily cases in the entire pandemic. According to Our World in Data, about 80 percent of the country's population has had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
While the CDC urges travelers to avoid Vietnam entirely, it does state that keeping up-to-date on important vaccinations and taking proper precautions such as wearing a mask in public spaces can help keep travelers safe while in the country.
Travelers who'd like to visit Vietnam will have to apply for a visitor's visa and are required to provide proof of full vaccination or a recent recovery, as well as a test prior to departure to Vietnam.
They'll be obligated to quarantine for one day upon arrival, in which they'll test themselves again. If negative, they can be free to travel throughout the country. Travelers must also provide proof of a travel insurance policy worth at least $20,000.
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