Asiana passenger plane bound for Hanoi, Vietnam returns... Vietnamese government notifies landing at nearby airport

Asiana Emergency Return Flight Decision

On the 2nd, one day before the preliminary bidding for Asiana Airlines, an Asiana Airlines passenger plane took off from the runway at Incheon International Airport. According to the aviation industry and investment banks, Kumho Industrial and the sales manager Credit Suisse Securities (CS Securities) will conduct the preliminary bidding for the sale of Asiana Airlines on the 3rd. However, the mood of the acquisition battle is lukewarm. The decline in the growth rate of the aviation industry and the deterioration of Asiana Airlines' financial structure are the biggest obstacles.
Yeongjongdo ? Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] An Asiana Airlines passenger flight (OZ729) heading to Hanoi, Vietnam, turned back on the 29th. The Vietnamese government notified the flight to land at Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh Province, an airport near the destination, instead of Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, leading the passenger flight to decide to return.

According to the Korean Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnamese government informed airlines around 8:30 a.m. local time (10:15 a.m. Korean time) that this measure would be implemented starting from 10:15 a.m. Korean time (8:15 a.m. local time).

The Asiana Airlines passenger flight that chose to return departed from Incheon International Airport at 10:10 a.m. and turned back to Incheon International Airport about 40 minutes later. The flight, carrying about 40 passengers, was scheduled to arrive at 12:30 p.m. This is expected to lead to a series of cancellations of other flights on the same route.

Earlier, the Korean Embassy in Vietnam warned that the Vietnamese government had taken measures including banning entry of Koreans from Daegu and Gyeongbuk due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), and unilaterally suspending the visa waiver system from 0:00 on the 29th. This is the first time since July 2004, when visa-free entry was allowed, that Vietnam has temporarily prohibited visa-free entry.

The Korean Embassy in Vietnam stated, "If you plan to enter Vietnam, please be especially cautious as you may experience unexpected entry refusals, being sent back to the departure point, or facility quarantine until the new measures are settled." It added, "To ensure smooth entry of our nationals under the new system, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department and Immigration Bureau are discussing the establishment of an emergency joint response team with Vietnamese authorities."

On the previous day, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a phone call with Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam, expressing strong regret over Vietnam’s excessive entry restrictions targeting Koreans in relation to COVID-19.

Minister Kang said, "Our government is responding with full force by taking transparent and proactive measures at the whole-government level to block the spread of COVID-19," and added, "Vietnam, a key partner in the New Southern Policy, is imposing excessive entry restrictions on our nationals, causing great disappointment in Korea."

Minister Kang particularly pointed out, "Vietnam’s measures excessively restrict essential exchanges between the peoples and business communities of both countries, placing a significant burden on Korea-Vietnam relations and not benefiting the medium- to long-term interests of both countries." She urged "the prompt restoration of the visa-free entry policy."