Vietnam Exceptionally Allows Entry of 1,000 Korean Engineers

On the 5th, passengers using VietJet Air, a Vietnamese low-cost airline, were preparing to depart at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport. The airline announced on the 3rd that it will suspend all routes connecting Vietnam and Korea starting from the 7th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The Vietnamese government, which has effectively banned the entry of almost all foreigners to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), is reported to have exceptionally allowed the entry of about 1,000 Korean engineers.

According to the local online media VN Express on the 28th, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam recently surveyed the status of foreign skilled workers, experts, and managers who have been unable to enter the country due to the COVID-19 situation, revealing that 24,410 people have not been able to return to Vietnam.

Among them, 18,999 are Chinese, and 2,826 are Korean. In particular, it was found that about 9,000 urgently need to enter the country, with the majority being Koreans and Chinese.

Among the skilled workers who urgently need to enter, about 2,000 are related to national projects such as the Hanoi urban railway and waste-to-energy cogeneration plant construction, as well as the introduction of new technologies by multinational companies like Samsung and LG.

Accordingly, the Vietnamese government has exceptionally allowed the entry of more than 1,100 foreign skilled workers so far, of which about 1,000 are reported to be Korean.