UK visa application centre set to reopen in Hanoi

The Vietnamese Government has given the go-ahead to the reopening of the UK visa application centre in Hanoi for August 30, with restrictions set to be in place following its launch.
The office will only work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to the British embassy on its official Facebook page.

People coming to the centre will have to present negative COVID-19 PCR tests obtained no more than 72 hours earlier.

The visa application centres based in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will remain closed as both cities have tough lockdown measures in place to contain the spread of the Delta variant.

The embassy is currently seeking permission to reopen them.

This comes after the UK lifted all social distancing measures and restrictions last month, although Vietnam is currently on its amber list, which requires visitors to the European country to self-isolate for 10 days at home upon arrival.

Vietnam is in the midst of battling against its most challenging coronavirus wave yet triggered by the Delta variant, with several countries banning or imposing stricter quarantine measures for travelers from the nation.

During the current wave that hit the country four month ago, more than 400,000 domestic cases of COVID-19 and more than 10,000 fatalities have been documented.