Health checks for people entering and exiting the country will be tightened.

Individuals entering, exiting, or transiting through Vietnamese border gates must complete a health declaration form to prevent and control infectious diseases as announced by the Ministry of Health.

Security personnel inspect the luggage of passengers entering Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

This is the content of the Circular regulating health declarations for people entering, exiting, and transiting through Vietnamese border gates, which has just been approved by the Ministry of Health.

Currently, many diseases around the world are developing in a very complex manner. In particular, many diseases can spread through immigration and emigration. Therefore, the above circular was issued to help control and prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, hand, foot and mouth disease, etc.

Health declarations must be made at Vietnamese border checkpoints when completing exit, entry, or transit procedures, or no more than 7 days prior to that.

The circular states that the Ministry of Health will announce the application of health declarations in the following cases, such as when a decision is made by a competent state management agency to declare an infectious disease outbreak.

Health declarations are also required when the Ministry of Health issues a written notification regarding the situation of infectious diseases occurring abroad or the emergence of risk factors affecting public health.

The health declaration includes information about the full name, year of birth, gender, nationality, and passport number of the person entering, exiting, or transiting Vietnam; the name of the province, city, territory, or country of origin at the Vietnamese border gate; places visited within the past 7 days before arriving at the Vietnamese border gate; contact address, telephone number in Vietnam, or email address if available; a list of vaccines or medical products used; and questions about symptoms of illness within the past 7 days.

Individuals entering or exiting the country must obtain a health declaration form on airplanes, ships, at shipping agencies, travel companies, or from tour guides both domestically and internationally, or at designated health declaration areas at Vietnamese border crossings.

These individuals must complete a health declaration form upon arrival at Vietnamese border checkpoints for entry, exit, or transit procedures, or at least 7 days prior to and after that date, submitting the health declaration form to the health quarantine officer at the border checkpoint.

Regarding control measures, the circular clarifies that health quarantine officers at border checkpoints must check the contents of health declarations and stamp them to confirm the inspection before the person making the declaration proceeds with entry, exit, or transit procedures. If the health declaration form is found to be altered or incorrectly filled out, the person must be required to re-declare the health declaration.

Immigration and customs officers at border crossings, while processing entry, exit, and transit procedures, must verify the health quarantine officer's confirmation in the instructions for those making health declarations.

The above circular officially takes effect from February 1, 2013.

According to (Vietnam+) - LT