Forget Phuket, here’s Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s big tourism hope Snorkelling in Phu Quoc island, Vietnam.
On a late afternoon in Phu Quoc, Vietnam s largest island, couples and families relax on beanbag chairs at a Middle Eastern-themed beach bar, clinking their glasses while watching the sun set on the horizon. A few metres away, children build sandcastles, jump into the waves and indulge in water fights.
A scene like this in April seems far-fetched amid a raging Covid-19 pandemic that has seen spikes in new cases and fresh lockdowns in Asia and Europe.
But this is a reality in Vietnam, where life is almost back to normal thanks to many containment strategies including border closures that have kept out almost everyone since March last year, except for repatriated citizens, foreign investors and businesspeople. The country has recorded some 2,800 infections and 35 coronavirus-related deaths so far, despite sharing a border with China, where Covid-19 was first reported.