THỪA THIÊN HUẾ  Tourists now can visit various places of historical and scenic interest in the central province of Thừa Thien Huế that were closed over the past four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre, the heritage sites that are allowed to receive visitors include the Imperial City, the mausoleums of Emperors Minh Mạng, Tự Đuc and Khải Định, and An Định Palace.

However, the visitors can only visit the outdoor areas and are not permitted to enter the interior of the relics.

The re-opening of tourism sites is part of the Thừa Thien-Huế authorities’ efforts in gradually reviving the provincial tourism sector that has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure virus prevention and control, tourists have to comply with 5K (in Vietnamese) rules: Khẩu trang (facemask), Khử khuẩn (disinfection), Khoảng cach (distance), Khong tụ tập (no gathering), and Khai bao y tế (health declaration), as well as scanning the QR code of the Disease Control Card before entering the sites.

Particularly, visitors from outside the province must complete the implementation of medical supervision according to regulations, in which people from the pandemic hot spots must receive full doses of the vaccine and self-isolate for a week.

The province is offering a 50 per cent ticket discount to the Complex of Huế Monuments.

In an effort to promote the local tourism sector during the pandemic, Thừa Thien Huế Province has also actively introduced local tourist landmarks on social media, aiming to attract tourists as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic situation is brought under control in the area.

As revealed by the provincial tourism authority, a quarter of the province's tour guides, equivalent to 200 people, have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and this number will continue to increase when domestic tourism is fully open.

The pandemic is basically controlled in Thừa Thien Huế. As of September 30, 66 COVID-19 patients are being treated in the area while 751 have recovered. Over 124,378 local residents have been vaccinated with the first jab and another 57,000 people have been inoculated with second jabs.

Currently, restaurants and cafes in the province have been allowed to open, but at 50 per cent capacity. Places of worship have also reopened but to fewer than 50 people.

Local residents are allowed to exercise outdoors and schools have opened to students. VNS