Where can I travel in Southeast Asia? Here what’s open for tourists
The islands of Southeast Asia are reopening to visitors — one small step at a time.
The region is home to countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, that kept Covid rates low throughout 2020.
That changed with the arrival of the delta variant, which forced many Southeast Asian nations to contend with big outbreaks for the first time.
Plans to reopen popular hotspots such as Phuket and Bali were put on hold. Singapore, too, recorded a spike in cases and kept its borders largely sealed to tourists.
Until now.
Thailand
Many Southeast nations are cautiously opening to travelers. One appears to be throwing its doors wide open.
Thailand pioneered Southeast Asia’s tourism reopening on July 1 with its first-of-a-kind “sandbox” scheme.
Thailand announced this week plans to reopen its popular tourist destinations and large cities by the year end.
Getty Images
Under the plan, vaccinated travelers who test negative for Covid-19 before and after arriving can enter Phuket without quarantining. The island welcomed 26,400 vaccinated visitors and generated tourism revenue of 1.63 billion Thai baht ($48.5 million) in July and August, according to a report by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Now vaccinated travelers can visit other parts of Thailand, including the island of Koh Samui and parts of the provinces of Krabi and Phang-Nga.
On Monday, Thai authorities announced plans to open a large swath of the country in the next three months. Authorities approved a four-phase reopening timeline that prioritizes popular tourist destinations, including Bangkok.
Thailand’s reopening plans
| Phase | Starting date | What’s happening |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Oct. 1 | Continue reopening of Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi and Phang-Nga; more places opening in Krabi |
| 1 | Nov. 1 | Reopening of 7 more provinces, including popular spots like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Hua Hin |
| 2 | Dec. 1 | Reopening of 20 more provinces, including Ayutthaya, Chiang Rai, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Trang, Trat, and Yala |
| 3 | Jan. 1, 2022 | Reopening of 13 more border provinces, including Satun, Surin and Udon Thani |
Vietnam
The Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc (pronounced “foo kwok”) is scheduled to reopen to vaccinated international visitors in October, according to VGP News, the Vietnamese government’s online newspaper.
The island, Vietnam’s largest, is lesser known than other Southeast Asian islands, which is one reason travelers are attracted to it. Home to white-sand beaches and night markets, Phu Quoc has a UNESCO recognized biosphere reserve and one of the world’s longest cable cars, which links to the nearby island of Hon Tham (Pineapple Island).
Phu Quoc’s cable car is one of the longest in the world and covers a distance of nearly five miles in 15 minutes.
Vera Tikhonova | iStock | Getty Images
Phu Quoc is scheduled to open in phases. In the first three months, the island is targeting 2,000 to 3,000 visitors per month, according to the Vietnamese authorities. These visitors can arrive via charter jets and visit a limited number of places on the…
Read More: Where can I travel in Southeast Asia? Here what’s open for tourists