Europe urges Vietnam to restart flights as FTA takes effect

Europe has joined the growing number of economies urging Vietnam to resume international flights, as the country appears virtually free of the coronavirus and represents a strong investment destination for those seeking diverse supply chains. Nicolas Audier, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, called on Hanoi to authorize and issue visas letting foreigners enter the country when he spoke with the Nikkei Asian Review in Ho Chi Minh City, the southern commercial hub of the communist-led country, on Friday. Hanoi currently permits foreigners to leave Vietnam and allows the entry of commercial planes to gather passengers for return to Europe. But standard Europe-to-Vietnam flights are not expected to regain authorization until 2021. The National Assembly in Hanoi approved a free trade deal with the European Union on June 8, making Vietnam the second Southeast Asian nation to have such a treaty with the European bloc after Singapore. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement is set to take effect as early as August. "EU companies will consider Vietnam [as an investment target] now even more than before because of EVFTA," Giorgio Aliberti, EU Ambassador to Vietnam told Nikkei in another interview in Hanoi, soon after the approval of the free trade agreement.<br/>