HCMC - A recent survey showed that U.S. businesses in Vietnam were affected by the current coronavirus surge and many of them wanted the quarantine period to be shortened from 21 to seven days.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi conducted the survey among its members at the end of last week asking them about the impact of the current Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam on the business situation.

The survey focused on business issues, limiting activities and transportation, procedures for people entering the country and the availability of the vaccine in Vietnam.

Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi, said over 90% of AmCham members responded that their businesses have been affected by the current surge.

Their biggest challenge lies in the lack of vaccines to ensure the safety of members as well as regulatory and paperwork requirements that make it difficult to bring key personnel into Vietnam. Over 70% of respondents said that their companies are limiting business trips to Vietnam.

While the health and safety of the Vietnamese people should be the Government’s primary priority, AmCham’s survey results show that 81% of its member companies would bring more personnel to Vietnam if the mandatory quarantine period is reduced from 21 days to seven days.

Survey results also show that 88% of AmCham members feel their companies are willing to pay for high quality Covid-19 vaccines in Vietnam.

The pandemic will continue to cause interruption so forcing everyone to stay indoors for a few weeks might be a good idea at the moment. However, Sitkoff said that policy makers in Vietnam also need to consider a system of records to facilitate international visitors in Vietnam.

According to AmCham’s leaders, vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective.

AmCham encourages agencies to issue more convenient entry and exit procedures for fully vaccinated businesspeople, foreign experts and even tourists.