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South Koreans Extend Vietnam Visas To Avoid Coronavirus Outbreak Back Home

Mar 26, 2020 995 Views By Ngo Long

Many South Korean citizens staying in Da Nang have decided to extend their visa to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic that has become increasingly serious in their home country.

A South Korean man applies for a visa extension in Da Nang City, Vietnam, March 3, 2020. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre

Reportedly, there has been a sharp increase in the number of South Korean customers who seek visa extension over the past weeks.

As serious COVID-19 outbreaks were reported in South Korea during this period, they must have decided to prolong their stay in Vietnam for their own safety.

In addition, the Vietnamese government previously suspended visa-free policy for all South Koreans, so they must extend their visas if they want to continue staying here.

Kim Won Hoon, a 37-year-old man from Seoul who works in Da Nang, said he usually flew back to South Korea once every three months.

However, Kim currently has no intention of returning home because of the ongoing epidemic.

Lee Dong Yul, 37, who works at a local spa, believed that Vietnam has done a very good job controlling the epidemic.

“As there are no new COVID-19 cases in the country, we feel much safer staying here,” Lee explained.

Expressing the same opinion, Yun Sang, a 45-year-old man from Busan who has been in Vietnam for four years, is now extending his visa for another three months.

The COVID-19 has killed 2,202 people and infected over 414,179 globally since it first hit the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, according to WHO.

According to the same source, the total number of confirmed cases in the Republic of Korea has exceeded 9137, as of 25 March 2020. The country has reported 126 deaths caused by the COVID-19.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 138 cases of the viral infection and no reported deaths.