Vietnam residents can now knock back a few cold ones at their local watering hole, but they'll have to leave their karaoke dreams at home.
As the country continues its successful containment of the coronavirus, more non-essential businesses and services are being allowed to come back online.
VnExpress reports that yesterday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced that bars nationwide would be able to reopen for the first time since mid-March.
Sports festivals and festivals can also be organized again, but karaoke parlors and nightclubs must keep their doors shut. Vietnamese movie buffs might be happy to hear that local cineplexes are reopening this weekend. According to Tuoi Tre, CGV and BHD have confirmed that their theaters will start welcoming guests on Saturday, May 9.
People are still advised to wear face masks and frequently use hand sanitizer, but this is another step in Vietnam's return to some kind of normalcy amid the global pandemic.
In terms of travel, the entry of foreign nationals is still suspended, except for certain cases involving diplomats or economic experts, while anyone entering the country must be quarantined for 14 days.
The prime minister also declared that students no longer have to wear masks while in class, and social distancing measures in classrooms have also been lifted, as there has been no detected community transmission for three weeks.
Many students returned to school on Monday for the first since before Tet, and more are resuming in-person learning next Monday.
