What a waste of time - these numbers show it's poorly designed. 2k people per year..

@Nick ***************

not true. All around Asia wearing masks is more commonplace than in the West, beyond what is required, but it's not compulsory. I've been flying, walking around and taking public transport in Thailand for the past 10 days all without mask and no one's ever said a thing. I'm writing this while seated on a plane about to take off, without mask.

@Timea **********

I didn't have a return flight and Thai immigration didn't check

I also confirm it took me 20 minutes from flight to taxi, entry procedure was really quick

Pro tip: In case airline staff at your departure location is overzealous and asks proof of the exit trip, have a web page ready to buy a Hatyay to Penang bus ride ($10), e.g.

That was my backup plan

I am pretty sure the poster would stay in Vietnam if his position hadn't become precarious

@Scott ******

it's a bit more complicated than how I am explaining it, but for simplicity just know they've stopped renewing visas for a lot of foreigners whose legal status in the country was a bit of a grey area (in itself, a speciality of the VN immigration system). You can expect an outflux of foreigners from Vietnam in the next few weeks, including some that had been here for years