Vietnam bans all flights to and from China over coronavirus

HANOI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Vietnam declared a public health emergency over the coronavirus epidemic on Saturday and said it would stop all flights to and from China.

The government said it would also stop issuing visas for foreign visitors who had been in China in the past two weeks.

All permits granted for flights between Vietnam and China, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau have been revoked until further notice, the government said in a statement.

Budget carrier Vietjet Air and the national firm, Vietnam Airlines, earlier said they would suspend all flights to and from China from Feb. 1. (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Andrew Heavens)