After several months of closing its borders to curb the spread of Covid-19 disease, Vietnam is finally opening to International travels on Sept. 15.
Compared to other ASEAN nations, Vietnam has a relatively low rate of Covid-19 transmissions. While the healthcare systems of other wealthier countries have been collapsing, Vietnam has remained in full control. This is all thanks to the Vietnamese government’s quick response and proactive efforts. With a population of more than 97 million, Vietnam has gone through other outbreaks of infectious diseases in the past, including SARS and MERS.
Vietnam has relied heavily on cost-effective solutions to combat the spread of the virus. These include strategic testing, contact tracing, and effective communication campaigns to educate the public about the ongoing pandemic. In fact, Vietnam is one of the few countries that have implemented a national lockdown early on.
When China first reported about the emergence of the Covid-19 virus, Vietnam acted immediately. Having gone through epidemics in the past, such as SARS, MERS, and H5N1, this situation is not new to Vietnam. So in order to curb the spread of the virus, the government has closely monitored its border areas. When a Covid-19 infection was later on detected in the country, the community where the infection started was immediately put on quarantine.
When China reported its first fatality, Vietnam started implementing thorough health checks at its airports. All arriving visitors were asked to have their body temperatures taken. Anyone showing symptoms of fever, cough, or chest pain was immediately isolated for testing. If a confirmed case is detected, fellow passengers, including crews and all their contacts were asked to go on quarantine.
As the virus started spreading all over the world, Vietnam enforced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving passengers. Authorities have canceled all flights and enacted a border closure. Anyone who is showing symptoms of the Covid-19 virus was isolated in medical facilities and all their contacts were traced.
The Ministry of Health kept a record of all infected cases of the Covid-19 virus, including suspected individuals, and this has been very helpful for contact tracing. Authorities have also implemented a rapid mobilization of local health professionals, as well as security and military personnel to help ensure that safety measures are followed. In fact, neighbors were encouraged to report if they suspect someone of having the virus or if someone in the neighborhood has just returned from a foreign country.
Vietnam’s contact tracing has been successfully implemented with the help of technology. The government launched a mobile app known as NCOVI, which allows users to update their health status on a daily basis. It also provides information about “hotspots” of new cases and will provide tips on the “best practices” for staying healthy and avoid getting infected with the deadly virus.
Vietnam’s effective communications campaign has also helped the country in winning against the virus. Authorities are encouraging relevant agencies to spread awareness of the Covid-19. They even came up with pop music regarding the virus, which has gone viral. The video makes use of a catchy song to effectively communicate to the public the importance of regular hand washing and other safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Last March, Vietnam launched a fundraising campaign to fund the purchase of medical and protective equipment to be used by medical professionals who are working closely with Covid-19 patients. The campaign has been successful and they were able to raise more than 2 million donations from the public using a text message platform.
These public campaigns have certainly been successful in educating the public and raising awareness about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Another way in which the Vietnam government has successfully fought the virus is through the quick development of testing kits. Some reports have claimed that the reason why Vietnam has zero deaths is because of the lack of testing kits. But this is far from the truth. Aside from buying 200,000 testing kits from South Korea, Vietnam has been able to swiftly develop its own kits.
Within only a month, a group of Vietnamese scientists was able to successfully develop a testing kit. These kits are not only affordable and effective, but they are also capable of detecting Covid-19 infection within only an hour. With the use of WHO-approved testing techniques, the kits have been a great help in Vietnam’s aggressive contact tracing efforts. Unlike the other countries that have implemented mass testing, Vietnam has chosen to conduct tests for those who are likely to be infected.
All the factors mentioned above have played a crucial role in Vietnam’s fight against Covid-19. Only time can tell if all these measures can continue to keep the number of infected cases in Vietnam down, but given the situation in the country now, it seems likely. Vietnam has proven the world that sometimes, less is more, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
After several months of closing its borders to curb the spread of Covid-19 disease, Vietnam is finally opening to International travels on Sept. 15.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has sent a proposal to the country’s Prime Minister about reopening international routes to foreign visitors. The initial plan is to resume flights to six international destinations.
Vietnam has so far been doing well in its fight against COVID-19. Compared to other Asian countries, Vietnam has a low number of confirmed cases and fatality rates.
Even though Vietnam has been successful in containing the Coronavirus outbreak, it still has not opened up to international tourists. The Vietnamese government is careful enough not to allow another wave of infections, such as the case in Da Nang recently.
Due to the unpredictable and complicated nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s Health Ministry has put in place various initiatives to combat the spread of the disease. These measures have grown more stringent over time and are expected to change from time to time.
In order to curb the spread of Covid-19, Vietnam has decided to shut down its borders in March. The government also suspended all International flights and halted the issuance of new visas to foreign nationals.
