The pandemic has changed the world

The way public life has changed in the wake of the coronvirus pandemic may feel new and frightening to many. But the older among us have lived through similar times and similar fears. There is one thing we know that may bring solace. There will be an end to this pandemic and if we take advantage of the most promisinng drug options avialable today, the end may come sooner than most think.

I was lucky to be in Vietnam at this time

The way Vietnam handled the pandemic is amazing. As the coronavirus pandemic rages in wealthy European countries, more than 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) from China where the outbreak began, Vietnam has widely been spared. In Germany alone, the latest numbers from the World Health Organization (WHO) show more than 30,000 people have been infected with COVID-19, resulting in 149 fatalities. Vietnam, which shares a 1,100-kilometer-long border with China, however, has only reported 134 infections and no fatalities since the outbreak began in January. Even if we consider these numbers with a dose of caution, one thing is clear: Vietnam has a done a good job thus far in fighting the coronavirus. During the Tet New Year celebrations at the end of January, Vietnam’s government said it was “declaring war” on the coronavirus, although the outbreak at that time was still confined to China. Premier Nguyen Xuan Phuc said during a meeting of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party that it would not be long before the coronavirus reached the country. “Fighting this epidemic, means fighting the enemy,” said Phuc.

Vietnam’s coronavirus diplomacy has lent an emergency helping hand to the West that will likely be rewarded in kind after the plague. It leads the way in protecting its citizens from coronavirus. The country of almost 100 Million people has had just over 300 posotive cases and hasn’t recorded a single death from the disease.

Zero deaths. It’s an achievement amid the coronavirus pandemic that governments from the United States to Italy can only dream of.

Vietnam has only 328 confirmed cases so far. get the latest data.

By contrast Malaysia had more than 6000 cases. Tiny Singapore, with only a fraction of Vietnam’s population, had a whopping 23,787.

Can we believe the hype

Vietnam is an authoritarian, one-party state which is notoriously secretive about sharing information.

But most experts believe Vietnamese authorities are being honest about coronavirus statistics.

Huong Le Thu, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the ABC that given international organisations, foreign epidemiologists and even Australia’s ambassador to Hanoi have expressed confidence in the data, she had “no reason” to doubt the figures.

The Reuters news agency reported none of the 13 funeral homes it contacted in Hanoi have seen an increase in funerals amid the pandemic.

“I know I sound like I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid, but I don’t see any alarm bells ringing about the accuracy or lack of transparency in the numbers,” said Sharon Kane, Vietnam country director at Plan International, an NGO that works on public health.

“There was an honest realisation and reporting by the Government from the beginning of January about the limited clinical resources available if this epidemic took hold, so Vietnam was swift in trying to keep the outbreak under control.”

They didn’t pretend it was just like the flu.

Moving quickly and decisively

Key to Vietnam’s success have been strategic testing, aggressive contact tracing and effective public communications campaigns.

Most importantly, it did these things quickly.

From very early on, it was understood that this is something very serious, a virus that can infect everyone.

Reporting its first case on January 22, Vietnam rapidly moved to establish a ministerial taskforce known as the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

“Its first risk assessment exercise was conducted in early January — soon after cases in China started being reported,” the World Health Organization’s representative to Vietnam, Kidong Park, told AAP.

Vietnam acted probably faster than any country in the world outside China.

By February 1, flag carrier Vietnam Airlines announced the suspension of all flights to and from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Borders were closed soon afterwards, suspending all international flights by March 21.

There were many lessons learnt from the SARS epidemic of 2003, and the Government has cleverly used this rich experience and acted responsibly.

Those returning to Vietnam have been required to quarantine for 14 days at Government-funded and operated facilities.

Vietnam has isolated all people even suspected of being infected. Tens of thousands of people have been placed into quarantine.

By early March, Vietnamese scientists had already developed several low-cost test kits.

By that point, the US didn’t even have an effective test,Vietnam had three.

The number of laboratories able to test for COVID-19 in Vietnam went from three in January to 112 by April.

Vietnam has chosen a ‘low-cost’ strategy of testing those in isolation instead of conducting expensive large-scale screening.

Staying home is loving your country

Vietnam’s famous propaganda machine was meanwhile mobilised to encourage positive habits such as using hand sanitiser, which was made readily available.

The Government made wearing masks outside compulsory on March 16, with harsh penalties for those not complying.

It has become a matter of patriotism to wash one’s hands and stay home — a message that has been successfully communicated through various forms of popular art and propaganda about COVID-19.

Slogans have included “staying home is loving your country”, “social distancing is a form of patriotism”, and “the virus is your enemy”.

The Government was very creative.Every day, different parts of the Government would text citizens with updates.

A catchy coronavirus pop song released by Vietnamese authorities went viral in March, racking up millions of views on YouTube.

Vietnam back open for business

With no local cases reported in almost a month, Vietnam has reopened businesses and tourist attractions.

Schools have reopened, subject to social distancing measures, with children’s temperatures being taken and hand sanitiser being provided to students.

Ho Chi Minh City — Vietnam’s largest and most congested metropolis of some 9 million people — completely reopened its bus network this week.

Vietnam Airlines has said it will resume all domestic flights by the beginning of June.

Vietnam is a major beneficiary of this diversification as it has proved to be friendly while still cost-effective to firms from the West. Vietnam will be, in many cases, the first choice when they look around to find a reliable alternative to China. Through early and efficient border closures, uncharacteristic official transparency and strategic Covid-19 diplomacy, communist-run Vietnam is fast emerging as a likely post-pandemic winner. For a nation that has long-sought to secure it’s place as a reliable and responsible global actor, the coronavirus outbreak and its minimal impact on Vietnam has presented the nation an opportunity in crisis analysts say it is firmly grasping. Vietnam has recently ramped up medical equipment production and made related donations to countries in Covid-19 need, including to the United States, Russia, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. US President Donald Trump earlier this month thanked “our friends in Vietnam” in a Twitter post after America received 450,000 protective hazmat suits manufactured in Vietnamese factories owned and operated by US chemical company DuPont. Vietnam has also donated face masks, hand sanitizers and other Covid-19 containing supplies to medical services in neighboring Cambodian and Laos, countries with which Vietnam shares special relations and where China has recently made inroads and gains. The coronavirus pandemic has been a great opportunity for Vietnam to enhance its soft power, as it helped to broadcast Vietnam’s generous behavior toward the international community.

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