Access to information is an extremely important factor in preventing Covid-19 epidemics. Practical lessons in some countries around the world show that the hiding and lack of information transparency about diseases can cause serious consequences in epidemic control.

Recognizing the importance of information access related to the Covid-19 epidemic, on March 19, 2020, international experts, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom rights of opinion and expression made a joint statement calling on governments to provide accurate, rapid, and widespread information on epidemics.

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In order to ensure the right to access to information about epidemics for the people, the Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Health have adopted a policy from the beginning that Vietnam always makes the situation of the epidemic public to the people and the world. Vietnam has determined that the first principle in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic is openness, transparency, and no hiding of epidemics and considers this a measure to repel the epidemic.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 on a global scale, Vietnam has applied many different modes and levels of communication to ensure access and transparency of information while also avoiding confusion and panic in society. Specifically, people have been provided with full and up-to-date information on the epidemic situation in Vietnam and around the world, information on disease prevention measures through various traditional means, including via social networks, phone messages. At the same time, Vietnam has also deployed information channels to receive comments, recommendations, proposals and initiatives from experts, ministries, branches and people about disease prevention.

Telecommunication ensures communication, connections among hospitals and medical facilities to manage quarantine and treat Covid-19 infected and suspected patients, and ensure free hot lines for disease prevention and control.

Telecommunication enterprises have strictly followed the instructions of the Government and the Ministry of Information and Communications on the implementation of measures to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic but still ensure their production and business activities; focusing on promoting their strengths, taking advantage of opportunities for people to work and study online to promote production and business (Telecommunication enterprises have concentrated resources, implemented the direction of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Information and Communications in the prevention of Covid-19 epidemics, such as establishing the online communication system between the Ministry of Health and relevant hospitals, sending propaganda messages in the first wave of epidemic; in the first half of 2020, the Ministry of Information and Communications directed 11 texting sessions with more than 15 billion messages sent); providing free calls to hotline numbers; providing free high-speed access to websites of the Ministry of Health; changing the logo; setting the tone; raising support via number 1407 (2.6 million messages worth more than VND152 billion), increased by 50% data capacity for all service packages; doubling the bandwidth of all FTTH packages at the same rates nationwide; providing free wifi in quarantine zones, contributing to raising awareness of people and society in epidemic prevention and control).

In April 2020, the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center - VNNIC published statistics of nearly 30,000 users in Q1/2020, showing that the quality of Vietnam's Internet connection met the standard, with some indexes are higher than figures published by international systems in the first quarter of 2020. Specifically, the average download speed of wide fixed networks reached 61.69 Mbps, 45% higher than the results measured by foreign systems. For the mobile network, the average download speed of 39.44 MBps is also 18.7% higher. This reflects the efforts of Vietnamese Internet service providers to ensure the quality of Internet connection to serve economic and social activities when the demand for Internet use spikes during the Covid- 19 epidemic.

16 enterprises launched over 20 applications for epidemic prevention and control. Technology of the 4.0 era has become a shield to protect the community. IT has really become an effective weapon of Vietnam in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.

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Notably, data up to June 2020 shows that NCoVi application was completed in 48 hours; Bluezone application was completed in 2 weeks; 12,000 medical facilities were provided with accounts to synthesize and analyze application data; over 10 million medical records were made through the NCoVi application; nearly 700,000 medical declarations were made for entry; more than 200,000 mobile subscribers were screened, texted to request for medical declaration and quarantine instructions; the 19009095 number received and answered more than 630,000 calls, the rate of successful connection reached over 99%; more than 15 billion anti-Covid messages were sent; Managing information of 328 infected cases, 858 suspected cases, more than 300,000 isolated cases; The press provided people with complete and comprehensive information about the epidemic situation and measures to prevent and fight against epidemics, raising awareness in the whole society.

The Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Health monitored daily information on Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control in the international press; prepared weekly report on international opinion and international experiences in response to the Covid-19 pandemic to provide to domestic press agencies with reference through the media board – the National Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Covid-19 epidemic.

The Ministry of Information and Communications issued Document No. 1090/BTTT-CBC dated March 31, 2020 to the People's Committees of cities and provinces, asking their coordination to well perform the following key tasks: propaganda about disease prevention and control; appointing a spokesperson to provide information or issuing press releases on the epidemic situation and epidemic prevention and control activities in the locality for the press to report accurately; providing information on solutions of the Government, ministries, branches and localities to focus on solving difficulties, promoting production and business, ensuring social security, health and life of the people.

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The Ministry of Information and Communications issued Decision No 532/QD-BTTTT dated 10/4/2020 on assigning tasks and approving the Plan to organize propaganda activities on prevention and fighting against Covid-19, assigning the Press Department to select 40 news agencies with large readers (including 30 central news agencies, 10 local news agencies) to sign information and propaganda contracts on Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control; asking telecom businesses to assist the media in terms of the cost of transmission lines, servers...

This move, on one hand, helped people fully access information about the epidemic through the press, on the other hand, this is a small but extremely timely aid to help the media overcome difficulties in the context of Covid-19 epidemic, which caused great losses, 30-50% of revenues, to the media.

These are living proofs that the State of Vietnam has ensured the people's right to access information. This is a positive point that the Government of Vietnam has succeeded in the epidemic prevention and control time, ensuring that all people live safely, thereby helping build trust and mobilize consensus of the whole people in response to the pandemic.

Hong Huong