The document said Vietnam will expand the vaccination program step by step, from higher to lower ages (children aged 16-17 will get vaccinations first, followed by children at lower ages).

It’s unclear which vaccines will be used for the program, but parents believe that the Pfizer vaccine will be approved because this is the only vaccine being used in the world for teenagers.

Meanwhile, many people fear that the vaccines using mRNA technology may intervene with human genes, especially small children.

Nguyen Van Long in Tan Binh District in HCM City is one of them.

Long said all his family members have been safe during the fourth pandemic wave. “We strictly follow the 5K principle and we regularly clean our nose and throat, and drink vitamins to improve resistance. I ask my children to spend 30 minutes a day on physical exercise,” he said.

His view is that children have their own resistance which can be strengthened with physical exercise, food and supplemental micronutrients. His two children rarely get sick. He doesn’t intend to have his children vaccinated in the first campaign.

“I will make a decision on whether to vaccinate my children later, when there is more scientific research about the vaccines and when more vaccines receive approval from WHO (World Health Organization),” he said.

Thu Lan in Cau Giay district has also expressed concern that the vaccination may cause undesired effects on students.

“I think I won’t let my children get vaccinated in the first campaign. If unvaccinated students are not allowed to return to school, my children will study online,” she said.

Unlike Long and Lan, Tran Xuan Son, a parent in district 10, HCM City, said he hopes his son, a 10th grader, is vaccinated as soon as possible.

“He went to school and extra classes last year, and has been learning online for the last few months. He doesn’t have opportunities to communicate and go out,” he said, adding that the vaccinations will allow him to return to a normal life.

Le Thi Anh Van in district 3 said she is not worried about the safety of vaccines.

“I believe that the ministry thoroughly considered before deciding which vaccines would be used for teens. Many countries in the world are also vaccinating children to ensure a safe return to school,” she said.

“What worries me now is the physical and mental health condition of children who have had to study online for a long time, not the rumors about the side effects of vaccines,” she said.

Nguyen Ngoc Hieu in Ba Dinh district in Hanoisaid he will let his child, a seventh grader, get vaccinated.

“Children cannot stay at home forever. They need to go out and return to their normal lives,” he said. “It will be safer to go out if they are fully vaccinated.”

What do schools say?

The opinions of high schools headmasters vary.

Huynh Thanh Phu, Headmaster of Nguyen Du High School in district 10, said it would be better to organize immunization at schools.

“Schools are large enough to ensure necessary distance between students. If students get vaccinations at schools, we will be able to know exactly the number of vaccinated and unvaccinated students,” he explained.

According to Phu, parents and students have the right to decide whether to get vaccinated.

“Unvaccinated students also have the right to return to school. The Ministry will decide the required percentage of vaccinated students for schools to be able to reopen,” Phu said.

A school headmaster in Binh Thanh district, however, said students should be allowed to get vaccinated anywhere that is convenient for them, not only at schools.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Ngo Thi Minh said the ministry would release a document on building a safe school environment in the new normal situation this week.

Asked if the unvaccinated can return to school, Minh said the Government’s policy is to vaccinate all children aged 12-17 to ensure a safe return to school.

“We will conduct more studies and consult with the Government and MOH on whether unvaccinated students can return to school at the same time as vaccinated ones,” she said. 

Phuong Chi

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