Treating a COVID-19 patient.

The Ministry of Health on August 21 allowed the distribution of 30,000 more vials of the antiviral drug Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients in a number of localities.

Recipients include 11 hospitals, 12 departments of health in cities and provinces consisting of HCM City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Da Nang, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, Kien Giang and Hau Giang, and the health division of the Military Medicine Department.

Earlier, 10,000 vials were distributed on August 8 for Ho Chi Minh City and a number of southern provinces. Another 30,000 vials of the drug were recently distributed on August 17 for 17 hospitals and health departments in the south.

Remdesivir was the first antiviral drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October, 2020 for treating COVID-19 patients. It has the ability to shorten treatment times and speed up recovery for critically ill patients.

The drug has been approved and authorised for use in approximately 50 countries worldwide. It is now one of the world's leading specialised drugs.

On August 2, with the ministry’s guidance, conglomerate Vingroup had successfully negotiated for 500,000 vials of Remdesivir from Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla under licensing agreement from US-based Gilead Sciences. The first batch arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on August 5.

PM requests HCM City to test all residents as infection cases surge

Ho Chi Minh City must test every resident during its ongoing extended social distancing period, according to the Prime Minister’s telegram dated August 22.

PM Pham Minh Chinh requests HCM City to test every resident to early detect and saparate all infections from the wider community during its ongoing extended social distancing period.
The move is to early detect and separate all infection cases from the community, the PM said in the telegram.

HCM City has recorded approximately 4,000 new cases daily, becoming the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam. It has so far documented more than 170,000 cases since the resurgence of the virus nearly four months ago, or more than half of the country’s total.

The southern metropolis has recently decided to extend its ongoing social distancing measures for another month till September 15 to curb the spread of the virus. Experts say the city should make use of this golden time to isolate the virus in the community in the last, important battle.

In the telegram dispatched to HCM City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An, the PM asked the Ministry of Health to prioritise allocating COVID-19 vaccines to these localities and carry out the ongoing free vaccination campaign in a timely, safe and effective manner.

He requested the administrations of the designed localities to strictly implement social distancing measures. All residents are required to stay indoors, and on-duty staff at checkpoints are deployed to assist locals, including vulnerable groups, with basic daily necessities.

He also asked relevant ministries and agencies to provide adequate food, medicine and medical equipment to the COVID hit localities to ensure no locals are left hungry and patients are admitted to hospital on time.  

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread to 62 out of 63 cities and provinces across the country since its resurgence in late April. Daily caseload has hit more than 10,000 over the past few days, with August 21 seeing more than 11,300 cases detected, a record high figure.

The Vietnamese Government has set a goal of keeping the fresh coronavirus outbreak nationwide in check in September. Coronavirus hotspots like Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An are set to contain the outbreak before September 1, while the largest coronavirus hotspot of HCM City is expected to halt the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus before September 15.

President offers incense to Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on August 22 morning led a delegation of Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front leaders to offer incense and flower to General Vo Nguyen Giap on the occasion of his 110th birth anniversary (August 25).

Paying respect to the eldest brother of the Vietnam People's Army, the legendary General of the Vietnamese nation, and the world famous General, they expressed their gratitude to the late General, who devoted his whole life to the glorious revolutionary cause of the Party and nation.

General Vo Nguyen Giap, whose real name is Vo Giap (alias Van), was born in Loc Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, the central province of Quang Binh on August 25, 1911.  He passed away in Hanoi on October 4, 2013 at the age of 103.

He once served as a Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence, Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnamese People’s Army and a National Assembly deputy from the first to seventh tenures.

The General, whose military career starting with his appointment to lead the first Vietnamese revolutionary army unit with only 34 soldiers in 1944, led the Vietnamese people's army from victory to victory during the resistance war against French colonialists and then American imperialists.

62 psychiatric hospital patients test positive for COVID-19

Experts have been examining the source of COVID-19 infection at the centrally-run psychiatric hospital in Dong Nai’s Bien Hoa city after 62 patients there were infected with the virus.

The Dong Nai Department of Health reported that 62 out of 99 patients of a male patients’ department in the hospital have been exposed to the virus through quick tests.

All the positive cases have been transferred to an isolation area for medical surveillance and RT-PCR tests.

The hospital has also tested all of its staff as well as 601 patients and found no more new positive cases.

To make sure, all of the hospital’s staff and patients will undergo RT-PCR tests, said a leader of the hospital.

The source of infection is yet to be known.

Dong Nai is one of the coronavirus hotspots in southern Vietnam. On August 21 alone, the province recorded 959 new infections, according to the provincial Centre for Disease Control.

The province has so far documented 17,832 cases since the virus resurged in Vietnam nearly four months ago.   

Preparation for Vietnam’s attendance at 42nd AIPA General Assembly inspected

Representatives of the National Assembly (NA) on August 22 toured the International Convention Centre in Hanoi to inspect the preparation for Vietnam’s attendance at the 42nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-42), which will be held in Brunei in videoconference format from August 23-25.

The inspection covered preparations in terms of hospitality, technical work, and operation of meeting rooms.

Both NA General Secretary and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong and head of the NA Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha highlighted the importance of the event. It is the first official multilateral external activity of Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the high-level delegation of the 15th NA.

They requested careful preparations that ensure absolutely security and safety for participants as well as good technical works, particularly signal transmission.

All preparations are required to be completed on August 22.

The 15-member delegation of Vietnam will engage in major activities of the AIPA-42, including the opening ceremony, the first and second plenary sessions, the meeting of the Women Parliamentarians of AIPA (WAIPA), meetings of AIPA committees, the signing of the joint statement and the closing ceremony.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc will send a greeting message to the event, while NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will deliver a keynote speech at the first AIPA-42 plenary session.

During the AIPA-42, member parliaments will discuss and adopt a procedure to organise AIPA Young Parliamentarians’ meetings, which is a specific step to realise Vietnam’s initiative at the 41st AIPA General Assembly held in Vietnam in 2020.

Da Nang extends lockdown period for extra three days

The municipal administration of Da Nang city decided on August 21 to extend the central city’s lockdown period for an additional three days, banning people from going out in order to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes after the city implemented a one-week lockdown between 8 a.m. on August 16 and 8 a.m. on August 23. According to the new schedule, the restrictions will last three more days until 8 a.m. on August 26.

The plan is one of the urgent measures granted approval by the municipal authorities to help reduce infection cases, said Le Trung Chinh, chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee.

This will see shippers and workers who provide essential items allowed to travel around the city. For families in isolation areas, the delivery of goods will be conducted at checkpoints.

The central city will regulate necessities which are allowed to transport from commercial centres, supermarkets, convenience stores, and commercial companies to households.

Shippers must get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, travel permits, and closely follow the Health Ministry’s 5K message

Furthermore, the Da Nang Department of Industry and Trade will be assigned to ensure a sufficient supply of food and other essential items for local people.

Simultaneously, the city’s healthcare sector will continue to conduct COVID-19 tests for residents in order to detect and separate F0 cases from the wider community.

Edtech – ‘emerging star’ in pandemic age

While many businesses have been forced to shut down due to COVID-19, Edtech firms have been emerging and attracting investors’ attention as many people tend to switch to online learning.

In March 2020, ELSA, an Edtech startup, opened its system for people to access free English pronunciation lessons, resulting in soaring numbers of visits and installations. In February this year, the platform had dozens of millions of users and successfully secured an investment of 15 million USD.

In June, the educational group EQuest unveiled that it received a sum worth up to 100 million USD from the leading global investment firm KKR.

A report by Do Ventures, a venture capital fund focusing on the technology sector in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, showed that Vietnam is the most attractive investment destination in the region. It predicted in the coming time, investors will focus on education, health care, and financial services.

According to Le Hoang Uyen Vy, CEO of Do Ventures, Edtech has four major segments, which are content (pre-recorded lessons in the form of videos or question banks), live-class (online classes with teachers), OMO (Online Merge Offline model), and B2B (business to business marketing methods).

The first phase of Vietnam's Edtech market, emerging from content, starts to move to the live-class segment, she noted.

The expert said under the COVID-19 impact, online learning has become essential and it is a good time for Edtech startups to create breakthroughs.

HCM City pledges to maintain sufficient food supply for residents

The municipal administration of Ho Chi Minh City has committed to providing a sufficient supply of essential goods to local people during tighter social distancing period for the COVID-19 fight.

The southern metropolis made the commitment after a large number of people were seen gathering at supermarkets, convenience stores and drugstores to purchase necessities on August 21 to survive the extended social distancing period with stricter measures starting on August 23.

The leadership has called on residents to stay calm and strictly comply with all COVID-19 prevention measures, as the city has stockpiled sufficient essential goods for local people during tighter social distancing period, said Phan Van Mai, vice secretary of the HCM City Party Committee.

He also asked local people to believe in the city’s social welfare policy, and not to comment on and share fake news.

On August 20 the HCM City administration moved to intensify social distancing measures against COVID-19, with local residents not permitted to leave their homes starting from midnight on August 23.

Accordingly, people are requested to stay indoors, households and wards to isolate one from another.

A greater effort will be made to treat severely-ill COVID-19 patients and reduce the mortality rate. Healthcare workers will be encouraged to work hard on sampling and testing in an effort to isolate and separate F0 cases from the community.

In addition, the southern city will continue to accelerate vaccinations to inoculate millions of people above 18 by the middle of September.

HCM City has so far recorded a total of 171,801 COVID-19 positive cases from April 27 to August 21, becoming the largest coronavirus hotpot in the country.

Health Ministry receives 1.2 million more doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

The Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) handed over 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the Health Ministry in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22.

It was the ninth batch under the VNVC’s order of 30 million doses with AstraZeneca in November 2020.

Supply Director of the VNVC Vu Thi Thu Ha said the batch arrived in Vietnam on August 19 morning and was handed over to the ministry after three days of completing quality inspection procedures.

The delivery took place before Ho Chi Minh City tightens social distancing measures from 0am on August 23.

Since July 9, over 6.2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been sent to Vietnam via the VNVC, bringing the total to about 7 million doses.

The VNVC pledged to cover all costs estimated at hundreds of billions VND during the vaccine purchase, transportation, preservation and hand-over.

It also promised to deliver the remaining to the Health Ministry on schedule.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulates new Malaysian PM

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 21 sent a message of congratulations to Ismail Sabri Yaakob on his appointment as the ninth PM of Malaysia.

Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah on August 20 named Ismail Sabri Yaakob, UMNO Vice President, as the country’s new Prime Minister.

Ismail was sworn in as Malaysia's ninth prime minister on August 21.

Vietnam makes noted contributions to AIPA’s reform: AIPA Secretary General

The Vietnamese National Assembly has taken timely actions and joined hands with other members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) to contribute to handling emerging issues in the region, said AIPA Secretary General Nguyen Tuong Van.

In an inclusive interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) ahead of the 42nd AIPA General Assembly, to be held virtually from August 23-28 by Brunei, the Chair of ASEAN in 2021, Van stressed Vietnam’s initiative to organise a thematic conference of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO) in 1999, which promoted the role of legislative agencies in the face of the regional economic and financial crisis.

The Hanoi conference was lauded by the AIPO, she said, adding that it demonstrated the timely participation of the legislative agencies in ASEAN’s efforts to deal with difficulties.

She also reviewed the 2001-2002 tenure when Vietnam performed the AIPO Chairmanship for the first time, as well as the country’s hosting the 23rd General Assembly of the AIPO and AIPA-32 in Hanoi, with 22 out of 33 approved resolutions initiated by the country, among other contributions since Vietnam joined AIPO/AIPA 26 years ago.

Vietnam has also made efforts to promote relations between AIPO/AIPA and ASEAN, Van continued.

She took AIPO-23 as an example, where Vietnam – AIPO Chair – invited the ASEAN Secretary General to attend the meeting to step up cooperation between the sides.

Notably, representatives from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) have attended the AIPA General Assembly as suggested by Vietnam, Van said, describing this as a significant step to help AIPO/AIPA integrate into the world.

She also commended Vietnam’s significant contributions to reforming and improving operational quality of the AIPA Secretariat and promoting solidarity and unity within the AIPA, as well as cooperation and connectivity within ASEAN at large.

The Vietnamese National Assembly always observes ASEAN’s principles of ensuring friendship, respecting independence and sovereignty, and not interfering into internal affairs of each other, while upholding the grouping’s principle of consensus.

In 2020, the Vietnamese legislature successfully organised AIPA-41 via videoconference for the first time given the COVID-19 pandemic spread.

The success of the unprecedented meeting has left a good impression on international friends, and served as a source of encouragement for other AIPA member countries and the Secretariat to organise and participate in online AIPA events, Van said.

According to the AIPA Secretary General, Brunei has leaned from Vietnam’s experience to organise AIPA-42 and related meetings.

The Vietnamese NA has worked as a pioneer that has creatively and flexibly adapted to the new situation, she said.

Oversea Vietnamese join hands with pandemic combat at home

In response to the call of the President, the Prime Minister, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and the Ministry of Foreign Affair, the Vietnamese community in Russia has raised 10 million rubles (nearly 150,000 USD) to support the country’s COVID-19 vaccine fund, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi said on August 20.

While addressing the closing ceremony of the 2021 Vietnam Community Football Championship in Russia, he emphasised that in the current pandemic situation, any support or contribution is very valuable which expresses the kindheartedness of the Vietnamese community in Russia towards the fatherland.

The tournament, which was organised by the Vietnamese Association in Russia in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy, was attended by 300 players and members of the coaching staff.

The ambassador said it was not only a community sports competition but also an event to help raise the spirit of solidarity towards the homeland of the participants in particular and the Vietnamese community in Russia in general.

At the award ceremony, Tran Phu Thuan, Vice Chairman of the overseas Vietnamese Association in Russia, head of the tournament’s organising committee, presented the symbolic amount of more than 127,000 rubles (nearly 1,800 USD) that collected in the final match to support Vietnam’COVID-19 vaccine fund.

Meanwhile, over the past time, Vietnamese expats in Germany have supported Vietnam’s pandemic fight through various forms such as providing medical equipment and financial support for the country’s COVID-19 vaccine fund.

For instance, Tran Dang Khoa, a Vietnamese in German, together with THACO Group and Tran Ba Duong, Group’s chairman, presented 3 million quick test kits to Vietnam. An additional 1,8 million test kits had also been donated by Khoa and THACO.

According to the Vietnamese ambassador in Germany Nguyen Minh Vu, given the complicated pandemic situation in the country as well as the difficulties of the Vietnamese community in Germany, such donations are very practical for pandemic prevention and control in Vietnam, reflecting the sharing with the country's challenges.

Heavy rain forecast for October, November, first half of December

Between seven and nine storms and tropical depressions are forecast to hit the East Sea, of which up to four will directly affect Vietnam's mainland, from now until the end of 2021.

Provinces and cities in the central and south-central regions need to prepare for heavy rain in October, November and the first half of December, however, there is little chance of particularly heavy downpours like in 2020, Nguyen Van Huong, head of the Climate Forecasting Department, said on August 19.

Huong also said this cold weather will likely occur earlier, from the end of September and the beginning of October.

Severe cold spells may occur around mid-December, while in previous years, they appeared in the last days of December.

The centre predicted that in September, floods will occur downstream of major rivers in the north-central region.

On small rivers and streams, in the central region and Central Highlands, there is a possibility of flash floods and landslides.

Northern mountainous areas are also warned of flooding and landslides.

Huong said provinces and cities should review the safety of houses and prepare plans for natural disasters.

Local authorities should coordinate with agencies, especially at the grassroots level, to prepare to relocate households out of areas at risk of landslides and flash floods.

The cities and provinces should strengthen grassroots rescue teams ready for helping residents relocate.

Oversea Vietnamese join hands with pandemic combat at home

In response to the call of the President, the Prime Minister, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and the Ministry of Foreign Affair, the Vietnamese community in Russia has raised 10 million rubles (nearly US$150,000) to support the country’s COVID-19 vaccine fund.

At a closing ceremony of the 2021 Vietnam Community Football Championship in Russia on August 20, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi emphasised that in the current pandemic situation, any support or contribution is very valuable which expresses the kindheartedness of the Vietnamese community in Russia towards the fatherland.

The tournament, which was organised by the Vietnamese Association in Russia in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy, was attended by 300 players and members of the coaching staff.

The ambassador said it was not only a community sports competition but also an event to help raise the spirit of solidarity towards the homeland of the participants in particular and the Vietnamese community in Russia in general.

At the award ceremony, Tran Phu Thuan, Vice Chairman of the overseas Vietnamese Association in Russia, head of the tournament’s organising committee, presented the symbolic amount of more than 127,000 rubles (nearly US$1,800) that collected in the final match to support Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine fund.

Meanwhile, over the past time, Vietnamese expats in Germany have supported Vietnam’s pandemic fight through various forms such as providing medical equipment and financial support for the country’s COVID-19 vaccine fund.

For instance, Tran Dang Khoa, a Vietnamese in German, together with THACO Group and Tran Ba Duong, Group’s chairman, presented 3 million quick test kits to Vietnam. An additional 1,8 million test kits had also been donated by Khoa and THACO.

According to the Vietnamese ambassador in Germany Nguyen Minh Vu, given the complicated pandemic situation in the country as well as the difficulties of the Vietnamese community in Germany, such donations are very practical for pandemic prevention and control in Vietnam, reflecting the sharing with the country's challenges.

10 Vietnamese photos honoured on Instagram

A collection of 10 photos depicting Vietnamese culture taken by local photographer Tran Tuan Viet have been posted by @earthpix, Instagram’s largest travel account with over 20 million followers, reported the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

“Have you visited Vietnam? Or is it on your bucket list? Unfortunately Vietnam is not open for tourists yet. Hopefully they will open soon,” says the post by travel account @earthpix.

The photos snapped by Tuan Viet on his tours around Vietnamese cities and provinces include shots from Hanoi, Hue, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Bac Lieu, all of which have received plenty of praise from the wider international community.

Tuan Viet, 38, is notable for winning a number of prizes, such as the 15th Smithsonian magazine annual photo contest in 2018, along with the world’s best photos of #Fun2020 of Agora Images last year.

Ho Chi Minh City receives 10 mobile COVID-19 testing vehicles

Representatives of Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SCB) and Van Thinh Phat Group on August 20 presented 10 mobile COVID-19 testing vehicles to the health sector of Ho Chi Minh City. 

The vehicles were handed over to the city’s Pasteur Institute to conduct mobile testing in the locality. 

The introduction of mobile testing vehicles is expected to enhance the testing capacity in the city. Each vehicle is anticipated to analyse 2,000-3,000 samples per day. 

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Truong Khanh Hoang, Acting General Director of SCB said: “Facing the increasingly complicated COVID-19 situation and responding to the call of the city People's Committee, we understand that joining hands with the city and the Government is the most meaningful and practical action today.”

He said that they wish to contribute a small part to the pandemic prevention and control work with the target of controlling the pandemic as soon as possible so that people's lives can return to normal soon.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said having more mobile testing vehicles will speed up the city's testing progress.

“In the past time, businesses have had many charity activities, purchasing equipment and medicines to donate to the health sector in general and the health sector in HCM City in particular, the Ministry of Health thanks the valuable contributions of businesses,” he said.

In addition to 10 mobile COVID-19 testing vehicles to the city’s health sector, SCB and Van Thinh Phat Group are scheduled to present an additional 10 vehicles to Hanoi's health sector on August 30 . The total value of 20 vehicles is about 200 billion VND (8.7 million USD).

COVID-19: Cambodia lifts exit, entry restrictions on Vietnamese experts

Cambodia has lifted exit and entry restrictions on Vietnamese citizens who are employees and experts of Vietnamese firms in the country, the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said on August 20.

A diplomatic note on the removal, which took effect as from August 20, were sent to the Vietnamese Embassy the same day.

However, the ministry said, temporary entry restrictions as stated in diplomatic note No. 734 dated March 27, 2020, and other measures being imposed by Cambodia are still in place.

Earlier, the Cambodian side had decided to temporary ban exit and entry activities of the Vietnamese employees and experts in the country from July 18, 2021, to cope with COVID-19 spread, mainly due to the Delta variant.

Ben Tre invests in building ports, storm shelters for fishing vessels

The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre is building new fishing ports and storm shelters and upgrading others to ease the overload on existing ones.

A new port and a storm shelter are coming up in Ba Tri district on an area of 20ha and 23ha. They will cost 253 billion VND (11 million USD), of which 190 billion VND will come from the Government.

It is drafting plans to expand Binh Dai Fishing Port in Binh Dai district by 3.31ha by adding a pier, a warehouse for classifying seafood and a wastewater treatment facility.

The work will cost nearly 114 billion VND (5 million USD), with the Government providing 112 billion VND.

According to Nguyen Van Buoi, deputy director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the fisheries sector is growing quickly, with the number of high-capacity fishing boats rising rapidly making existing fishing ports and storm shelters insufficient.

The province is also developing logistics services at fishing ports to improve quality.

The province has three fishing ports in Ba Tri, Thanh Phu and Binh Dai districts and two storm shelters in Binh Dai and Thanh Phu.

Its People’s Committee has petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to add Binh Dai and Ba Tri fishing ports to the list of the country’s first-class fishing ports for the 2021- 30 period.

The ports have handled a total of 14,760 tonnes of seafood caught by 936 boats this year, according to the department.

Ben Tre has 3,882 registered fishing boats, including 2,149 with a length of at least 15 metres, among the highest number of any delta province.

They catch 210,000 tonnes of seafood a year.

A change in the strategy to deal with the pandemic required

This week started with the news that HCMC will extend its social distancing status by another month until September 15.

This is due to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging in HCMC with the number of daily new infections on the rise. The fatality rate in the city remains high at 241 deaths on average per day.

Despite an ongoing social distancing order, most districts in the city have seen the number of COVID-19 community transmissions dramatically increase in the past week.

Việt Nam is experiencing the heaviest outbreak ever: the number of cases has reached more than 300,000 and the death toll has been more than 7,000.

The pandemic quickly spread to 62 out of 63 provinces and cities across the country.

Until May this year, Việt Nam's COVID-19 prevention strategy was still said to be among the most effective in the world. But now, with the new strain of the virus, despite its best efforts to control the pandemic, the number of cases in the country is still between 8,000 and 10,000 a day.

The Delta strain of the virus has had the worst impact on Việt Nam. Although the authorities are applying the same methods as in the past, the results are not the same. Addressing a government meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said the fight against the pandemic so far "has not achieved the results expected" though authorities, the public and businesses "have tried hard and made a lot of efforts."

Trần Đắc Phu, senior advisor to the Việt Nam Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, believes so.

The number of cases increased very quickly and detected in many places such as: industrial parks, markets, hospitals, apartment communities, supply chains, so it spread more quickly, everywhere in the whole country.

Because of the rapid spread in a short space of time, the number of F0s and F1s increased, leading to an overload in the healthcare system and concentrated isolation areas.

This requires a change in strategy to deal with the pandemic.

First, quick tracing can still be applied in “green areas”, but for "red zones" like HCM City, the authorities have instead focused on treatment. At the same time, the city has shifted to isolating F1 patients at home, and supporting COVID-19 patients who are asymptomatic to be treated at home. "The important goal now is to reduce the number of deaths," Phu said.

Second, testing is not merely to trace contacts of COVID-19 patients anymore. Depending on certain areas, testing might be used to trace infections, or for risks assessment, or evaluation of the effectiveness of social distancing. 

Nguyễn Thu Anh, an epidemiologist and country director of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, shared the same opinion.

She said Việt Nam's testing capacity and speed has increased remarkably. When the pandemic broke out in Bắc Ninh and Bắc Giang provinces in May, the testing capacity of the whole country was about tens of thousands of samples per day, but now that number has increased tenfold.

The prevailing strategy of Việt Nam until the end of July in the southern provinces, which are most affected by the fourth wave, is to “test as many people as possible for contact tracing and quarantine as quickly as possible” .

But "testing, contact tracing and isolation” had not been able to keep up with the speed the virus had spread, she said.

Ben Marais, an infectious diseases physician and Deputy-Director of the Marie Bashir Institute, University of Sydney, said Australia’s strategy was also test, test and test, but it only works when the number of cases is small. 

When the spread of the infections becomes unpredictable, the solution is to apply social distancing or lockdown in certain areas or communities, according to the physician. Testing at that time is to serve the purpose of correctly evaluating the effectiveness of social distancing or lockdown policies, and when to loosen or remove such measures.

Currently, Việt Nam is implementing social distancing at the highest level (Prime Minister’s Directive 16) in more than 20 provinces and cities across the country. 

From the experience of Australia, Prof. Marais said that the country used to pursue a policy of "containment" of COVID-19, meaning that it would tolerate infections in the community to a certain extent, so as not to have a great impact on the economy. But after the past 18 months and especially before the spread of the Delta mutation, the country had realised that this policy was not optimal in terms of cost. 

"It is better to lockdown or apply social distancing early, bringing the number of infections to zero, and then reopen society later."

That's also the reason why although the number of infections now in Australia is much smaller than in previous outbreaks, only hundreds of cases per day, but now most Australian residents are living in lockdown. 

Prof. Marais said, with the current situation, at least the state of New South Wales, would maintain lockdown until the number of infections reduces to 5-10 cases a day and these few cases are only in the quarantined areas.

According to James Trauer, a health data analyst and health economist from Monash University in Australia, when his team modelled disease data for the Philippines and Malaysia, they found that if vaccination is conducted without implementing lockdown and social distancing, the number of cases will skyrocket to tens of thousands per day in the mid-August period. 

Prof. Marais believes that the longer you apply social distancing, the more careful you need to be when removing it, otherwise, the gains made will be meaningless. 

Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn said that in August and September, Việt Nam expects to receive 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and more will be delivered in the fourth quarter of the year. The health ministry expects that by early 2022, 75 per cent of the population will have been vaccinated.

While buying time, the Government and localities are doing their best to support people and ensure no one lacks food or shelter.

The Government has decided to use the national food reserve and will consider using the trade union fund to provide relief assistance to poor people in COVID-19-hit areas. It also decided to provide another 130,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserves to feed 8.6 million people facing hunger in 24 cities and provinces, mostly in southern Việt Nam. 

HCMC itself had asked the Government for a relief package of VNĐ28 trillion ($1.22 billion) and 142,200 tonnes of rice to help more than 4.7 million people.

The money is expected to cover food and rent expenses to help poor working families, especially migrants, and prevent them from trying to leave the city in droves as seen in recent days.

According to the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour, the ongoing pandemic has affected more than 1.3 million workers who have lost their jobs, had their contracts suspended or stopped working. About 30,000 workers have been infected with the virus in 50 cities and provinces; 330,000 are related to the infected workers; and 390,000 workers are living in lockdown areas. 

Locals in Bình Thuận share love and hardship with expatriates

Foreigners who are living within blockaded areas in Phan Thiết City in the central province of Bình Thuận have received support from local authorities via the Sharing Our Love with Foreigners programme.

The programme, launched and implemented by the Provincial Youth Union, presented gifts and money to 36 foreigners who have lost their jobs or been living in difficulties due to the effects of the pandemic.

Help was given to those living in Alley 69, Quarter 1, Hàm Tiến Ward in Phan Thiết City.

Each of them received a set of gifts including money, food and other necessities such as eggs, sausages, canned meat, bread and dumplings. The value of each set is VNĐ1 million (US$44).

According to Acting Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union Lâm Hồng Tuyên, the pandemic has caused hardship to local-based foreigners, many of whom have lost their jobs while still having to manage daily living expenses.

“The monetary value of the gifts might not be high, but it contains the affection and support of Bình Thuận people to the foreigners with the hope that they will have more strength and encouragement to get over this difficult time,” he said.

After 17 people in a family and three foreigners were infected with COVID-19, the entire Alley 69, Quarter 1 with over 70 households and more than 300 people was closed on August 2.

Among them are 52 foreigners from different countries like Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines. They work as English teachers, windsurfing instructors, kitchen assistants, or waiters have been stuck in the city for two years due to the pandemic. They have faced more difficulties as they are unable to go out due to social-distancing measures.

To support the lives of both locals and foreigners in the area, Bình Thuận Province's authorities and many state and charity organisations have regularly provided them with food and other necessities.

Ekaterina Leusova from Russia who is living in the alley, said: “We have received much concern from local authorities both physically and mentally while our residential area is being blockaded to prevent the spread of the virus. Every day, we also have our temperature checked and take COVID-19 rapid test, which is done by medical workers.” 

Trương Minh Quang, deputy secretary of Bình Thuận Provincial Youth Union, prepares vegetables for foreigners living the blockaded area in Phan Thiết City. — Photo binhthuan.dcs.vn
As for Cheshov Evgenii, these days living in the blockage have become his unforgettable memories.

“I wish to express thanks to everyone for always being concerned about us," he said. "I know that this is also a difficult time for every Vietnamese due to the pandemic, but everyone is still willing to support us." 

Ben Tre invests in more fishing ports, storm shelters

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Ben Tre is building new fishing ports and storm shelters and upgrading others to ease the overload on existing ones.

A new port and a storm shelter are coming up in Ba Tri District on an area of 20ha and 23ha. They will cost VND253 billion (US$11 million), of which VND190 billion will come from the Government.

It is drafting plans to expand Binh Dai Fishing Port in Binh Dai District by 3.3ha by adding a pier, a warehouse for classifying seafood and a wastewater treatment facility.

The work will cost nearly VND114 billion ($5 million), with the Government providing VND112 billion.

According to Nguyen Van Buoi, deputy director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the fisheries sector is growing quickly, with the number of high-capacity fishing boats rising rapidly making existing fishing ports and storm shelters insufficient.

The province is also developing logistics services at fishing ports to improve quality.

The province has three fishing ports in Ba Tri, Thanh Phu and Binh Dai districts and two storm shelters in Binh Dai and Thanh Phu.

Its People’s Committee has petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to add Binh Dai and Ba Tri fishing ports to the list of the country’s first-class fishing ports for the 2021- 30 period.

The ports have handled a total of 14,760 tonnes of seafood caught by 936 boats this year, according to the department.

Ben Tre has 3,882 registered fishing boats, including 2,149 with a length of at least 15 metres, among the highest number of any delta province.

They catch 210,000 tonnes of seafood a year. 

Transport ministry approves Con Dao airport upgrade

The Ministry of Transport has approved plans to expand and upgrade Con Dao Airport by 2030 to meet the rising demand for travel to the island.

The plan is to expand it by around four times and increasing capacity from 400,000 passengers a year to two million.

The runway will be widened from 30 metres to 45m to handle bigger aircraft than the current ATR72 and smaller aircraft.

In fact, the airport will meet 4C standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), meaning it can receive Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.

Three new taxiways, an apron, an air traffic control tower, a cargo terminal, and a parking lot will also be built.

The apron will have enough space for at least eight Airbus A320s.

The cost of the upgrade is estimated at more than VND5.4 trillion (US$234.7 million), including VND76.4 billion ($3.3 million) for land acquisition.

Con Dao Airport, built during the French colonial period, was upgraded in 2003 and put into operation a year later to serve both civil and military aircraft. 

InnoCity Global Launching 2021 fosters initiatives from Vietnam youths

The Vietnam Young Initiatives-InnoCity Global Launching 2021 (InnoCity) event is expected to create a “city” of resources to maximize the capabilities of the Vietnamese young people towards the development of future innovative cities in Vietnam.

The online event was hosted by the Hanoi-based National Innovation Center (NIC) under the Ministry of Planning and Industry on August 19. 

The program was initiated by the Union of Vietnamese Students and Youth Unions in Europe under the sponsorship of the NIC, with the aim to connect Vietnamese of different generations with communities in the world towards the common goal of the socio-economic recovery after the pandemic. 

Addressing at the webinar, Pham Dung Nam, Director of the National Office of Project 844 - the Initiative for Startup Ecosystem in Vietnam (ISEV) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the economy is facing great challenges from the pandemic and this is a golden time to promote Made-in-Vietnam innovation and creativity. 

He encouraged young people to join InnoCity to share initiatives for the sake of the country's growth. “The initiatives and proposals of the Vietnamese people are the best solutions to contribute to the economic recovery and development in the future,” he underlined. 

Being of the same mind, Pham Viet Anh, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands suggested Vietnamese young people need to learn the outstanding strengths of the economy in the country they are studying and living in. Then they can share lessons and initiatives for the revival of the Vietnamese economy. 

Vu Quoc Huy, NIC’s Director hoped that InnoCity will receive the attention and support from its partners and the social communities to create a larger spillover effect and become an annual event to attracting effective and practical projects that are capable of solving problems for society and businesses.  

“The most desirable thing is that the program contributes to strongly promoting Vietnamese patriotism, will, and human intelligence, innovation, and creativity so that the country can develop faster and more sustainably,” he said.

The InnoCity is calling initiatives in five key areas including digital health, logistics and transportation, energy and environment, smart city and information communication technology, and smart education. 

After four months of launching, InnoCity has received 50 initiatives from individuals and organizations in Europe, mainly focusing on the fields of smart city, information communication technology, and smart education.  

The kick-off activities will continue to take place in the EU, Vietnam, and other countries for collecting initiatives this August and September as well as seeking talents and solutions for the economic recovery after the pandemic.   

Five Innovation Rising Star Awards will be worth VND50-70 million (US$2,190-$3,071) and one Young Innovation Rising Star Award worth VND50-70 million ($2,190-$3,071). 

Within the InnoCity, the InnoPark Design Competition for rebuilding the Hanoi-based Thong Nhat Park is open to the Vietnamese youth community to exchange initiatives and display innovative products.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes 

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES AUGUST 21

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