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<font size="1"><a href="https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/the-secret-to-vietnams-covid-19-response-success/">https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/the-secret-to-vietnams-covid-19-response-success/</a>
</font><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">The Secret to Vietnam’s COVID-19 Response Success</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">By Minh Vu and Bich T. Tran - April 18, 2020<br></div>
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<p>A review of Vietnam’s response to COVID-19 and its implications.</p>
<p><img alt="The Secret to Vietnam’s COVID-19 Response Success" title="The Secret to Vietnam’s COVID-19 Response Success" src="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat-2020-04-17-10.jpg"></p><p>Vietnamese
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, left, and his staff prepare documents
ahead of the Special ASEAN summit on COVID-19 in Hanoi, Vietnam Tuesday,
April 14, 2020. </p>
<span>Credit: AP Photo/Hau Dinh</span><p><span>Vietnam
planned to have a year packed with activities as the chair of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2020 and a
nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for
the 2020-2021 term. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the
cancellation or postponement of numerous events and summit meetings.
While it is said that the outbreak has </span><a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Comment/Vietnam-s-lost-year-Coronavirus-dulls-diplomatic-ambitions"><span>derailed Vietnam’s diplomatic ambitions</span></a><span>,
the door remains open for Hanoi to transfer its domestic success in
fighting the disease into diplomatic achievements. As the world enters
the fourth month of the pandemic, Vietnam boasts a remarkably low
infection rate in a country of 95 million people, with only 268
confirmed cases (97 active and 171 recovered) with no deaths as of April
17. This statistic is even more impressive given the long shared border
with China, where the virus originated. Let us review the timeline of
Vietnam’s response to COVID-19 and discuss its political implications. </span></p><p><b>Timeline</b></p><p><span>Vietnam
prepared for the outbreak before it recorded its first case. The
Ministry of Health issued urgent dispatches on outbreak prevention to </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/society/571291/deputy-pm-orders-ministries-to-prevent-acute-pneumonia-spread-into-viet-nam.html"><span>relevant government agencies on January 16</span></a><span> and to </span><a href="https://en.vietnamplus.vn/moh-issues-urgent-instructions-over-chinese-disease-outbreak/167679.vnp"><span>hospitals and clinics nationwide on January 21</span></a><span>. </span><a href="https://en.vietnamplus.vn/national-steering-committee-for-coronavirus-prevention-set-up/167936.vnp"><span>Vietnam recorded its first cases on January 23</span></a><span>
in Ho Chi Minh City, just two days before the Lunar New Year holidays.
Two Chinese nationals from Wuhan arrived in Vietnam on January 13 and
traveled throughout the country before being hospitalized on January 23.
Shortly after, the Vietnamese government ramped up its response by
organizing the </span><a href="https://en.vietnamplus.vn/national-steering-committee-for-coronavirus-prevention-set-up/167936.vnp"><span>National Steering Committee on Epidemic Prevention on January 30</span></a><span>, the same day the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a </span><a href="https://vn.usembassy.gov/health-alert-u-s-embassy-hanoi-and-consulate-general-ho-chi-minh-city/"><span>Public Health Emergency of International Concern</span></a><span>. </span><a href="http://hanoitimes.vn/update-ncov-vietnam-pm-declares-national-outbreak-300922.html"><span>On February 1</span></a><span>,
when the country only recorded six confirmed cases, Vietnamese Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision declaring a national
epidemic of what was then known only as the novel coronavirus (nCoV). </span><a href="https://en.vietnamplus.vn/teleconference-updates-700-hospitals-on-ncov-prevention-measures/168358.vnp"><span>On February 9, the Ministry of Health held a teleconference</span></a><span> with the WHO and 700 hospitals at all levels nationwide to disseminate information on nCoV prevention and </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/society/592015/health-ministry-launches-new-coronavirus-website-and-app.html"><span>launched a website to disseminate information to the wider public</span></a><span>. </span><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it"><span>On February 11, the WHO officially named</span></a><span>
the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19. Aggressive preventive action
enabled Vietnam to contain the outbreak, with only 16 cases, all
recovered, by the end of February. For further context, the 16th patient
was confirmed on February 13 and fully recovered on February 25,
meaning that Vietnam went 22 days without any new cases. As a testament
to this early success, the </span><a href="https://www.vir.com.vn/vietnam-no-longer-a-destination-with-risk-of-covid-19-community-spread-74334.html"><span>U.S. Center for Diseases Control (CDC)</span></a><span> decided to take Vietnam off the list of countries with the risk of community spread of the virus.</span></p><p><span>That early success, however, was impeded by the discovery of patient 17. </span><a href="https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-confirms-17th-covid-19-patient-4065517.html"><span>The patient traveled from Hanoi</span></a><span>
on February 15 to visit England, Italy, and France before returning to
Hanoi on March 2 and failed to follow quarantine protocols. Patient 17
was hospitalized on March 6, and two days later, on March 8, Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Health Vu Duc Dam declared that Vietnam
had officially entered </span><a href="https://customsnews.vn/vietnam-officially-enters-2nd-phase-of-covid-19-fight-deputy-pm-13752.html"><span>the second phase of the fight against COVID-19.</span></a><span>
Similar to the first phase, marked by the epidemic declaration, the
Vietnamese government escalated its public health response to flatten
the curve. On March 10, the Ministry of Health launched the </span><a href="https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/health-declaration-mobile-app-launched-to-combat-covid-19-epidemic-18280.html"><span>health declaration mobile application NCOVI</span></a><span> to help the public report their medical conditions and follow the contact tracing operation, just before </span><a href="https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020"><span>the WHO declared a global pandemic on March 11</span></a><span>.
This second phase marked the transition from phase one, in which
patients mostly originated from China, to a period when many countries
were potential sources of the virus.</span></p><p><span>The transition
into the third phase was even faster. Following the detection of two new
clusters with unclear origins in Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi (patients
zero there were patients 86 and 87) and Buddha Bar in HCM City (patient
zero was patient 91 overall), the Vietnamese government </span><a href="http://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/653947/viet-nam-suspends-foreign-entry-starting-march-22.html"><span>suspended foreign entry</span></a><span>
on March 22, and all exceptions, including national returnees, are
subjected to medical checks and mandatory 14-day quarantine. </span><a href="https://www.vir.com.vn/vietnam-now-in-third-phase-of-covid-19-combat-pm-75022.html"><span>On March 23 the prime minister declared the third phase</span></a><span>
of the pandemic fight as the risk of community spread is high. When
Bach Mai Hospital, one of the country’s top referral hospitals, became
the largest and most complex hotbed of COVID-19 in Vietnam following a
record of </span><a href="https://en.vietnamplus.vn/hanoi-hastens-efforts-to-handle-covid19-hotbed-at-bach-mai-hospital/170877.vnp"><span>10 cases linked to the hospital on March 28</span></a><span>, on March 30, Prime Minister Phuc </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/654371/viet-nam-to-announce-nationwide-pandemic.html"><span>announced a nationwide pandemic</span></a><span>
during a meeting with the National Steering Committee for COVID-19
Prevention and Control. The following day on March 31, the prime
minister issued a new directive that would place the nation under
limited lockdown effective April 1. The directive enforced national
isolation, banned gatherings, and encouraged staying home, closing
borders, and implementing quarantine policy, among others. </span></p><p><b>Explaining the Success</b></p><p><span>Vietnam’s model for containing the outbreak has been touted as a successful </span><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0cc3c956-6cb2-11ea-89df-41bea055720b"><span>low-cost model</span></a><span>.
Whereas its neighbors, Taiwan and South Korea, could afford mass
testing, Vietnam lacked the resources and instead opted for selective
but proactive prevention. Aside from some common policy actions such as
contact tracing, ramping up production of medical supplies, and
installing checkpoints at airports, Vietnam found its success in
proactiveness. Over the course of three months since the first case,
Vietnam has not hesitated to restrict movements where needed, balancing
overt caution with precision.</span></p><p><span>For example, the
provincial authority was allowed to lock down villages and communes
following advisory notices from the Ministry of Health. Since the first
cases emerged, there were only five instances of large-scale lockdowns.
The first was </span><a href="https://vietnaminsider.vn/vietnam-confirms-16th-coronavirus-patient/"><span>on February 13 when Vinh Phuc Province confirmed the 16th patient</span></a><span>
in Son Loi Commune, Binh Xuyen District. On the same day, local
authorities locked down the commune of 10,000 people, which confirmed
eight patients and established two field hospitals in Vinh Yen Town. </span><a href="https://vietnaminsider.vn/quarantine-on-coronavirus-hit-area-lifted/"><span>The quarantine was lifted on March 4, </span></a><span>after
20 days of no new cases. Second, following patient 17’s confirmation on
March 6, on March 7 Hanoi locked down Bach Truc Street, where the
patient resided along with 66 households and 189 people. </span><a href="https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/vietnam-covid-19-latest-lockdown-on-hanois-covid-19-hit-area-lifted-18618.html"><span>The quarantine was lifted on March 20 after no new cases were reported after testing.</span></a><span> The last three instances were all after the national limited lockdown directive. </span><a href="http://baohungyen.vn/english/202004/1-case-positive-for-sars-cov-2-hung-yen-has-emergency-response-070035a/"><span>On April 2</span></a><span>, Hung Yen locked down Chi Trung commune following the confirmation of patient 219. </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/society/674894/ha-noi-imposes-lockdown-on-ha-loi-village.html"><span>On April 7</span></a><span>, Me Linh district of Hanoi locked down Ha Loi village following the confirmation of patient 243. </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/society/674866/ha-nam-quarantines-30-doctors-locks-down-one-village.html"><span>On April 8</span></a><span>,
Ha Nam province also quarantined Ngo Khe 3 village and medical
personnel related to patient 251. These instances of lockdowns contained
the risks of community transmission by strictly enforcing checkpoints
in and out of the localities and setting up local medical facilities for
testing and treatment. </span></p><p><span>Another example of
aggressive prevention is the closure of schools. Vietnam recorded its
first cases just two days before the Lunar New Year holidays, which
fortunately had schools closed through February 1. Nonetheless, schools
and government authorities </span><a href="https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/schools-extend-tet-break-as-coronavirus-fears-mount-4048673.html"><span>extended the holiday season</span></a><span> until February 10 on a case-by-case basis. On February 14, </span><a href="https://saigoneer.com/saigon-health/18327-vietnam-continues-nationwide-school-shutdown-due-to-covid-19"><span>the Ministry of Health</span></a><span> proposed schools to remain closed until the end of February, at which point </span><a href="https://vietnaminsider.vn/vietnams-saigon-students-will-stay-home-until-april-5-five-us-states-are-closing-all-schools/"><span>schools had already closed nationwide </span></a><span>.
The decision to close schools nationwide, as a formality, came with the
national isolation order on March 31, effective April 1. Consequently,
Vietnamese students have not gone to school this spring semester, but
schools are gradually adopting online teaching. </span></p><p><span>Despite
the aggressive nature of these responses, the underlying factor that
enables the Vietnamese government’s success is the mobilization of
nationalism. The government has framed the virus as a common foreign
enemy and called on the unity of the population to defeat it, echoing
the enduring history of a nation always threatened by foreign invaders.
Since “day one,” the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the state have
led the fight with the motto “fighting the epidemic is like fighting
against the enemy.” Nonetheless, calls for nationalism are not without
setbacks, as public sentiment was at one point villainizing Vietnamese
students returning from abroad for carrying potential risks of
transmission. Patient 17 was a notorious example that garnered public
criticism, reflecting the effectiveness of the government in rallying
the public but also the risk of overzealous nationalism. </span></p><p><span>In
addition, the government has positioned itself as an effective source
of leadership during the pandemic by providing information with
transparency. The Ministry of Health took the initiative to launch a
website and a mobile application not only to ease the medical process
but also to disseminate accurate information quickly. The digital
apparatus helped stem the spread of rumors and fake news, in addition to
legal enforcement against people who spread inaccurate information or
engage in profiteering. State media have also constantly covered the
hotspots of the pandemic like China, Italy, Spain, and the United States
to raise public awareness about the seriousness of COVID-19 and to
demonstrate the essential of robust government intervention. </span></p><p><span>By
being transparent and proactive in communicating with the public, the
government was able to gain and maintain public confidence. In a Dalia
Research survey of 45 countries asking about public opinion of
government responses to the pandemic, 62 percent of Vietnamese
participants said that the government is doing the “right amount,”
topping the survey’s average with a higher rate than other “model”
countries such as Singapore and South Korea. </span></p><p><b>Translating Domestic Success Globally</b></p><p><span>As
the COVID-19 outbreak continues and disrupts ASEAN economies, on
February 20 the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), along with ASEAN and
Chinese foreign ministers, met in the </span><a href="http://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/612542/asean-china-enhance-cooperation-in-response-to-covid-19.html"><span>ACC’s Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease in Laos to discuss response to the outbreak</span></a><span>.
The ACC welcomed the timely and effective measures of member countries,
healthcare cooperation, and ASEAN agencies to share information and
experience in preventing, diagnosing, treating, and controlling the
disease. Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Pham Binh Minh proposed pursuing a balanced approach in fighting
the epidemic and maintaining open economic policies, while ensuring
regular updates were made available to the public.</span></p><p><span>As
the pandemic escalated in early March, the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the
36th ASEAN Summit were postponed, but Vietnam could still find venues to
export its domestic success. On March 31, Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign
Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung chaired the first teleconference of the </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/674443/asean-discusses-response-to-covid-19.html"><span>ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies</span></a><span>. The meeting was followed by </span><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/674523/asean-us-enhance-co-operation-in-covid-19-fight.html"><span>a teleconference between senior officials of ASEAN and the United States</span></a><span>,
attended by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East
Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell, on April 1. Both meetings
aimed to promote cooperation within the ASEAN Community and between
ASEAN and the United States to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic by
sharing information about the situation and implementation of measures
taken in each country, while affirming the commitment to strengthen
cooperation. Following these meetings, Vietnam chaired the 25th ACC
Meeting on April 9 and the Special ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit on
April 14 in which ASEAN members and their dialogue partners China,
Japan, and South Korea agreed in principle to set up a joint fund to
combat the pandemic. </span></p><p><span>Bilaterally, Vietnam has
donated test kits and masks to many countries. Among them, Cambodia and
Laos are its close friends, and the United States, United Kingdom, and
Spain are its comprehensive and strategic partners. In supporting
others, Vietnam has demonstrated its commitment to traditional relations
and strengthened relationships with important partners. </span></p><p><span>Vietnam’s
model is an example for countries and territories with limited
resources and/or at early stages of fighting COVID-19 with a low number
of cases. </span></p><p><i><span>Minh Vu is a graduating student of the
Master of Arts in Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University. He has
worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),
East-West Center in Washington, and is currently an assistant at the
U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, Inc.</span></i></p><p><i><span>Bich T. Tran
is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Antwerp. She is a visiting
fellow at the Global Affairs Research Center and a former Asia Studies
Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington.</span></i></p>
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