COVID cases continue to fall across the nation

With prompt and drastic measures, Vietnam is one of the few countries that has largely succeeded in controlling the outbreak.

This result is derived from a harmonious combination of many factors, with the policy system playing a key role.

Vietnamese policy system responded promptly, proactively, and effectively at multiple authority levels (33 different agencies from the national to provincial governments), using a range of policy tools and measures.

This points out the proactive nature and high level of preparedness to cope with the pandemic that existed in the country.

One of the most distinctive features of the COVID-19 policy responses in Vietnam was the mobilization of the whole political system, accepting economic losses in exchange for the safety of people’s health and lives, minimizing deaths from the pandemic.

After the pandemic, the tourism sector needed to recover technical facilities, tourism products and human resources, which required effort, time and investment from the whole industry.

State policies should aim to solve what problems or which product genres should be the main ones to lure international visitors to return.

Besides, to attract international guesses, the sector should organise family trips and press trips for international travel agencies and media.

The policy responses to the COVID-19 emergency have varied between countries and there have been different methodologies used to assess the nature and role of COVID-19 policies across the world.

The COVID-19 policy measures in Vietnam have also attracted the attention of many foreign scholars.

For the first time in history, Vietnam thoroughly implemented all models of isolation: compulsory centralized isolation, home isolation, isolation in place, and even nationwide social isolation.

To have these impressive numbers, the early preparation and immediate policy responses of government levels from national to provincial, as well as the consensus of all strata, were some of the fundamental contributors to the positive outcomes of these timely and effective measures.

The most important factor deciding the success of this fight appears to be the great unanimous force of the integration of the whole society, from authorities of all government levels, security forces, and the military to individuals acting together against the outbreak.

In particular, the consensus among all classes of people in this war was considered one of the decisive factors in the success.

Vietnam was the country with the highest satisfaction in the world about the government’s responses to the pandemic and in another, most of those surveyed thought that the solutions of the Vietnamese government were “efficient” and “very effective”.

During the pandemic, special policies on education, health care, and social security have been put in place that did not previously exist.

Although not a rich country, Vietnam has become a model for other countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with lessons learned in controlling the spread of the outbreak and for overall responses to a public health crisis.

Vietnam has managed to achieve this feat by aggressive contact tracing, testing, mass quarantining, timeliness, and the efficient mobilization of state agencies.

While normal business operations will never be the same, thanks to Vietnam’s recovery, global manufacturers looking to diversify their supply chains will increasingly look to Vietnam.

Vietnam’s success comes from a wealth of experience in dealing with infectious diseases, significant investment in public health infrastructure and a commitment to early action.