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Vietnam “rice ATMs” spotlighted on international news
Vietnam “rice ATMs” spotlighted on international news
15/4/20
“Rice ATMs” which have been set up around Vietnam to
help those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic
have been featured by international
news broadcasters over the last few days.
The 24/7 automatic dispensing machines were invented by a Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City to provide free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide social distancing order to curb the spread of the pandemic, Reuters reported on April 13.
It quoted a Vietnamese woman whose husband was among those to lose their jobs as saying the rice ATMs have been helpful.
“With this one bag of rice, we can have enough for one day,” said Nguyen Thi Ly, a 34-year-old mother of three. “Now, we only need other food. Our neighbors sometimes give us some leftover food, or we have instant noodles.”
The machine distributes a 1.5kg bagful of rice from a small silo to waiting workers, many of whom are street vendors or people who earn a living from cash-in-hand jobs like housekeeping or selling lottery tickets, according to the news agency.
On the same day, CNN ran a story reporting businessmen and donors who have set up machines that dispense free rice for people whose incomes have been suddenly cut off in several cities across the country.
In Hanoi, rice contained in a large water tank dispenses into residents’ bags from 8am to 5pm, it quoted Vietnam News Agency as saying.
Those waiting in line are required to stand 2 metres apart and they must use hand sanitiser before receiving their rice, it said.
According to Reuters, Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, had initially donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City before turning his technological expertise to food distribution.
Similar “rice ATMs” have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Da Nang.
“I refer to this machine as a 'rice ATM' because people can withdraw rice from it, assured that there are still good people out there who want to give them a second chance,” he said.
CNN also reported that Vietnam has more than 260 COVID-19 cases and zero deaths, numbers that are significantly lower than the rest of the world./.
The 24/7 automatic dispensing machines were invented by a Vietnamese entrepreneur in Ho Chi Minh City to provide free rice for people out of work following an ongoing nationwide social distancing order to curb the spread of the pandemic, Reuters reported on April 13.
It quoted a Vietnamese woman whose husband was among those to lose their jobs as saying the rice ATMs have been helpful.
“With this one bag of rice, we can have enough for one day,” said Nguyen Thi Ly, a 34-year-old mother of three. “Now, we only need other food. Our neighbors sometimes give us some leftover food, or we have instant noodles.”
The machine distributes a 1.5kg bagful of rice from a small silo to waiting workers, many of whom are street vendors or people who earn a living from cash-in-hand jobs like housekeeping or selling lottery tickets, according to the news agency.
On the same day, CNN ran a story reporting businessmen and donors who have set up machines that dispense free rice for people whose incomes have been suddenly cut off in several cities across the country.
In Hanoi, rice contained in a large water tank dispenses into residents’ bags from 8am to 5pm, it quoted Vietnam News Agency as saying.
Those waiting in line are required to stand 2 metres apart and they must use hand sanitiser before receiving their rice, it said.
According to Reuters, Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, had initially donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City before turning his technological expertise to food distribution.
Similar “rice ATMs” have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Da Nang.
“I refer to this machine as a 'rice ATM' because people can withdraw rice from it, assured that there are still good people out there who want to give them a second chance,” he said.
CNN also reported that Vietnam has more than 260 COVID-19 cases and zero deaths, numbers that are significantly lower than the rest of the world./.
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All comments [ 8 ]
Donors in Hue and Da Nang have set up 'rice ATMs' to help underprivileged people that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia’s news site 7news.com.au on April 13 posted an article which stressed that with its early decisive action, extensive testing, vigorous quarantining and social unity, Vietnam has so far avoided the devastation of the COVID-19 seen in Europe and the United States, despite sharing a border with China.
The programme has funding of 7 billion VND (298,000 USD) for food packages, with an additional 1.8 billion VND of product donations from PepsiCo Vietnam and Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverages.
I do hope that by joining hands with communities and the youth across Vietnam, this ‘Millions of Meals’ programme will grow stronger, and together, we will win COVID-19.
The German electronic newspaper DW ran an article, saying the Vietnamese Government had handed over 550,000 antibacterial face masks as gifts to the embassies of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK in Hanoi.
The efforts to contain the epidemic should not hinder the flow of goods as well as production and business activities.
With only several hundreds of infections, Vietnam’s response to the pandemic has been praised by the World Health Organisation.
To date, there have been no virus-related deaths, and infection rates remain significantly lower than in the Republic of Korea, Singapore and even Taiwan which have all been widely praised in global media for their effective responses to the pandemic.
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