According to the National Public Radio (NPR) of the US, the foundation of Vietnam's success in the work is the early implementation of a drastic policy by the government on social distancing, as well as the country’s experience against previous epidemics.
It said that with experience gained from dealing with the 2003 SARS and 2009 H1N1, the Vietnamese government started organising its response in January - right after reports began flowing from China's Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated.
The country quickly developed a variety of tactics, including widespread quarantining and aggressive contact tracing, it noted.
Meanwhile, The Strategist of the US has said that Vietnam has reported no deaths from COVID-19 in recent days and just 268 confirmed cases.
This is the result of careful and extensive monitoring of public travel and regular temperature checking at airports, border gates and public places, as well as well managing centralised quarantine areas, it said.
According to the newspaper, Vietnam has shown itself as one of “leaders" in inventing and exporting fast virus test kits with affordable prices.
It emphasised that Vietnam's key strategy is rapid response to reduce infection and the burden on medical staff.
International media also spotlighted Vietnam’s willingness to share practical experience and its support for other countries in the fight against the disease.
According to Nikkei Asian Review, Vietnam's measures against COVID-19 are for the benefit of the whole community.
After all these hard challenges, Vietnam's voice will be very weighty and convincing, not only on the regional forum but also in the international arena, it said.
Bloomberg has reported that Vietnam donated 250,000 medial face masks to the US, handed over made-in-Vietnam face masks and medical equipment worth US$100,000 to Japan, and a great number of medical supplies to its neighbours Cambodia and Laos, and European countries.
Meanwhile, Rossiyskaya Gazeta of Russia also reported on Vietnam’s donation of 200,000 domestically-produced face masks to Russia to help the country in the fight against COVID-19.
Earlier, on April 19, France’s daily newspaper Le Figaro ran an article explaining how Vietnam has limited the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the community.
With 268 infections, including 198 who have fully recovered and zero fatalities, Vietnam, which borders China, where the COVID-19 originated, has become an example in the fight against the pandemic for Western countries, the article said.
It quoted Kidong Park, the World Health Organisation representative in Vietnam, in his interview granted to the “Journal du Dimanche” newspaper, as saying that right after the first cases reported in China, Vietnam has remained vigilant with this threat.
Compared to other Asian nations like the Republic of Korea and Singapore, Vietnam does not have sufficient financial resources to combat the pandemic. Therefore, the 94-million-people nation has conducted a “low-cost” strategy by focusing on massive quarantine and tracing of all possible contacts with infections (known as F1, F2, F3 and F4), the article stressed.
It said that Vietnam has ordered a compulsory 14-day quarantine period for all people entering the country, suspended all flights linking to China right after it recorded the first case, and tightened the control over the 1,000km land border line,
The closure of all schools following the lunar New Year holiday in late January, and the requirement for locals to wear face masks when going out are also among the measures taken by the country, it added.
The article also affirmed that these measures have been implemented effectively thanks to the abidance of the people and their support for the Government’s efforts.
