Vietnam reports nine new COVID-19 cases
Nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Vietnam on late March 8, according to the Ministry of Health.
The new cases include four in the northern province of Quang Ninh, two in the northern border province of Lao Cai, two in the central city of Da Nang and one in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.
All of them boarded flight VN0054 from London to Noi Bai on March 2 – the same flight as female patient N.H.N who was confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on March 6.
Vietnam has detected 30 COVID-19 infection cases to date. Of them, 16 patients have recovered and were discharged from hospitals, while 14 are currently under quarantine. They are in stable health condition.
Medical declaration applies to all entries to Vietnam
Starting from March 7, all passengers entering Vietnam must make a mandatory medical declaration. (Photo: VNA)
All passengers entering Vietnam must make a mandatory medical declaration, starting from 6 am on March 7.
The information was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Friday morning (March 6).
For convenience, passengers can make an electronic medical declaration before making their trip to Vietnam at http://suckhoetoandan.vn/khaiyte. The website has been developed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with other local tech companies to make the procedure simpler and more convenient for passengers.
Vietnam approves new coronavirus test kits, daily capacity at 10,000 units
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has approved the use of a test kit for the new coronavirus which was jointly developed by the Vietnam Military Medical University (VMMU) and Viet A Corporation.
The announcement was made on March 5th by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), which sponsored the diagnostic kit development.
The successful development has made Vietnam one of the few countries to be able to manufacture such test kits, alongside the World Health Organisation, Japan, Germany, China and the United States.
The test kit has been validated independently by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and produces reliable results, said VMMU Director Do Quyet.
Socio-economic situation remains stable despite COVID-19 outbreak: PM
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs a regular government meeting on March 3. (Photo: Tran Hai)
Despite difficulties resulting from the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Vietnam’s socio-economic situation in February essentially remained stable, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
At the Government’s regular meeting on March 3, the Cabinet leader said thanks to the political system’s activeness, drastic and effective actions, and the spirit of “fighting the disease is like fighting enemies”, COVID-19 prevention and control efforts have reaped encouraging outcomes.
He repeated the Government’s consistent viewpoint of being ready to sacrifice economic benefits to protect the health of people and visitors to Vietnam.
Macro-economic stability has been maintained, and the February CPI fell 0.17 percent month-on-month. Meanwhile, exports in the first two months grew 2.4 percent year-on-year to US$36.9 billion, and agricultural development has remained stable.
Vietnamese banks take measures to help coronavirus-hit businesses
Commercial banks in Vietnam have provided assistance to more than 44,000 business customers affected by the coronavirus outbreak by delaying loan repayments, lowering interest rates, cutting fees and introducing new credit programmes.
Such measures have been taken with more than VND222 trillion (US$9.56 billion) worth of outstanding loans, according to reports at a conference hosted by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) on March 2.
As part of measures to cushion the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, nearly 30 banks and the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) also rolled out wire transfer fee reduction or elimination in order to share the difficulties with their customers and boost non-cash payment.
Reports by 23 banks showed an estimated VND926 trillion (US$39.9 billion) in outstanding loans affected by the virus outbreak, accounting for 14.27% of total loans by these banks.
Defence ministry launches Level-2 Field Hospital No. 3
Members of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 3 and delegates at the launching ceremony pose for a photo (Photo: VNA)
The Ministry of National DefeMembers of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 3 and delegates at the launching ceremony pose for a photo (Photo: VNA)nce made the first public appearance for Level-2 Field Hospital No. 3, which will be deployed to the UN mission in South Sudan, at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on March 4.
It is subordinate to the HCM City-based Central Military Hospital 175 and consists of 70 members.
Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, reported that Level-2 Field Hospital No. 2 has been performing their duties well in the UN mission in South Sudan. In three months working in Bentiu, it provided checks and treatments to 527 patients, successfully conducted six surgeries, and airlifted three patients in critical condition to higher-level hospitals.
13th meeting of ASEAN defence and security institutions opens in Da Nang
The 13th annual meeting and 5th retreat of the Track II Network of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence and Security Institutions (NADI) opened in the central city of Da Nang on March 3.
In his speech, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh said ASEAN defence cooperation has been expanded and achieved practical results in various fields.
Deputy Minister Vinh expressed his hope that the event would help enhance defence cooperation for a cohesive and resilient ASEAN which is adaptive to regional geopolitical changes, and a region of peace, cooperation and prosperous development.
Foreign Ministry: citizen protection in COVID-19-hit areas is priority
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.
Citizen protection in areas affected by the COVID-19 outbreak is one of the top priorities of the Vietnamese Government, Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told a regular press conference in Hanoi on March 5.
Hang said the Foreign Ministry and Vietnamese representative agencies have actively and proactively launched measures to support and protect Vietnamese citizens living, studying, working and travelling abroad, especially in epidemic-hit areas.
As for infected Vietnamese citizens abroad, Vietnamese representative agencies are required to regularly contact and ask the host authorities to offer treatment. At present, Vietnamese patients are all in stable condition.
PM orders adequate supply of essential goods amid coronavirus concerns
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested all parties concerned to ensure the supply of essential goods so as to meet the public’s demand after a confirmed coronavirus case in Hanoi forced the closure of a street in the capital city.
The PM asked the Hanoi authorities to provide updated and complete information on Covid-19 developments so as to calm the people. He instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) to take measures to prevent mass-hoarding of goods and supply sufficient resources to those in quarantine.
Retailers reported a rise on the number of buyers from the morning of March 7, but they still have enough stock to meet consumer demand.
Samsung builds US$220 million R&D centre in Vietnam
The rendering of Samsung Electronics' new research and development centre in Vietnam. (Photo: Samsung)
Samsung Vietnam has announced the commencement of construction on a new US$220 million research and development (R&D) centre in Vietnam, with completion scheduled for late 2022.
This is the first R&D centre built by Samsung Electronics outside the Republic of Korea and is the largest among R&D centres by foreign-invested firms in Vietnam.
Once completed, its research workforce in Vietnam will increase from 2,200 to 3,000, with research capacity to be enhanced not only in product development but also in new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and big data.
Samsung Vietnam General Director Choi Joo Ho stated that the R&D centre is a strategic milestone in the firm’s 12-year investment history in Vietnam.
