UK newspaper highlights Vietnam’s contact-tracing strategy against COVID-19
UK-based Telegraph called Vietnam “an under-reported success story of the pandemic” in an article published on April 23, given that the country had reported, by that time, just 268 cases and zero deaths.
Passengers have their body temperature checked before entering Hanoi Train Station. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – UK-based Telegraph called Vietnam “anunder-reported success story of the pandemic” in an article published on April23, given that the country had reported, by that time, just 268 cases and zerodeaths.
Vietnam has started to lift the strict movement and social distancingrestrictions that still remain in many of its Southeast Asian nations, allowingdaily life in major cities to slowly come back to normal, the newspaper said.
The country of 95 million people has managed to keep theCOVID-19 under control despite being less wealthy than other strong Asian performerslike the Republic of Korea and Taiwan (China), and its 1,000-km porous borderwith China, it said.
Like its Asian countries, Vietnam’s swift response was based ona robust pandemic response plan that was forged after recent deadly brusheswith other high-risk infectious diseases, including SARS and A/H5N1.
It highlighted the Vietnamese strategy, saying it focused ona combination of targeted, rigorous contact-tracing and testing to swiftlycontain small clusters of the COVID-19 before they spread further.
After the first cases were confirmed in January, Vietnamquarantined more than 10,000 people in Son Loi commune in the northern provinceof Vinh Phuc after a smattering of infections. It also decided early on toimpose a 14-day quarantine on anyone arriving in the country from a high-riskarea while all schools and universities have been closed since the beginning of February, it noted.
“In March, when Vietnam’s 22-day disease-free run was brokenby a cluster of imported cases linked to a flight from London, officialstracked down and quarantined all passengers, and suspended visa-free entry forthe UK and several European countries,” the Telegraph said. “It later sealedoff its borders.”
The newspaper also hailed Vietnam’s massive publicinformation campaign on the pandemic, which included the hand-washing song "GhenCo Vy" that went viral globally.
It quoted Dr John MacArthur, Thailand country director forthe US Centres for Disease Control, as praising Vietnam’s response which wasmade possible by “strong public health systems, the whole-of-governmentapproach” and a huge team of “disease detectives” to carry out contacttracing./.
The Singaporean Ministry of Health on April 24 confirmed 897 more COVID-19 cases, taking the total count to 12,075, the highest among Southeast Asian countries.
Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours, remaining at 270, but five people who had previously been given the all-clear were positive again.
The HCM City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Disease Prevention and Control has issued a set of indicators for Covid-19 risk assessment at tourism and travel enterprises.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently issued Directive 19/CT-TTg on the continuation of the implementation of measures against the COVID-19 pandemic in the new context.
Five more COVID-19 patients, including a Danish, were declared on April 25 to have fully recovered from the disease, bringing the number in this group to 225 out of the total of 270 in Vietnam.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Passengers have their body temperature checked before entering Hanoi Train Station. (Photo: VNA)
