Vietnam’s response to COVID-19: prompt and proactive actions

Abstract

Sharing 1281 miles of land border with China, Vietnam imported COVID-19 cases early. With its dense population and limited resources, Vietnam is at a high risk of widespread virus transmission. However, with the government’s proactive responses and the public’s social distancing and mass masking, the outbreak is kept under control.

COVID-19 Pandemic: What Can the West Learn From the East?

“…Advanced information technology was also incorporated into the responses in Vietnam; for example, people were made to report the health status of themselves and their family members to the national response authorities through a mobile application. 5,6 In Taiwan, multiple well-trained and experienced teams swiftly recognized the COVID-19 crisis after the identification of the first COVID-19 cases, and responded accordingly. Taiwan enhanced proactive case finding using advanced technology, robust and comprehensive contact tracing, encouraged quarantine of suspicious cases, reassured and educated the public while preventing the circulation of misinformation, allocated resources (eg, mass mask production) and addressed COVID-19-related stigma for the affected cases.…”

SARS-CoV-2 and co-infections detection in nasopharyngeal throat swabs of COVID-19 patients by metagenomics

“…All were adults and two were asymptomatic carriers identified through contact tracing approach implemented in Vietnam. 7 Three were cases of locally acquired infection and five were imported cases, and one was co-infected with rhihnovirus. Information about duration of stay and clinical and laboratory findings are presented in Table 1 .…”

Lessons learned from Vietnam’s COVID-19 response: the role of adaptive behavior change and testing in epidemic control

“…The efficacy of Vietnam's COVID-19 response -already well-documented in the literature 4,5 was demonstrated once again in the wake of the July-August outbreak in the province of Da Nang. 25 With schools and workplaces shut down in affected areas within 3 days of cases being detected, the immediate adoption of masks, widespread testing and quarantine of potentially exposed persons, and rapid contact tracing, Vietnam was able to flatten the curve within a week of cases being detected.…”

“…Vietnam has been widely praised for this notable success in suppressing the spread of COVID-19. 4,5 The initial response to COVID-19 was characterized by a series of measures to prevent onward transmission following importation ( Figure 1). The government closed its border with China and suspended air travel from China on January 28, 2020.…”