By July, Vietnam had endured two separate waves of the coronavirus pandemic and emerged with remarkably low numbers of cases and most importantly, zero deaths. Much like New Zealand, Vietnam had completed one hundred days without reports of new outbreaks. However, a recent cluster managed to take hold before there was a chance to intervene as they had with their initial cases.
At the onset of the pandemic, many believed that Vietnam was overreacting to the virus, while in reality, they were effectively protecting their population of 95 million people — something that cannot be said for many Western countries. The first case of coronavirus in Vietnam was recorded on 23 January, from that moment on, they placed everyone who came in close contact with any positive cases into quarantine facilities and was not permitted to leave until it was deemed safe to do so.
Although this action might appear drastic, it resulted in fewer than 500 confirmed cases until August, essentially proving that early intervention was a crucial albeit internationally neglected step in containing this virus. This feat is all the more impressive as Vietnam shares a border with China. Despite the underrepresentation of this victory in Western media outlets, Vietnam has already saved thousands of lives in their vigilant fight against coronavirus.
Written by Alex Mulhare
Artwork by Izzy Johns
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