French newspaper: Vietnam should be proud of its efforts in stopping COVID-19
(VOVWORLD) - French newspaper Les Echos has recently published an article titled "COVID-19: an exception to Vietnam", in which it describes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country, noting that the death toll is low while economic activities have been able to restart.
The country has recorded a total of over 1,000 infections and 35 deaths, while going 28 days without any new cases involving community transmission from a population of approximately 100 million people.
Upon the first cases of COVID-19 detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the Vietnamese Government rapidly intensified disease control measures nationwide, including travel restrictions, flight suspensions, and border closures with China, whilst simultaneously putting new arrivals into quarantine.
As a result of the restrictive measures, cross-border trade was severely affected, although the country’s GDP in the third quarter of the year still recorded an annual increase of 2.62%. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO) of Vietnam, the nation’s 2% growth target for this year is well within reach. The past nine months have seen Vietnamese exports increase by 4.2%, whilst production has also increased, with the possibility that it will maintain the same pace as the previous year.
A survey indicates that 81% of Vietnamese people believe that the national economy will be able to maintain its growth momentum. According to the GSO, the Vietnamese Government currently prioritizes public investment, something that will be maintained moving into next year, while household spending will begin to restart and will last until the Lunar New Year Festival on February 12, 2021.