Thayer Consultancy Background Briefing:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Vietnam’s Response to the
Coronavirus Pandemic
Carlyle A. Thayer
March 17, 2020

Q1. What has been the response of the Vietnamese public to the government’s efforts
to curb the coronavirus outbreak? Is it positive or negative?

ANSWER: The response of the Vietnamese public generally has been supportive.
Vietnamese authorities first became aware of the outbreak of the coronavirus in China
during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, a holiday period. The government
immediately closed schools and pushed back the start of the academic year. This had
wide support in Vietnam. However, after a month had passed there were signs of
stress on families whose children were cooped up at home and concern by workers
who lost wages by taking time off from work to care for their children. Some
Vietnamese began to wonder out loud if the school closure was an overreaction given
the low numbers of infections.1

Vietnam has in place a public health system able to mobilise doctors, medical
assistants, local government public health authorities and the military. Vietnam’s
system has evolved as a result of having to counter the Avian flu, SARs epidemic and
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).2

In addition, Vietnamese academics Dr Trien Vinh Le and Dr Huy Quyen Nguyen,

lecturers at the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City, have pointed out that
since Vietnam lacks a truly liberal democratic political culture, Vietnamese citizens
cooperate when the government authorities intrude in their private lives for public
health reasons.3

1
VOA News, “Vietnam Sharply Divided on Coronavirus School Closures,” Voice of America, February
24, 2020, https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/vietnam-sharply-divided-
coronavirus-school-closures.
2
Ronny Linder, “What Israel Can Learn From Vietnam on How to Beat the Coronavirus,” Haaretz,
February 28, 2020, https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-what-israel-can-learn-from-
vietnam-on-how-to-beat-the-coronavirus-1.8589685.
3
Trien Vinh Le and Huy Quyen Nguyen, “How Vietnam Learned From China’s Coronavirus Mistakes,”
The Diplomat, March 17, 2020, https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/how-vietnam-learned-from-chinas-
coronavirus-mistakes/.
 2

Finally, in some areas public community sentiment reinforces the government’s health
measures. Local citizens reportedly have taken matters in their own hands to put
pressure on recalcitrants to conform. According to Dr Le and Dr Nguyen, “the
government has been more transparent in fighting the epidemic and its people have
created their own system of accountability.”4

Q2. How has the Communist Party managed public sentiment? Is there any indication
that it put together a framework, like the CCP, to manage negative stories and public
criticism?

ANSWER: Vietnam has a long established and well-functioning system of media

control under the Ministry of Information and Communication. Weekly guidance is
sent out to the mass media on what is and what is not permissible to report on. Party
organisations in the mass media ensure that party/state guidelines are adhered to.

In other words, negative stories and public criticism of the government’s handling of
a particular issue are suppressed.

Vietnamese authorities have less control over the internet. But it is no secret that an
“army of trolls” launches denial of service attacks on websites that are annoying to
the government. These trolls also post counter-arguments defending the
government’s handling of a particular issue.

In the case of the coronavirus, Vietnam’s one-party state also uses “rule by law” to
threaten legal action against purveyors of “fake news”.5 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan
Phuc committed his government to “duly punish” persons who falsify their medical
history to hide a coronavirus diagnosis.6

Q3. What has been the Communist Party’s propaganda output to manage the fallout
of the virus outbreak?

ANSWER: Several themes have emerged since January. The first theme stressed that
Vietnam only had a small number of cases, sixteen initially, and all were discharged
from hospital and declared cleared. Vietnam continues to report that there have been
no deaths so far.7

4
Trien Vinh Le and Huy Quyen Nguyen, “How Vietnam Learned From China’s Coronavirus Mistakes.”
5
Thoi Nguyen, “Vietnam’s Coronavirus Struggle: Managing the Economic Impact,” The Diplomat, March
17, 2020, https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/vietnams-coronavirus-struggle-managing-the-economic-
impact/.
6
Agence France Presse, “Vietnam vows to punish hiders of coronavirus after new cases,” The Straits
Times, March 9, 2020, https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/vietnam-vows-to-punish-hiders-of-
coronavirus-after-new-cases.
7
Reuters, “Vietnam’s Coronavirus Cases Rise to 57: Health Ministry,” The New York Times, March 16,
2020, https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/03/16/world/asia/16reuters-health-coronavirus-
vietnam-cases.html.
 3

Second, the government regularly releases information on the number of coronavirus

cases. This information includes details of the number of foreigners who make up this
figure. In both cases, Vietnamese and foreigners, the media stress their foreign travel
and how coronavirus has been transmitted on airplanes and by family members
returning from overseas.

The state media, including national and provincial television, has given prominent
coverage to the events in China, Italy, Europe, the United States and elsewhere in
order educate the public about the seriousness of the coronavirus and the necessity
for strong government intervention.

Third, the state media constantly reports details of the government’s action to counter
the spread of the coronavirus. This includes compulsory testing measures, quarantine
and self-isolation; banning the entry into Vietnam of foreigners from hot spot
countries; and other border control measures.

In addition, Vietnam has suspended the resumption of the school year following the
Lunar New Year. On 13 February, the Ministry of Health imposed a twenty-day
quarantine on 10,600 residents of Son Loi commune in Vinh Phuc province where
eleven cases were discovered.8

Media reporting is reinforced by press conferences by a Deputy Prime Minister and

high-ranking government officials from the ministries of health, transport and
education and training.

Q4. Has the way the Vietnamese government handled the virus outbreak increased
the Communist Party’s legitimacy in the eyes of the people?

ANSWER: The Prime Minister Phuc, perhaps learning from his early days in office when
the Formosa fish poisoning incident erupted, has been proactive in taking action. He
established the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, a
task force to oversee national, provincial and local levels. The government has gone
into over drive with an information campaign to advise citizens what actions they
should take to retard the spread of the virus.

The military, which enjoys huge respect and trust by Vietnamese society, has been
mobilised to assist with public health measures including medical specialists and the
provision of quarantine facilities. The Ministry of National Defence, for example, has
been directed to prepare quarantine areas and arrange transportation for all people
coming from or transiting through coronavirus affected countries.9

8
Sen Nguyen, “Coronavirus miracle? Vietnam says all its infected patients cured,” Al Jazeera, February
29, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/infected-patients-vietnam-cured-coronavirus-
miracle-200228035007608.html.
9
Vietnam News Agency, “COVID-19: Ministries, localities asked to conduct effective quarantine,” Voice
of Viet Nam, March 15, 2020, https://english.vov.vn/society/covid19-ministries-localities-asked-to-
conduct-effective-quarantine-411355.vov and Linder, “What Israel Can Learn From Vietnam on How to
 4

In sum, the government has enhanced its legitimacy by taking swift and decisive action
on a public health issue. Vietnamese social media widely reported discrepancies in
how China handled the outbreak of the virus in Wuhan. According to Dr Trien Vinh Le
and Dr Huy Quyen Nguyen, in contrast to China, “Vietnamese authorities remained
transparent about the disease information as well as allowing unrestricted
information on Facebook.”10

Q5. Anything else to add?

ANSWER: A number of independent sources are reporting favourably on Vietnam’s

response to the coronavirus. For example, Dr Kidong Park, the Hanoi-based
representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), attributed Vietnam’s success
to the government’s “proactiveness and consistency throughout the response.” Dr
Park elaborated as follows:

The country has activated its response system at the early stage of the outbreak, by
intensifying surveillance, enhancing laboratory testing, ensuring infection prevention and
control and case management in health care facilities, clear risk communication message, and
multi-sectoral collaboration.11

In addition, foreigners who are resident in Vietnam or who visited Vietnam as tourists
or to visit family members, have been quoted in the international press how Israel,12
Sacramento,13 and Portland14 – to take three examples – could learn from Vietnam’s
response.

An American academic at the Fulbright University in Ho Chi Minh City, recounted in

details his experience returning to Vietnam after a visit to the United States. While he
was enroute, Vietnam announced that it was adding visitors from the US to its list of
foreign for compulsory testing on arrival. After a five-hour ordeal from arrival to being
tested and released for self-quarantine at his residence, he had this to say:

Though I am impressed generally with how well the process went, it seemed clear to
me the lack of English speakers may lead to some confusion… With that said, for such short

Beat the Coronavirus.” An army barracks housed a 100-bed isolation area in Duong To commune, Phu
Quoc island; see: Cuu Long, “Phu Quoc forbids foreigners after Latvian tests Covid-19 positive,”
VnExpress, March 16, 2020, https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/phu-quoc-forbids-foreigners-after-
latvian-tests-covid-19-positive-4070126.html.
10
Trien Vinh Le and Huy Quyen Nguyen, “How Vietnam Learned From China’s Coronavirus Mistakes.”
11
Quoted in Sen Nguyen, “Coronavirus miracle? Vietnam says all its infected patients cured.”
12
Dr. Rafi Kot, who worked in Vietnam for more than three decades, quoted by Linder, “What Israel
Can Learn From Vietnam on How to Beat the Coronavirus.”
13
Lien Hoang, “I lived through the coronavirus panic in Vietnam. Here’s what Sacramento should know,”
The Sacramento Bee, March 12, 2020, https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-
ed/article241116481.html.
14
Allison Mechanic, “Portland man living in Vietnam says government’s actions helped stop spread of
coronavirus,” KATU News, March 3, 2020, https://katu.com/news/local/portland-man-living-in-
vietnam-gives-prospective-to-coronavirus-outbreak.
 5

notice, I believe that the government has done a generally good job testing and isolating
potential COVID carriers. The fact that an order could be made while I was flying and a process
built out in that time is a testament to the competence of the government and its commitment
to public health.15

As of 16 March, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reported that the number of confirmed

coronavirus cases had risen to sixty-one, including forty-five active and sixteen who
have been discharged, a further 102 suspected cases have been placed in quarantine,
and a further 23,228 are being monitored.16 Thirteen of Vietnam’s sixty-three
provinces and cities have recorded coronavirus cases with the largest concentrations
in Hanoi (14), Vinh Phuc province (11), Binh Thuan province (9), Ho Chi Minh City (8),
and Quang Ninh province (5).

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Vietnam’s Response to the Coronavirus

Pandemic,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, March 17, 2020. All background
briefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself from the
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Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.

15
Stephen Turban, “Entering Vietnam Before The Borders Closed,” Vietcetera, March 16, 2020,
https://vietcetera.com/en/entering-vietnam-before-the-borders-closed/,
16
Khanh Vu, “Vietnam’s coronavirus cases rise to 20: health ministry,” Reuters, March 7, 2020,
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-healthcare-coronavirus-vietnam/vietnams-coronavirus-cases-
rise-to-20-health-ministry-idUSKBN20U0CV; Le Nga, “Malaysia returnee is Vietnam’s 61st coronavirus
infection,” VnExpress International, March 16, 2020, https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/malaysia-
returnee-is-vietnam-s-61st-coronavirus-infection-4070278.html and Ministry of Health quoted by
Xinhua/Asian News Network, “All in Vietnam must wear face mask in public places for coronavirus
prevention,” The Star, March 16, 2020, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2020/03/16/all-
in-vietnam-must-wear-face-mask-in-public-places-for-coronavirus-prevention.