The article details how Vietnam, with a population of 97.75 million and a long border with China, has recorded just 1,438 COVID-19 cases and 35 deaths as of December 25.

The piece describes the amazing achievement of seeing the Vietnamese health system work effectively alongside mechanisms implemented by the Government at a time when most developed countries are struggling to cope with the impact of the pandemic.

Quotes are given by Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Pham Vinh Quang which state, “There are many factors for Vietnam’s success. The first one is the early response to the pandemic.”

Ambassador Quang outlines that the nation correctly predicted the impact of COVID-19 and took drastic action in early January, even before cases had been detected in the nation.

Echoing this opinion is Prof. Guy Thwaites, director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in

Ho Chi Minh City, who wrote “How ‘overreaction made Vietnam a virus success”, which was published by the BBC on May 15. The article in the Jakarta Post quotes an extract from Prof. Thawaites, “It very, very quickly acted in ways which seemed to be quite extreme at the time, but were subsequently shown to be rather sensible.”

According to Ambassador Quang, the country had been taking several measures to contain the epidemic since January, including the implementation of containment policies in affected areas, closing borders, and putting travel restrictions on people.

The diplomat notes how the nation’s policies on COVID-19 were transparent, cost-effective, intrusive, and labour intensive.

“I think Vietnamese people are obedient to the Government’s rules. They listen to [their] Government. As a result, COVID-19 was effectively contained there,” said Sudharmono, a private employee in West Jakarta, as quoted by the author.

The Vietnamese ambassador added that both Vietnam and Indonesia had agreed to work closely together to prevent and stop the spread of the disease.

“Vietnam, in their role of ASEAN Chairman 2020, has actively co-ordinated with Indonesia to organise the ASEAN Special Summit between ASEAN and East Asian partner countries, special ministerial-level meetings and other related meetings to discuss COVID-19 response measures,” Ambassador Quang said.

“At the United Nations Security Council, both nations also jointly promoted the adoption of relevant resolutions on pandemic cooperation,” he added.