Japan’s NHK television channel has lauded Vietnam’s effective containment of COVID-19 with 324 infections and zero death.

Vietnamese citizens after a quarantine period (Photo: VNA) 

The channel attributed that success to the Vietnamese Government’s strict and drastic quarantine measures since late January. Since February, foreigners who stayed in China within 14 days from the date of entry were banned from entering the country, it said.

Afterwards, Vietnam has enhanced quarantine at border gates and affected areas, as well as limited social activities.

Statistics showed that nearly 1 million people in the country have so far been put under quarantine. Meanwhile, the number of infections in other Southeast Asian nations has kept rising.

NHK also quoted Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in an interview on May 21 as saying that Vietnam is willing to sacrifice its short-term economic benefits to protect the people's health and lives. He added that controlling the pandemic soon is a premise for international investors and tourists to return to Vietnam.

The PM also pledged to create a favourable investment environment for foreign investors to pour more capital into Vietnam, it said.

Prof. Futoshi Hasebe from the Nagasaki University’s Institute of Tropical Medicine said drastic quarantine measures and early tests of the suspects have resulted in Vietnam’s success in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, he also warned that Vietnam should stay vigilant in epidemic prevention and control.