Covid 19 pandemic

“Patients 2422, 2423, 2425 and 2426” from Hai Duong were already in quarantine. They are being treated at field hospitals in the northern province.

“Patient 2424” is a 24-year-old woman from Thoi Lai District, Can Tho City, who entered Vietnam illegally through the border at Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap Province on February 23 and was quarantined soon after. Her test results returned positive for the novel coronavirus on February 25.

In the past 29 days, Vietnam has recorded 831 community transmissions in 13 localities. Hai Duong is the biggest hotspot with 647 cases, following by Quang Ninh with 61 and HCMC with 36. Ten of these localities haven’t recorded new community transmissions for the past 14 days.

With the latest cases, the nation’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 2,426 with 1,839 recoveries and 35 deaths.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, high school student Anh Ngo identified her mission to shelter the mental health of the young generation. Ngo founded a non-profit organisation named MindsetSeed . MindsetSeed’s purpose is to promote the implementation of a growth mindset, and kindness for mental health.

The story started from a little puzzle. Ngo recalls that as a child, she would fidget with a Rubik’s cube, wanting to solve it, but not desiring to put forth the effort. However, as Ngo has to be perfect at everything, not being able to match all six sides of this cube wounded her. As Ngo grew up, this mindset harmed her greatly. In her sophomore year in high school, Ngo came across a study of the Growth Mindset by Professor Carol Dweck. Ngo realised that her potential can grow and that talent is dependent on hard work. At this moment, Ngo decided to share this knowledge with others, for them to avoid the downfalls she had met, through MindsetSeed.

MindsetSeed mainly focuses on the mindset and self-esteem of students: in seeking motivation to improve, through the belief that one’s potential is not concrete but can grow. Ngo shares her idea upon understanding the scientific foundation behind a study, how it is a critical skill for students to be curious in learning, and seek challenges.

“MindsetSeed offers opportunities for young researchers to participate in the field of neuroplasticity – the background behind the growth mindset study by Professor Carol Dweck,” Ngo said. “In knowing that when we learn something new, our neurons react to that and make our brains stronger can make a significant impact on a person’s will to develop.”

In addition to research programs , MindsetSeed provides interactive mental health activities , in instructing participants through yoga, art, or mediation sessions. MindsetSeed also partners with the American Diabetes Association ,  to push a healthy mindset in those with diabetes. MindsetSeed has hosted a variety of webinars with health experts, in calling diabetics to adopt not only a fitting diet and lifestyle but also a good mindset, to better their health.

Ngo shows her excitement about the partnership with the American Diabetes Association through her passion for juvenile diabetes research, as MindsetSeed has now created the Diabetes Circle Club . The Diabetes Circle Club is unique, as it offers various volunteer opportunities to help and enrich their scientific and research knowledge on diabetes and the range of individuals the illness affects.

“As a child, I felt as if I needed to be perfect all the time, now I still find myself struggling with perfectionism. With MindsetSeed, I strive to convey that perfection shall not be sought, but improvement instead,” Ngo said. “In shattering the depiction of the ‘must’, I seek for others to ask the ‘why’ and ‘how’, and bliss the process, not just the results. I find this to be most relevant when I am doing research at my chemistry lab and am now applying it to MidnsetSeed.”

To reach this goal, MindsetSeed not only offers services but resources to the youth. MindsetSeed issues its own magazine, the Effort Magazine , featuring a “students help students” model. Editors of this magazine are passionate youths in the field of literature, hoping to convey their ideas about growth through this platform.

Ngo’s goal is to reach a large number of audiences in terms of what MindsetSeed could provide for those people. Ngo wants others to avoid the downfalls she met while thinking one’s potential was concrete and development cannot be sought, as her objective is for the young generation to realise that one’s talent is cultivated through efficient work and determination. Ngo is glad that her message is delivered thoroughly through MindsetSeed’s programme because she sees how people are overcoming their difficulties efficiently and positively through their help.

“I choose ‘determination’ to describe MindsetSeed. As not the only key factor in starting up a non-profit organisation in the first place, it is also very crucial to the development of a growth mindset,” Ngo said. “[MindsetSeed] had continuously expanded the organisation through new and inventive methods every month, as we try to connect with a large audience, now growing to more than 5,000 participants.”

With a mission of aiding the mindset of the youth, Ngo hopes for the next generation to believe in themselves, and work hard for their dreams.

Oxalis, the only private company licensed to explore and conduct adventure tours in the central province, welcomed 6,000 Vietnamese nationals last year, increasing thrice against the previous years.

The total number of cavers, however, was down 50 percent from the previous year to 7,000 as inbound tourism plunged due to travel restrictions.

Of the 7,000 visitors, 1,000 were foreign cavers who had entered Vietnam prior to the government halting international flights in late March last year to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Nguyen Chau A, CEO of Oxalis, said the company, with about 500 employees, focuses exclusively on adventure tours to explore caves in Quang Binh, including Son Doong, the world’s largest cave, and Tu Lan.

With international flights and foreigner entry remaining suspended except for special cases , local businesses are focusing on boosting domestic tourism.

Currently, around 185 slots remain available to tour Son Doong in 2021, and 287 Tu Lan tours are up for grabs, according to Oxalis.

Son Doong opened to tourists in 2013. It comprises at least 150 individual caves, a dense subterranean jungle and several underground rivers. British magazine Conde Nast Traveler named Son Doong one of seven must-explore wonders of 2020.

Tu Lan, a popular setting for film shoots, was discovered in 2010, with two entrances stretching 2.2 kilometers. Tourists usually explore Tu Lan along with other caves in the system, including Chuot, Hung Ton, Ken, and Kim.

To ensure safety, the company does not receive visitors from pandemic-hit areas as recommended by the Ministry of Health. Cavers joining the tour are required to submit medical declarations.

A hotel put up on sale

On just one real estate website on February 22 many ads were listed.

A 4-star hotel on Vo Nguyen Giap street, 600 square meters, with 19 stories, 125 rooms and 2 conference rooms is offered at VND440 billion.

Hotels on the major streets of Ha Bong, Tran Bach Dang, Ho Nghinh, Vo Nguyen Giap and Ho Xuan Huong are offered at tens or hundreds of billions of dong.

Hoang Lam, the owner of a hotel on Tran Bach Dang street, said accommodation service providers have been hit hard by Covid-19.

“We have been struggling to survive by cutting costs. However, as capital is getting exhausted, hotel owners have to liquidate assets to pay bank debts,” he said.

“Selling hotels is unavoidable as there is no source of revenue, and the operation cost is high,” he said.

Do Van Hien from Dana Hotel, a broker, said a lot of hotels in Da Nang have been put up for sale since the second Covid-19 outbreak.

“The hotels for sale are 2-4-star. The prices have fallen by 20 percent and buyers are mostly from northern provinces,” Hien said.

According to Hien, 3-star hotels are priced at VND20-100 billion, while 4-star hotels are at least VND280 billion. The value of hotels depends on the locations, area, quality, numbers of rooms and brands.

The transactions of 4-5-star hotels, which have strong brands, are confidential. Hotel owners only work with prestigious brokers, and buyers have to prove their financial capability.

Hien said no one wanted to sell hotels in 2016-2019 because they could make a high profit from the business. But since 2020, guests are coming in dribs and drabs, and operation costs and loan interest rates are high.

Cao Tri Dung, chair of the Da Nang Tourism Association, admitted that tourism services have become nearly frozen and many hotels have been put up on sale.

“The pandemic resurgence before Tet blocked sources of guests. Ninety percent of clients cancelled or postponed plans to come to Da Nang,” he said.

He said this is common in a market economy, and that it is time to restructure the accommodation segment.

According to Da Nang People’s Committee, the total number of guests staying at accommodation facilities in the city in January 2021 was 251,094, a 65.6 percent decrease compared with the same period last year.

Ho Giap

Twenty-seven more COVID-19 patients in Hai Duong province have been give the all-clear from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Photo: VNA)

The new infections brought the total number of patients in the country to 2,426, including 831 domestically-transmitted cases since new outbreaks hit Vietnam on January 27, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

By the afternoon of February 26, 10 provinces and cities, which had been previously struck by the latest outbreaks, had seen no new locally-transmitted cases for 14 days, including Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Subcommittee for Treatment reported that 35 more patients were declared to recover from the disease on February 26, raising the total number of recoveries to 1,839.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 was still kept at 35.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments, 45 tested negative for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 60 twice and 72 thrice.

As many as 76,495 people who had close contact with confirmed patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit region are being quarantined nationwide, including 580 in hospitals, 12,038 in concentrated quarantine establishments and the remaining 63,877 at their residences./. VNA