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The Deputy PM, who is also head of the Steering Committee, stressed that safety must be as high as possible and that if something goes wrong it must be handled calmly.

Though COVID-19 has been largely brought under control in Vietnam, relevant agencies must continue to maintain readiness and vigilance, he said.

Deputy PM Dam called on people to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s “5K” message: Khau trang (facemasks) – Khu khuan (disinfecting) – Khoang cach (distancing) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration).

Schools, health facilities, factories, markets, supermarkets, and accommodation establishments, he went on, need to actively self-assess their safety level in disease prevention and control and update information on the COVID-19 Safe Living Map System (www.antoancovid.vn).

He praised the efforts of the ministry in accessing foreign sources of COVID-19 vaccines and promoting vaccine research and production in the country.

The Ministry of Health is responsible for organising vaccinations in a safe and effective manner and promoting communications to raise public awareness.

He underlined the need to accelerate domestic vaccine research, production, and testing, noting that these must comply with all steps in the fastest time possible.

Vietnam is expected to have sufficient vaccines for 100 million people if research and development is successful, he said, adding that this is an opportunity for the country to lift its vaccine research capacity to a new level, enabling it to respond to other diseases that may strike in the future.

The Deputy PM also ordered the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to urgently build and issue relevant instructions and guidelines to create favourable conditions for those that have been given COVID-19 vaccines abroad to enter Vietnam.

Residents and tourists alike have shared their disappointment over the removal of large portions of the Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie – an abandoned monastery in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat – during the site’s renovation.

Spanning more than seven hectares, the chapel and residential quarters of Franciscaines Misionnaires de Marie sit between Tran Quang Dieu and Hung Vuong Streets in Da Lat, which is the capital of Lam Dong Province.

For years, the iconic chapel has been an inspiration for Vietnamese artists and photographers, being reimagined in countless works of art.

The mission is located in an area surrounded by pine trees near the center of Da Lat. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

A ruined complex

According to writer Nguyen Vinh Nguyen, the Benedictine complex was designed and built by French architects Alexandre Leonard and Paul Veysseyre in the late 30s and early 40s, marking the onset of Benedictine missionaries from the West making their way to Vietnam.

In 1954, these missionaries left the complex in the hands of Franciscans nuns before moving to Hue in the central region to set up the Thien An Monastery.

In the following years, the nuns enlisted Vietnamese architect Pham Khanh Chu to design additional classrooms behind the existing complex.

According to Tran Ngoc Trac, former head of Lam Dong Province Arts and Literature Association, the mission was known as Viet Nu Commercial School in 1969.

In 1979, the seven-hectare complex was handed over to the government.

Machines are brought to the mission to remove severely destroyed areas. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Over the following decades, the school’s two classroom blocks and residential building served as the province’s supplementary school, then as the Lam Vien Hotel, and eventually Tran Phu High School.

In the 1980s, another building was built between the two blocks.

The chapel and monastery were next used as a warehouse, sports hall, and residential structure.

It was eventually abandoned for several years before becoming a campus of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture.

At one point, nearly 20 families illegally occupied the chapel but were eventually forced out by local authorities.

Inside the main chapel. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

Pulling out all the stops

The Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, which currently manages the complex, said it has plans to restore the site.

“We are doing our best to preserve the monastery’s artistic value,” said the school’s representative.

“We expect it to be a landmark of the university’s Da Lat campus in which potential architects from the Central Highlands and neighbouring areas are trained.”

Plans on the renovation include a new amphitheater being built in the complex and the restoration of dilapidated structures.

The chapel will be transformed into a library and meeting hall which will host architecture and art workshops, while the residential structures will be used as boarding houses for lecturers.

The residential building’s roof is removed for restoration. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

“We decided to restore the existing constructions of the chapel and residential structure though they are not listed in the government’s compulsory reservation scheme,” the university told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“We see the complex as a meaningful and valuable heritage site.

“Restoring costs much more than rebuilding but we must protect this significant landmark.”

The monastery’s façade has been reimagined in many pieces of art. Photo: Duc Tho / Tuoi Tre

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Hundreds of people in Hanoi lined up to help farmers in Hai Duong Province by buying their chickens.

Hundreds of people in Hanoi lined up to help farmers in Hai Duong Province by buying their chickens.

About 900 chickens are being transported from Chi Linh City, Hai Duong Province, to Hanoi every day and sold at VND50,000 (USD2) per kilo. On March 4, hundreds of people lined up on Tam Trinh Street when the chickens arrived.

56-year-old Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai from Hoang Mai District, said she and her neighbours came to help buy chickens after hearing that Hai Duong farmers needed help.

“They have worked hard but because of Covid-19 that they can’t sell their chickens like usual. The price is already low so I think it’s necessary to help,” she said. “I had to wait for two hours but I was able to buy two chickens. I’ll keep one and give another chicken to my daughter’s family.”

Hoang Thi Thao from Kim Thanh, Hai Duong, said their lives had been greatly affected by the latest outbreak. The farmers couldn’t sell their products. She started bringing the chickens to Hanoi after getting some help from other Hai Duong people who are living and working in Hanoi.

“We have had Covid-19 tests and have all necessary papers. After buying chickens from the household farms in Hai Duong, we bring them to 411 Tam Trinh Street in Hanoi,” she said.

Thao also thanked the authorities in Hai Duong Province and Hoang Mai District, everyone that helped her with administrative papers and those who bought chickens.

“I come there to sell the chicken twice a day at 4 am and 2 pm. Each time I brought about 900 chickens. After five days, Thao has been able to sold 20 tonnes of chickens.