Recommended vaccinations for vietnam

Vietnam completes second phase of Nano Covax trials

April 8, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

On February 26, the first shot of the Nano Covax vaccine pilot programme, phase 2 was administered both at the Military Medical Academy (Hanoi) and the Ben Luc District Medical Centre (Long An province). The total number of participants in the phase 2 trial in both units was 560.

In the second phase of the trial, volunteers only stayed at the injection site for 60 minutes after injection to have their health monitored, instead of 48 hours. Volunteers then went home and were supervised by local medical forces.

Experts have said Nano Covax has proven safe and effective against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, even its new variants.

Most of the volunteers are in a stable condition after vaccination. Only a few had light injection site pain or fever, both of which disappeared after one to two days.

The third phase will see the engagement of more than 10,000 volunteers, beginning in August. If the results are good, Vietnam would administer the vaccine to the public in early 2022.

Vietnam pilots initiatives to reduce plastic waste and marine litter

April 11, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

Vietnamese authorities and international organisations discussed ways to reduce plastic waste and marine litter in Vietnam at a workshop held in Hanoi on Friday.

A local sorts works in a plastic waste landfill in northern province of Lao Cai.

Delegates presented work between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), the Delegation of the European Union to Việt Nam and Expertise France on policy development as well as recommendations for four pilot projects in HCM City, Hà Nội and Phú Yên Province, which aim to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up untreated on land and in the oceans.

The initiatives included enhancing plastic packaging collection, sorting and recycling, encouraging fishermen to collect plastic waste caught while fishing, establishing an alliance of supermarkets to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags, and managing waste in ports.

“The Vietnamese Government and the MONRE have shown strong political commitments affirming that we have always given high priority to finding both short and long-term solutions to reduce plastic pollution and foster economic development,” said Director-General of the International Cooperation Department of the MONRE Phạm Phú Bình.

“The circular economy solution to marine plastic litter can be an important contribution to support the implementation of the National Action Plan and helps Việt Nam achieve its goals. Experience and lessons learned from the project and pilot activities will serve as a basis to expand to other localities and aim to inform policy development initiatives,” he said.

The circular economy means markets that give incentives to reusing products, rather than scrapping them and in such an economy, all forms of waste are returned to the economy or used more efficiently, according to the United Nations definition.

Talking about the circular economy, Rui Ludovino, First Counsellor, Climate Action, Environment, Employment and Social Policies at the Delegation of the European Union to Việt Nam, said: “We must move towards a circular economy for plastics, an economy in which resources are used and managed more efficiently and more sustainably. Through the Rethinking Plastics project, we work closely with Việt Nam to prevent marine plastic litter and share regional and European experiences,” he said.

The four pilot activities complement these efforts towards a circular economy with concrete actions and experiences from the local level, involving communities and households, local businesses and administrations, he added.

These activities are run within the ‘Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Maritime Litter’ initiative, which is implemented by Expertise France with the financial support of the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Việt Nam has been confirmed as the world’s fourth-largest marine plastic polluter after China, Indonesia and the Philippines. Each year, the country dumps an estimate of 300,000-700,000 tonnes of plastic waste into the ocean per year, accounting for 6 per cent of the world’s marine plastics.

The country has set the target to have zero disposable plastic waste by 2025.

It has adopted a development strategy to promote the maritime economy in parallel with protecting maritime environment and ecosystems, specifying “preventing, controlling and significantly mitigating marine environmental pollution; being a regional pioneer in reducing ocean plastic waste” among the country’s objectives for 2030. — VNS

Vietnam reports no new COVID-19 cases

April 11, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

As many as 37,938 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are currently quarantined across the nation, including 523 in hospitals, 21,705 in state-designated establishments and 15,710 at their homes or residences.

According to the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, 2,429 patients have been successfully cured, while the death toll related to the disease remained at 35.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments, 22 tested negative to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 11 twice and 17 thrice.

By the afternoon of April 10, a total of 58,248 people, including medical workers, members of community-based anti-COVID-19 groups and members of the steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control in localities, have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

To live safely with the pandemic, the Ministry of Health advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from mass gatherings, and making medical declarations.

VITA proposes opening doors to tourists with vaccine passports

April 10, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

VITA proposes opening doors to tourists with vaccine passports

By Dao Loan

Vietnam attracted many international tourists before the Covid-19 outbreak. The Vietnam Tourism Association has proposed reopening the tourism market to tourists holding vaccine passports – PHOTO: DAO LOAN

HCMC – The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) has proposed that the Government allow it to collaborate with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to welcome back international tourists holding vaccine passports, digital proof of Covid-19 vaccination.

According to VITA, since the Covid-19 pandemic forced the country to close its doors to international tourists, many travel companies have turned to domestic tourism. The number of local tourists at some attractions has even been higher than pre-pandemic levels.

However, as revenues from domestic tourism account for only 30% of the total, resuming international tourism is still a priority.

VITA said Vietnam can begin resuming international tourism as Vietnamese travel companies have effectively implemented anti-Covid-19 measures. Moreover, the spread of Covid-19 has eased in parts of the world thanks to massive vaccination campaigns.

Covid-19 vaccine passports will be an effective tool to resume tourism services. Some countries in the region have decided to use digital health passes to help the tourism sector recover.

Therefore, VITA suggested the Government allow it and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to receive tourists from certain countries that have seen steady declines in Covid-19 cases.

Speaking to The Saigon Times, VITA chairman Nguyen Huu Tho said Vietnam should prioritize opening the market to tourists from the Asia-Pacific region, which account for 75% of the country’s total international arrivals. Many countries in this region have also effectively fought the pandemic.

Besides, VITA said the Government should introduce more incentives and supporting policies for travel companies. In addition to incentives on taxes, fees and electricity payment, the association suggested the Government allow travel companies to change their inbound certificates into domestic tourism certificates because since the pandemic broke out until now, travel companies have only been able to serve local tourists.

Data of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed that as of late 2020, there were more than 2,500 inbound travel companies in the country. To obtain an inbound certificate, travel companies have to deposit VND500 million, while it is just VND100 million for a domestic tourism certificate.

VITA once again suggested offering accommodation facilities the same electricity prices as production facilities in line with the Politburo’s Resolution No. 08/NQ-TW and the Government’s Resolution No. 103/NQ-CP.

The association also proposed halving value added tax and reducing land tax for tourism companies in 2021. Excise tax for golf courses should also be cut by half.

After hearing these suggestions, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to work with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other ministries and departments to conduct research on appropriate policies to support businesses in the tourism sector. The proposals will be submitted to the prime minister for review and approval in the second quarter of this year.

Italian official: Vietnam, Italy could work on fields of shared interest

April 10, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

In an interview recently granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Rome, Di Stefano said in recent years, Vietnam has made a stride in history, which was the result of the Vietnamese leaders’ strategic vision.

The country has overcome difficulties during the Cold War and chosen the road of modernisation and multilateral integration with basic steps such as entry to the UN, ASEAN, the World Trade Organisation, and establishment of ties with regional organisations like the European Union as well as strategic partnership with many nations worldwide, including Italy, he said.

According to him, Vietnam’s opening of door to receive foreign investment, including those from Italy, has brought to Vietnam necessary resources in terms of investment, labour and technology for national construction.

Italy pays attention to Vietnam’s important role in the region and on international arena, he said, adding that the two nations have supported principles of a world order based on the respect of rules and the peaceful settlement of disputes, as well as shared a common wish to effectively promote multilateralism and sustainable development for all stakeholders.

He reiterated Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s congratulatory message sent to new State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc that Italy will grasp cooperation opportunities from the Vietnam – Italy strategic partnership established in 2013 and the Italy – ASEAN development partnership signed in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed that common issues must be settled via solidarity and cooperation, which inspired Italy in its role as G20 Chair and promptly the country to fund 116 million USD for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) to offer equal access to vaccines worldwide, including Vietnam. He also hailed Vietnam for effectively coping with the pandemic thanks to its experience in dealing with SARS in 2003.

Commenting on the prospect of bilateral cooperation after the European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect in August 2020, Di Stefano expressed his belief in growing Italy-Vietnam trade ties this year. He suggested that Vietnam and the EU continue pursuing the goal of trade liberalisation in a more balanced manner.

As many as 110 Italian firms are operating in Vietnam. Bilateral economic ties are growing, especially in traditional fields such as machinery, apparel, automobiles, farm produce, oil and gas.

The European nation also supports hi-tech investment in Vietnam in telecommunications, outer space, pharmaceuticals, architecture and design, renewable energy, and innovation industries, he said.

He also expressed his hope to visit Vietnam when conditions allow.

Source: VNA

Vietnamese life expectancy up, but non-infectious disease cases rise

April 9, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

People exercise at a park in HCM City. Health experts recommend that people carefully watch what they eat, be physically active, avoid the use of tobacco and alcohol, and lower stress levels. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Although average life expectancy has increased, the number of cases of non-infectious disease among Vietnamese has risen, said Dr Nguyen Thi Kim Tien , head of the Department of Health Protection and Care of Central Officials.

Tien spoke at an annual national workshop on health and longevity held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 8.

The average life expectancy of Vietnamese is 73.6 compared to 68.6 in 1999, according to the population census in 2019. However, Vietnamese women are ill an average of a total of 11 years, compared to eight years for men, she said.

“Non-infectious chronic diseases are the number one killer today, with more than 70 percent of deaths coming from cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes,” she noted.

The number of cases increase significantly from the age of 40 due to aging, inadequate nutrition, high consumption of tobacco and alcohol, stress, and other factors.

“The number in Vietnam has reached alarming levels,” she said, adding that “how we age depends hugely on how we behave.”

She said that people should carefully watch what they eat, be physically active, avoid the use of tobacco and alcohol, and lower stress levels.

“You should listen to your body and see a doctor as soon as possible if ill because early detection is important in treatment, reducing mortality and improving quality of life,” she said.

Aging population

In 2011, Vietnam began to enter the period of an aging population and is one of the countries with the fastest aging rates in the world.

In 2017, the number of people 60 years and older accounted for 11.9 percent of the total population.

This group will account for about 21 million people by 2038, or 20 percent of the population. The number will reach 27 million or 25 percent of the population by 2050, according to the General Statistics Office.

The average life expectancy of Vietnamese is 1.6 years higher than the world average, but the population is about 16 years older than the world population.

Dr. Le Dinh Thanh, Director of HCM City-based Thong Nhat Hospital, said the rapid aging of the population poses huge challenges to a low to middle-income country like Vietnam, requiring the country to improve its social security and healthcare system for the elderly.

Vietnam needs to raise awareness about preparation for old age, including planning for financial security, and ensuring medical examination and treatment as well as social policies for the elderly.

Infectious diseases kill more than 300 people per year in the country, while non-infectious disease s kill over 400,000, according to the Ministry of Health.

As many as 70 percent of deaths every year are caused by non-infectious diseases, of which 40 percent occur to people under 70 years old.

Non-infectious diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, mental illness and cancer, not only affect longevity but also the quality of life.

Experts attribute the reasons for the rising number of cases to the fact that people lack awareness about prevention of such diseases. As many as 49 percent of men smoke, and 77 percent of the population drinks alcohol, while 11 percent of them drink at an alarming level.

Salt consumption in Vietnam is double the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Ministry of Health has set a goal to ensure by 2025 that deaths caused by non-infectious diseases will fall to 20 percent from the current 70 percent.

The goal is to reduce the proportion of people smoking by 30 percent and those drinking alcohol by 10 percent, while reducing salt intake by 30 percent./.

VNA