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Vietnamese people will have access to COVID-19 vaccination free of charge in the long term like other types of vaccine included in the country’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Vietnam has made urgent efforts to obtain COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible, but the number of vaccine shots distributed to the country in the coming time is still limited, the committee said during a meeting on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health has listed 11 groups of individuals who will be the first to receive COVID-19 vaccination next month.

When supply is enough, all Vietnamese people will have access to free COVID-19 inoculation in the long run like other types of vaccine included in the EPI.

A small number of vaccine doses will be sold to people who can afford them.

The EPI started in Vietnam in 1981, initiated by the Ministry of Health with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The initial goal of the program was to provide free immunization to children under one year old to protect them from six common and highly fatal infectious diseases.

By 2010, the program had included 11 types of vaccine which protect people against tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, measles, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, typhoid, and pneumonia/meningitis caused by Hib.

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, Vietnam will need approximately 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for all citizens.

The Southeast Asian country will receive 30 million free doses supplied by COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) in 2021.

Vietnam has also purchased 30 million more doses from AstraZeneca, which will be delivered this year.

The first batch containing 117,600 AstraZeneca vaccine shots arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday morning.

On February 26, the second phase of the human trial of made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine Nanocovax will begin in Hanoi and the Mekong Delta province of Long An.

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Big target

The fishery sector plays an important role in the national economy. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, seafood exports reached US$8.4 billion in 2020, a drop of 1.8 percent compared with 2019, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Truong Dinh Hoe, secretary-general of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said Vietnam’s seafood exports plummeted in the first half of 2020, especially in March and May with a drop of 48 percent and 16 percent compared to the same month in 2019, respectively. By adapting to the new normal and devising response solutions, seafood exports recovered in the second half of the year. Shrimp exports maintained steady growth.

With experience in controlling the pandemic and utilization of free trade agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory, seafood exports are expected to increase by 10 percent in 2021 to US$9.4 billion. Of which, exports of shrimp, tra fish, and other fishery products are expected to reach US$4.4 billion, US$1.6 billion, and US$3.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 15 percent, five percent, and six percent, respectively.

Ho Quoc Luc, board chairman of the Sao Ta Foods Joint Stock Company, said this year’s shrimp export target is expected to be completed due to high performance in farming, production and processing.

According to the BIDV Securities Company (BSC), demand for tra fish will return to the pre-pandemic levels because service channels such as restaurants and hotels still account for a large proportion of tra fish consumption.

Driving force for exports

The free trade agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory, especially the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the United Kingdom-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), will help seafood exports thrive in 2021.

The entry into force of the EVFTA in August 2020 has already achieved results for Vietnam’s seafood exports. In the first seven months of 2020, seafood exports to the EU declined sharply with a drop of up to 26 percent. However, exports have increased significantly since August. In addition to adjustments to adapt to changing market demand due to the pandemic, the main factor leading to seafood export growth was attributed to a drop in import duties.

The CPTPP has also benefited Vietnam’s seafood exports. To Tuong Lan, deputy secretary-general of the VASEP, said Vietnam’s seafood exports to Canada only reached US$196 million in 2015, but increased to US$229 million in 2019 thanks to the effect of the CPTPP. Vietnam’s seafood exports to Canada increased by an estimated 20 percent in 2020 compared with 2019.

The UKVFTA offers great opportunities for Vietnamese seafood. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s seafood exports to the UK grew strongly in 2020. Specifically, in the first nine months of 2020, they increased by nearly 23 percent compared to the same period in 2019, reaching US$258 million. Of which, shrimp and tra fish exports increased by 19 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Mai Ca

The HCMC Department of Transport shared that the city aims at possessing a multi-means public transport system, including 8 metro lines, 3 tram lines, 6 bus rapid transit lines (BRT), and 200 regular bus lines, in order to meet the traveling demands of the community.

Due to the dense population in HCMC, leading to the large number of private vehicles, urban traffic at the moment has to shoulder a heavy burden, and the average velocity of vehicles in the downtown is just 20-25km per hour.

To tackle this problem, the municipal authorities have adjusted the planning of the urban transport system to implement the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) model. This model maximizes the link between residential, business, manufacturing areas and the existing public transport system.

HCMC is going to apply this model along Metro Line No.1 (from Ben Thanh in the downtown to Suoi Tien in Thu Duc City), Metro Line No.2 (the first phase: Ben Thanh – Tham Luong in District 12; the second phase: Tham Luong – Cu Chi District) and Metro Line No.5 (the first phase Bay Hien Intersection in Tan Binh District – Sai Gon Bridge; the second phase: Can Giuoc Coach Station in Long An Province – Bay Hien Intersection).

The HCMC Management Center of Public Transport (MCPT) is going to introduce 21 high-quality bus lines. This is expected to rebuild the community’s trust towards buses, and thus increasing their bus use.

In order to fulfill the goal, these buses must maintain their route schedule and are not allowed to skip bus-stops or passengers under any circumstances. They have free Wi-Fi, a route monitoring device, a sound system automatically connected to MCPT to announce destinations, free newspapers to serve passengers.

Bus attendants must have good manner, especially towards the senior, the disabled, the ill, and the invalids. Bus drivers must ensure safety by strictly obeying traffic laws and minimizing disorder inside the bus.

The new 21 lines must have sufficient infrastructure, including bus stops, stopping space, regularly updated information boards about current routes and schedules. These facilities must be clean and not illegally occupied by peddlers.

As suggested by Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Xuan Mai from HCMC University of Technology (Vietnam National University – HCMC), it is critical that bus route schedules be maintained so that customer confidence is regained, and people come back to this common public transport.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Canh from the University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University – HCMC) said that the formerly piloting scheme of bus priority lane on Tran Hung Dao Street encountered certain objection from the community. However, it is this practice, along with careful planning, that is implemented widely in developed countries to help buses be more welcomed by the public.

Experts in the field suggested that HCMC should launch the piloting scheme for bus priority lane on some major streets like Dien Bien Phu (from Ly Thai To Roundabout – Sai Gon Bridge) or Vo Thi Sau (from Dan Chu Roundabout – Dinh Tien Hoang Street), which has many bus lines.

Simultaneously, better private vehicle restriction rules should be introduced on these two streets to make the scheme more effective.

Accepted the recommendation, MCPT is going to pilot bus priority lanes on the mentioned streets at morning and afternoon peak hours on weekdays. Each lane is supposed to be 3.25m wide, separated with other lanes by road fence. These lanes are for buses, ambulances, firetrucks, mini buses, and passenger vehicles 12-seat+.

Lately, HCMC has built several new streets; yet the proportion of traffic space in the urban land use is a tiny minority of 10 percent, which is not even 1/2 of the standard. Adding to the problem is the ever-increasing number of private vehicles, reaching 9 million at present (including 7.2 million scooters).

With such a high traffic density, with a priority lane, it is truly challenging for buses to maintain their schedules. Some bus companies reported that 80 percent of their buses cannot fulfill this goal. Some are even 1 hour late.

Just 3 years ago, buses were the most favorite choice of students coming to Thu Duc University Village, and there was a bus running each 10 minutes. Sadly, over 1/2 of those lines are canceled now since they cannot ensure the precise arrival time.

Obviously, the development of public transportation must go along with a more logical control of private vehicle growth.

By Quoc Hung – Translated by Vien Hong

By Bich Thuy