COMBINED SCRIPT

VIETNAM IN THE PANDEMIC: FROM ZERO-COVID POLICY TO ADAPTATION TO LIFE WITH COVID
Introduction:
1. Greeting & Thank you: Good morning everyone. First of all, truly thank you and welcome to our
presentation today.
2. Self-introduction: We are group 1 with 6 members studying at International University, which is one of
seven member institutions of Vietnam National University, HCMC.
3. Attention-getter: So what have you been these days? Social distancing really blocks you from the world,
doesn’t it? Not only you but everyone of us is blocked; I mean it!
4. Connection to topic: Living in Vietnam, we have undergone four waves of the Covid-19 attack so far. And
we have witnessed all the ups and downs in our country’s battle against this invisible enemy.
5. Credibility: Living in HCMC, the epidemic of Vietnam, we have witnessed the transition of our country
from the days of zero-covid to the harsh time with high infections and deaths. That’s why today we’d like
to share with you about the changed situation.
6. Preview: Our presentation will be divided into three parts. First, we’ll provide some basic information
about the circumstances of Vietnam in the Covid-19 battle. After that, we’ll present the impacts of this
pandemic on Vietnam. Finally, we'll discuss the most suitable solutions that Vietnam is doing to adapt to a
new life with Covid-19.
7. Time for Q & A: Our presentation will take about 5-6 minutes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask
us at the end of our talk.
8. Transition to Point 1: Now, let’s begin with the first part: Vietnam’s wins and losses in the Covid-19
battle.

Overview of Point 1: Up to October 1, 2021, the pandemic has stricken Vietnam in four waves, with the
Delta variant taking the country’s victory away.
With its first case reported on January 23, 2020, Vietnam began a series of drastic and urgent measures,
such as border closure, restrictions on domestic and international movements, school and workplace
shutdown, cancellation of public events and gatherings, strict quarantine and social distancing. Moreover,
some effective communication strategies like Vietnam's hand-washing song went globally viral. And as of
March 10, 2021, out of 98 countries with success in handling the coronavirus pandemic, Vietnam was
ranked No. 2 behind New Zealand. (Source: Times of India)
Then the situation changed. From 3 January 2020 to October 1st, 2021, there were 790,755 confirmed
cases of COVID-19 with 19,301 deaths reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). (Source: WHO)
Just as bad, according to Vietnam Briefing, Vietnam was severely hit by the fourth wave of Covid-19 due to
the Delta variant. This resulted in lockdowns, movement restrictions, and thus disruption to supply chains
and factory shutdowns on large scales. (Source: Vietnam Briefing)
Comment: It’s obvious that the Delta is invisible, but its damage is enormous!
Transition to Point 2: This damage has directly resulted in severe problems regarding economic activity,
education, and social life, and we’ll discuss some of these consequences in our second part.
Up to Quarter 3 (July-September), the financial website Asia.Nikkei reported that Vietnam's GDP shrank
6.17% because the national economy was hurt by strict lockdowns. With negative GDP growth, the
country’s annual target of 6.5% seems to be out of reach. (Source: Asia.Nikkei)
In addition, according to the Ministry of Education and Training as of September 20, Hanoi and Hung Yen
were two northern localities having students studying entirely online along with 22 other localities
throughout the country. Most of the schools switching to the online mode were in the South, HCMC.
(Source: vnexpress)
Meanwhile, as of September 13, Vietnam’s vaccination rate of 5.2% of its 98 million population was one of
the region's lowest. Social activities in the epicentre HCMC came to a standstill, but vice chairman Duong
Anh Duc stated in Dan Tri newspaper that "Overall, Ho Chi Minh City will still be under restrictions for
another two weeks.” (Source: Dan Tri)
Comment: There you see, nationwide lockdowns have caused economic decline and many other problems.
Transition to Point 3: These inconveniences urged the government plan to unlock the country step by step,
which will be presented in the last part of our presentation.
Since October 1st, restrictions have been removed in the major localicies of Vietnam. To prepare for this
big day, on September 25, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated in an online meeting that Vietnam
would gradually ease social distancing in a controlled way by September 30 to support socio-economic
development. ((Source: VOV) From Hanoi, deputy chairman of Hanoi People's Committee, Duong Duc
Tuan, also said in a statement: "We can't maintain the social distancing measures indefinitely.“ ( Source:
Reuters)
The core solution is vaccines. As of September 7, HCMC had more than 6.1 million adults aged 18 and over
who had received their first shots (85.2 per cent of the city’s adult population), 600,000 people had
received their second shots. Other provinces such as Bình Dương and Đồng Nai are also considering
vaccine green cards to prepare for “the new normal”. (Source: Vietnam News)
Another solution for a new normal life is eased travel. With control loosening, businesses in green zones
in Hanoi would restart their production and business activities. (Vietnam.net) In HCMC, after September
15, businesses and workers will have to meet safety regulations in order to reopen, including vaccinations
for employees. (Source: Vietnam News)
Conclusion:
1. Transition: As you can see, with the Delta variant, Vietnam has experienced the most difficult pandemic
wave, leaving us no choice but adaption of the new normal life. 
2. Review: During my presentation, I have mentioned three main points.
First, our country used to be one of the most successful countries in preventing the Covid spread until the
fourth wave of the pandemic, which results in the disruption of most localities.
Second, the Delta surge in the fourth wave has had negative impacts on most of Vietnam’s aspects, from
business activities caused by the strict lockdowns to education problems for children and other limitations
of social life.
Last, after the prolonged lockdown situation, Vietnam today has to give up on its zero-Covid target and
adapt to the new lifestyle, trying to live safely with Covid.
3. Final impression: As we struggled a lot during this time, we hope that people will protect their health by
themselves, and be proactive to be vaccinated to start a new normal life. I believe our beloved country will
get over the pandemic in the near future.
Wrap up: This is the end of my presentation and thank you for listening. In case you need more
information, you can visit these websites.
Now, we’ll be glad to answer any question you may have.
 REFERENCES

1) https://www.jogh.org/documents/2021/jogh-11-03012.htm
2) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-prevention-vietnam-song-ghen-co-vy-tik-tok-
challenge-about-washing-hands-quang-dang-john-oliver/
3) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/ChanakyaCode/vietnams-successful-handling-of-
multiple-waves-of-coronavirus-attack/
4) https://covid19.who.int/region/wpro/country/vn
5) https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/maintaining-operations-during-vietnams-fourth-wave-
pandemic.html/
6) https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Vietnam-s-GDP-shrinks-6.17-in-Q3-hurt-by-pandemic-lockdowns
7) https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/pandemic-enforces-remote-learning-in-24-of-vietnam-s-63-
localities-4359097.html
8) https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnams-biggest-city-keep-virus-curbs-flight-
resumption-sought-2021-09-13/
9) https://vovworld.vn/en-US/news/social-distancing-will-gradually-ease-in-a-controlled-manner-pm-
1030032.vov
10) https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/vietnam-capital-hanoi-ease-
coronavirus-curbs-this-week-2021-09-20/
11) https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1026878/hcm-city-considers-issuing-vaccine-green-cards.html
12) https://vietnamnet.vn/en/feature/businesses-in-green-zones-resume-operation-773114.html