Wandering Flâneuse
- Jul 31, 2020
- 4 min read

Good Morning, Vietnam: Live From Lockdown 2.0

Fridays- usually my favourite day of the week, because it is our only day off from teaching here. My boyfriend and I work full time in the same English centre and crave that Friday feeling weekly. Last week on July 24th, we planned to go to the beach resort Tien Sa Retreat with a group of lovely people. Then, the first piece of information was shared. After 99 days of no COVID cases reported in the whole of Vietnam, out of nowhere a local man had just been hospitalised and tested positive. We couldn't comprehend this at the time. How did a local man get COVID when the borders have been closed for months? Before we drove up the hills of Son Tra, we decided to root out our masks, which had happily been gathering dust over the past few months of freedom. We danced and laughed away our worries at the beach resort, hoping that this would be an isolated case. Little did we know what was ahead of us.

Today- 31st July, Vietnam's health ministry reported 45 new coronavirus infections linked to Da Nang, marking it the highest daily increase since the first cases emerged in Vietnam in late January. So far, since the latest outbreak began last Friday July 24th, Vietnam has recorded 93 new active cases since the virus resurfaced, the ministry said in a statement. Vietnam now has a registered number of 509 cases of the virus in total. Community transmissions have spread to five other cities and provinces in six days, with Hanoi and Saigon each reporting two cases, Da Nang's neighbor Quang Nam Province eight cases, the nearby Quang Ngai Province and the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak one each. Da Nang has officially ordered a lockdown and has begun to implement large-scale tests across the city, which is now the country's largest coronavirus hotspot. In Hanoi, local authorities have now implemented "social distancing" measures across the capital, shutting bars and restaurants, and banning large gatherings as well as quarantining specific streets and areas. 21,000 tourists returned to Hanoi from Da Nang, who are being closely monitored and will undergo rapid testing. Saigon is in the same position and has also shut down all its bars, restaurants, and dance clubs and banned large gatherings.

Where did all of these cases come from, if Vietnam has had its borders closed since March and no reported cases across the country? After Friday's first reported COVID- 19 case, it emerged that the police had been investigating a smuggling ring that had brought foreigners into central Vietnam illegally. On Friday, Da Nang police arrested three people, including two Vietnamese and one Chinese for "organizing illegal entry into Vietnam" after 31 Chinese nationals were found illegally crossing the border. The smugglers used rafts to ferry the Chinese across the river at the border and then drove them on motorbikes to the town before moving on to other parts of Vietnam. A further update emerged on Tuesday, with two women from northern Vietnam arrested for helping nine Chinese nationals enter Vietnam illegally. The women told the police that they were hired by a man to take eight Chinese into Vietnam via the land border. They got paid VND 250,000 ($11) each. On Thursday the 30th of July, two more men were arrested for helping Chinese nationals illegally enter Vietnam. It was announced on Wednesday that the police had found 11 illegal Chinese immigrants at an apartment building in Binh Thanh District, Saigon. Authorities have since sent them all to a quarantine camp. As economies plummet globally, individuals have become desperate for income. Around 7.8 million workers lost their jobs or were furloughed due to the pandemic this year in Vietnam. With a large percentage of the nation suffering financially, morality has become secondary to some and higher risks are being taken for a quick monetary fix, such as this underground smuggling network. Unfortunately, as a nation, whether you are a guest or a citizen- we all must bear the consequences.

So, what are the next few weeks going to look like? In Da Nang starting July 30th, according to Government Document no.4987/UBND, all restaurants and cafes have been suspended, inclusive of online and takeaway services from 1 pm until further notice by Danang authorities. All "non-essential" services like amusement parks, beauty parlors, karaoke, and massage parlors and bars are closed. Several streets have also been placed under lockdown. Three hospitals including Da Nang General Hospital, Hospital C, and the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital where patients first visited before testing positive, have been put under lockdown. Since Tuesday, all flights to and from Danang have been suspended. All passenger buses, taxis, and trains to and from Da Nang have also been suspended. Schools are also now closed for the time being.

Our few months of sweet freedom are now to be a memory, as we brace ourselves for what could be a lengthy lockdown. This time, we have been down this road before, lockdown is not something we haven't accustomed ourselves to previously. So, get out your colouring books, re-download the Calm app, and start baking y'all.

Most importantly: Stay at home, stay calm, and stay safe everyone.