Health - Saigoneer

Sweating out My Sadness on the Canal's Exercise Machines

2024-03-27T09:00:00+07:00

We're all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.

That's a quote that I've memorized from the cult classic Chungking Express by Wong Kar-wai. The dialogue comes from the main character, “Cop 223” He Zhiwu, who has just been unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend. As a way to chew over his pain, he indulges in aimless activities such as running around a baseball field until he faints.

In 2023, I purchased a set of workout clothes and a pair of sneakers to force myself into motion, as a natural reflex to breaking up. Of course, I am well aware that biologically, the human body has the ability to continuously regenerate tears. But in moments of confusion, I want to believe in the romanticization of cinema, for in the end, there could only be two outcomes:

1. I defy science, becoming the first person in history to actually run out of tears.

2. Working out makes me healthier and more attractive, theoretically boosting my chances of stumbling into someone new. Quite sensible.

Public fitness equipment was introduced to Vietnam in 2009.

Today, staying fit has never been easier for Saigoneers, with an array of gyms popping up at every price point. However, I don’t trust myself to fend off predatory sales pitches and century-long membership plans, especially with my impatient nature. To assess my perseverance, I needed a test — a free test, to be exact.

Thus, after every workday, I would walk to the embankment on Hoàng Sa Street, just five minutes from my house. Here, a variety of public fitness equipment has been installed, including hip twisters, sit-up benches, parallel bars, treadmills, etc. My reasoning was, if I could handle turning cranky iron wheels for a month, I would surely deserve a smooth treadmill in an air-conditioned room, complete with body fat percentage meters and an iPad screen to listen to my favorite artists.

After a month of challenging myself, my trial plan turned out differently than I imagined. The public fitness system is indeed very simple and comes without any modern features. Each piece of equipment is designed for practical exercises, and the instructions for using the machines are written in the simplest language, so anyone can access them. Even after being exposed to rain and sunshine 24/7 for many years, the layers of yellow, white, and green paint only chipped a bit, while the joints continue to operate smoothly, albeit emitting a few creaks with each hip twist or pedal push.

In 2009, city officials, inspired by visits to Singapore and Thailand, adopted and piloted in four major parks, including Tao Đàn, Lê Văn Tám, Gia Định, and 23/9. Observing the public’s support, the model was expanded to the rest of the city. By April 2013, along with the completion of the Nhiêu Lộc–Thị Nghè Canal renovation project, over 60 machines had been installed along the waterway. Thanks to the pleasant landscape and free equipment, the area around the canal soon became a public gym, catering to the physical training needs of residents who couldn’t afford more expensive alternatives.

Residents use the fitness equipment in the morning near the base of Điện Biên Phủ bridge.

As predicted, I stopped working out on the embankment after a month. Not because the equipment was inadequate, but because sitting under the green trees, watching people (and floating bottles) pass by while gasping for breath, somehow had a healing effect. I ran out of tears to cry, though I still sweated profusely. Nevertheless, every morning on my way to work along Hoàng Sa Street, I felt a sense of joy seeing the machines being used, grateful for their silent servitude under harsh weather, waiting to serve me and all the other strangers. Should the government rope me in to advertise for these exercise machines, I would chime in with a quick disclaimer: “This product is suitable for children, the elderly, and broken-hearted adults.”

For Trans Vietnamese, Healthcare Providers Are Respectful, but Red Tape Still Hurts

2023-06-21T11:00:00+07:00

Vietnam has been increasingly progressive in protecting and promoting LGBT rights. In November 2015, Vietnam made a big milestone when it granted individuals who have changed their gender the right to apply for a change of civil status affairs, and at the same time set forth the right to legal gender recognition for transgender people. Not only that, Vietnam has removed the ban on same-sex marriage since 2013, and legalized gay people serving in the military since 1992.

Yet, policy gaps persisted, such as the fact that same-sex marriage, though not illegal, has yet to be recognized. Trans Vietnamese continue to face many challenges outside of strictly legal matters, such as in access to healthcare services and providers that understand and are specialized in issues affecting trans people. Saigoneer talked to four trans Vietnamese about their experiences and concerns surrounding healthcare for the transgender community in Vietnam.

Going to the doctor

There are yet to be any formal policies protecting transgender people (and individuals from the LGBT community in general) against discrimination in hospitals and most healthcare providers are not educated on working with transgender patients specifically. Yet, even without specific guidelines or training systems in place in place, many transgender people do not encounter problems when interacting with doctors.

Photo courtesy of Vi.

“I go to the hospital for monthly health checks, and so far have never faced any problems with the doctors and nurses,” says Ngọc Nguyễn (she/her), who lives in Hanoi. “The hospital serves hundreds of patients a day. They really don’t have time to discriminate against you.” Chúc Linh (he/him) shares the same experience in hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City. “I’ve rarely been disrespected by doctors in a hospital before.”

However, that isn’t to say that transgender people share the same healthcare experiences as everyone else; nor it is to say that all transgender people share the same experiences as each other.

“Since I haven’t undergone reassignment surgery, sometimes doctors would ask me about my gender. I never hesitate to say that I am a transgender male. It really doesn’t matter, since the reason why I visit the doctor is for my health, not my gender,” Chúc Linh shares. “I know that some people are uncomfortable with doctors asking too many questions. However, this is not unexpected, some of my friends don’t even know the difference between being gay and being transgender, let alone middle-aged doctors.”

According to Ngọc, people who have only been using hormones recently face more challenges than those who have been using them for a long time. One of these challenges occurs during medical procedures that require one to remove their clothing. “When you have just used hormones, your body isn’t completely ‘one-gendered.’ Specifically, when someone has just recently undergone feminizing hormone therapy, their breasts will start to develop but not yet fully developed. They would have a hard time looking at themselves, let alone letting others see them.”

For Vi (she/her), the real problem is not discrimination but rather the medical services themselves: “I have a positive experience at a private hospital I went to, but a problem I have is that being born a male, I don’t get to receive scans for breast cancer for my monthly health check. This is an issue because when I use birth control, I am at a higher risk of breast cancer.”

Sharing pronouns

Photo courtesy of Thanh Tường.

Many transgender people face challenges sharing their pronouns with staff in hospitals. These challenges don’t occur a lot when they work with doctors, but rather with hospital receptionists. “When I talk to doctors, they usually refer to me as em, which is a neutral pronoun. However, hospital receptionists tend to refer to patients as either anh or chị,” Ngọc shares.

Thanh Tường (she/her) shares that she is open to sharing her preferred pronounces; yet, that depends on different circumstances. “I have no problem telling the doctor my pronouns if they ask. However, that would only be the case if I am alone in a room with the doctor. Most of the time, when receptionists call out your name along with your pronoun from your identity card, they do so in front of hundreds of other people at the hospital. That to me is uncomfortable.”

According to federal law since 2017, people who have undergone gender reassignment surgery are allowed to change their legal gender. However, the process of changing one’s legal gender is complicated not only because of its many procedures but also because it involves ambiguity. “I’ve thought of changing my name and gender before, but it’s not easy,” Vi shares. “Vietnam’s law doesn’t state clear instructions for changing the information on your identity card; even lawyers I’ve met don’t know for sure.”

Using medical insurance

For transgender people, trying to use medical insurance poses the same challenge as using identity cards. Ngọc shares: “I never face difficulties using my insurance, but that’s because I don’t mind being open about myself. Usually, the medical staff asks you a lot about yourself when your appearance has undergone noticeable changes as a way to confirm your identity to avoid recording your information incorrectly and prevent insurance fraud.”

The issue that medical insurance poses to transgender people goes beyond asking uncomfortable questions. “The fact that the insurance doesn’t cover costs for voluntary medical examinations or medical examinations you choose to undergo without having any symptoms of any diseases, is an issue for transgender people. It is crucial for transgender people to have monthly health check-ups, as they are at a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis B,” Ngọc shares.

She also explains that the lack of insurance coverage for voluntary health examinations also impacts hormone therapy. “It’s a widespread misconception that using hormones reduces your life expectancy. In fact, if you do monthly health check-ups when using hormones, you can live as long as anyone else. However, I always have to pay for my health check-ups out of pocket.”

Mental health treatment

Conversations about mental health treatment can be much more contentious than those about physical health, especially in Vietnam where mental health diseases are not widely accepted. Although this is an issue for everyone trying to access mental health treatment, transgender people in need of mental health care often face many more complications because there is no consensus in the mental health community on how to approach transgender.

“When I tried visiting a psychiatrist in Hanoi, they treated me as if being transgender is an issue to solve,” Ngọc recalls. “They asked me why I want to be transgender, and told me to do more exercises and live more like a man. Not to mention that mental health treatment is extremely expensive.”

“One time when I went to Bạch Mai hospital to seek mental health treatment, they told me that I wasn’t depressed,” Vi says. “That was the last time I went to that hospital. The lack of mental health treatment is a big issue for transgender people, who tend to face body dysmorphia, depression, and other mental health effects that are heightened by hormones and birth control pills.”

Those who do have access to a therapist, they report life-changing experiences. “After seeing a therapist, I not only feel more comfortable with my gender identity, but also understand myself better. I sought therapy because I was undergoing feelings of frustration, confusion, and insecurity with my body. After going to therapy, my therapist helped me gather the courage to come out to my family. After healing with the help of therapy, I became more courageous, more confident, happier, and freer in expressing myself,” Linh shares.

What should be done?

“I think there should be more training for doctors and nurses. Before they graduate, they should have taken at least one course on gender studies,” Tường suggests.

Photo courtesy of Chúc Linh.

“There is still so much that both healthcare providers and transgender people themselves don’t know,” says Linh. “Healthcare for transgender people is still such a new thing.” Linh has started a personal YouTube channel to provide an honest and frank perspective on his life experiences as a trans man, including informative tips about some medical conditions trans people can face while on hormone therapy and more light-hearted content like how to find the right binders. “So far, I am the only person on YouTube talking about transgender people’s health. The lack of awareness on this is the cause of every issue you and I just talked about.”

“I’ve created a website to help transgender women gain more medical knowledge. With more medical knowledge, visiting the hospital would be much less intimidating,” Ngọc shares. Check out her website here.

For Thanh Tường, solving issues regarding healthcare for transgender people in Vietnam goes beyond educating healthcare providers and improving hospitals. “Transgender exclusion exists everywhere, and even within families. When parents have children, they always tell boys to play soccer, to like the color blue, and to marry a woman when they grow up. Girls are told to only wear pink and jump rope. No one ever tells their children that no matter who they marry or who they are when they grow up, they will always be loved as long as they care for the environment and the people around them.”

This underscores how progress for transgender individuals will not succeed with the efforts of one aspect of society, alone. If families see health industries treating transgender individuals with more care, they might become more accepting of them as well. In return, if families raise tolerant and mindful children, more respectful healthcare professionals will enter the healthcare industry.

Health Ministry Stresses 'LGBT Is Not a Disease' in Response to Rise in 'Gay Cure' Clinics

2022-08-09T12:15:13+07:00

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health recently issued an official dispatch stressing that homosexuality is not a disease.

According to VnExpress, the document was released to address concerns raised by the Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives (SCDI) regarding a recent trend among some local medical practices claiming to “cure homosexuality.”

Nguyễn Thị Kim Dung, an official from SCDI, told the news source that her center has received various messages from members of the LGBT community who were taken to hospitals by family members to rectify their “homosexual illness.” Some worried parents also reached out to ask whether to seek treatment for their children. Capitalizing on this anxiety, a number of healthcare providers started advertising “homosexuality cures,” causing confusion among parents and distress for young queer Vietnamese.

In the official dispatch, as shared by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economics and Environment (iSEE), the Ministry of Health acknowledged the presence of these advertisements but did not name the medical facilities in question. The ministry quoted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) stance on homosexuality and its removal from the WHO’s list of mental illnesses in 1990.

The ministry urged all healthcare providers under its network to increase awareness among medical practitioners and healthcare seekers regarding the LGBT community and heed caution during clinical sessions.

These include: “Do not treat homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality as a disease” and “Do not coerce members of these groups into medical treatment. If any, only provide psychiatric help, which must be conducted by experts with knowledge of gender identities.”

Most importantly, the health ministry stressed the need for equality in general healthcare procedures: “When undertaking medical care for homosexual, bisexual and transsexual patients, [health professionals] must be fair and respectful of their sexuality and must not discriminate against these groups.”

[Photo: Đà Nẵng residents at a local Pride parade in 2018/Ái Linh via Gia Đình Mới.]

Due to Bidding Red Tape, Pasteur Institute HCMC Runs Out of Vaccines

2022-06-23T15:00:00+07:00

Saigoneers wishing to inoculate themselves or their children have recently been turned away at the Pasteur Institute in HCMC as the institute struggles to secure its vaccine supplies.

According to VnExpress, the shortage of common but crucial vaccines, such as those against rabies, deeply worries many local residents who see the Pasteur Institute as their go-to vaccination center. As of June 23, 2022, the center's registration website still reports that 18 out of 19 vaccine types on offer are still out of stock, with the exception of two Rota vaccines. Despite the high demand, it is currently unknown when a complete vaccine restock will be available.

However, VTV News emphasized that the shortage at the Pasteur Institute HCMC only applies to out-of-pocket vaccination packages, whereas Expanded Program for Immunization vaccines under the national coverage for children and pregnant women are still available. Moreover, Ho Chi Minh City still has many other vaccination centers including the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases and 11 VNVC centers where customers can get the same vaccines.

Speaking to Tuổi Trẻ about the issue, Pasteur Institute HCMC representatives mentioned immense obstacles in the bidding processes which prevent public medical centers from securing their vaccine stock in a prompt and easy manner. On the other hand, the Ministry of Health suggests that risk-averse public agencies might be hesitant to participate in bidding rounds even though they are fully authorized by the government to do so.

[Photo: Saigoneers waiting to register for their diphtheria shots at the Pasteur Institute in 2020/Anh Nhàn via Lao Động]

World Economic Forum Names Vietnam Health Startup Among Promising Tech Companies

2022-05-11T13:00:00+07:00

Selected because of its contributions to digital health care, Docosan was one of 100 companies globally to receive the distinction.

Docosan is the first Vietnamese entity to receive the prestigious Technology Pioneers honor from the World Economic Forum, according to a press release Saigoneer receives.

The World Economic Forum notes: "Docosan's platform brings Viet Nam's health system to patients' fingertips with 1,700 providers offering 75,000 transparently priced treatment options at the touch of a button. Docosan patients can get tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or COVID and receive the results at home without stigma...It is a new gateway to healthcare in Viet Nam."

Founded in 2020 and based in Saigon, Docosan uses an e-platform and app to, among other services, allow users to find, compare and schedule appointments with doctors. Last year they received seed funding worth more than US$1 million, a significant sum for a Vietnam-based health tech startup.

Established in 2020, the Technology Pioneers distinction brings attention to early- and growth-stage companies poised to have significant business and social impacts through the use of emerging technologies. The distinction raises the profile of the companies and helps them reach public and private-sector leaders to have greater impacts.

The World Economic Forum is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva. Its stated mission is to encourage "the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas."

[Image via Docosan]

Hanoi Opens First Milk Bank at National Children's Hospital

2022-03-24T16:00:00+07:00

The milk bank will provide pasteurized milk for more than 1,000 babies at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital in Hanoi to reduce the risk of late neonatal infection amongst infants unable to access natural milk.

VnExpress reports that the bank opened on March 22 after a four-month trial program to provide donated human milk to more than 1,000 premature, low-birthweight and sick patients at the hospital. In the coming months the operation is expected to expand to distribute milk to hospitals throughout the Red River Delta.

The Hanoi milk bank is sponsored by the Irish government in coordination with organizations such as Alive and Thrive which are committed to saving infant lives, preventing illnesses and providing proper nutrition to under-advantaged children.

When used as a temporary replacement for natural milk, pasteurized human milk can reduce neonatal sepsis by 19% among vulnerable infants within their first 28 days of life and provide better nutrition compared to formula products. Each year, the hospital cares for almost 5,000 babies that suffer serious health issues including premature birth, low birthweight and birth defects.

For the official launch of the operation, 38 mothers have donated 600 liters of milk that were given to 280 children after pasteurization. Additionally, 62 of the children were infected with COVID-19. The mothers must undergo health screenings and periodic blood checks.

This is the ninth milk bank to open in Vietnam. In 2019, Saigon opened its first such facility, while the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Đà Nẵng launched the nation's first-ever milk bank in February 2017.

Despite the benefits of human milk, few infants in Vietnam feed exclusively on it during their first six months. Only 19% of Vietnamese babies consume only breast milk during that period, compared to 60% in Cambodia and 40% in Laos.

[Photo by Rainier Ridao via Unsplash]

Health Ministry Proposes International Entry Without Vaccination Proof

2022-03-14T12:00:00+07:00

Vietnam is expected to resume international tourism tomorrow.

Tuoi Tre reports that late last week, the Ministry of Health submitted a proposal that tourists should be able to enter Vietnam without presenting their COVID-19 vaccination status, or a certificate of recovery if they previously had the virus.

Visitors would have to submit a health declaration prior to entering the country and use the PC-COVID app throughout their trip. In terms of testing, under the proposal, travelers would have to provide either a PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of departure. No testing would be required after arrival.

The proposal is being considered by other ministries and government agencies, and it is not clear whether it will be approved, or when it would go into effect if approved.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese government plans to re-open the country to international tourists tomorrow, March 15, though as of this writing a new visa policy has not been announced. Tourist visas have been suspended since March 2020, when normal inbound flights were banned due to the global spread of the novel coronavirus.

With that re-opening in mind, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will require tourists to provide a negative test result, and guests from age 12 will have to prove that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with the last dose given no later than six months before arrival.

Since November, limited numbers of tourists have been able to visit select destinations like Phú Quốc on pre-planned, heavily restricted package tours. The tourism ministry aims to reach pre-pandemic international tourism numbers — meaning 18 million visitors per year — by 2026.

From Silicone and Clay, a Hanoi Duo Craft Intricate Cosmetic Prostheses

2022-02-15T15:16:07+07:00

“The products we make are fake arms, legs, noses, ears…from silicone. The value we create is emotional healing, giving our customers confidence in themselves and their lives — the things they lack after surgeries,” Phúc shared while introducing their products.

It wasn’t hard for me to find Phúc’s office, though his space lay deep in a twisted alley of Hoàng Mai District, where the houses seem to be numbered randomly. The enthusiastic “tour guide” I had that day was Hiệp, Phúc’s partner for the last four years.

With a floor space of 12m², the three-story house that they rent serves as an office, warehouse and showroom, as well as a workshop where they create prostheses like fingers, toes, ears and noses for people who have lost such body parts.

Phúc casting a mold for a hand.

Creating prosthetics is not a new thing in Vietnam. There are many factories with modern technology creating a diverse range of products from plastic, silicone, electronics, etc. These products can perform some basic functions like grasping or opening, but aesthetics and personalization are still not important factors.

Hiệp showed me two large plastic boxes containing sample products. At first glance, they looked quite like the costumes people buy for Halloween. He encouraged me to try on a prosthetic finger to get a feel for the material and adhesion of the product. It took me a while to find one with the same skin tone as mine, and Hiệp carefully showed me how to put them on and told me about the requirements of a prosthetic finger: “The most important thing is naturalness: looking natural and feeling natural. Most of our customers are those who have lost a small part of their bodies. The need for functionality is there, but it is not as important as aesthetics. From skin tone, shape, size, adhesion, to small details like nails, fingerprints, curls, etc., all need attention.”

Hiệp painting an ear.

I was most impressed with a jar containing 20 prosthetic noses that Hiệp and Phúc had meticulously created over three months for a girl in Lâm Đồng who was infected with the Whitmore “flesh-eating” bacteria. These noses looked similar at first, all had the fashionable L-line with a bright tone, but upon careful inspection, there were minute differences in hue and thickness.

Phúc explained: “The nose is the center of the face, so if we’re not careful, people will know it is fake. The girl also lives far away, so she only had two chances to come here for sampling and testing. We were determined to create many samples for her to try until we found a suitable shape and tone. Fortunately in the end we were able to make one that fit her well, and it is hard to recognize even without makeup covering the edge.”

Prosthetic fingers are best-sellers. Most customers lose theirs in workplace accidents.

Phúc and Hiệp’s customers are diverse, from those who suffer from accidents at work, at home, in traffic, to those with birth defects. Each has their own wound, but they share the same struggles: low self-esteem and loss of faith in life. I heard many stories that day, not only people’s names, their hometowns, their wounds and how they got them, but also their pessimistic feelings in the past.

About their special products, Phúc shared: “Our high standards for aesthetics and personalization are not just for the sake of beauty, but for the emotional needs. The pain of losing a limb will pass, but the fear and disappointment can follow them forever. Currently, the treatment process at hospitals’ orthopedic wards has barely addressed this issue. We’ve met many patients who are traumatized after their accident and treatment. Some people dare not to see their wounds for months, some run away from their family, some leave their work for fear they can’t fit in again.”

A prosthetic foot requires a natural look, as well as demanding precision to facilitate movement.

Due to the emphasis on personalization, the production process is not fixed. The basic initial steps are measuring and casting molds for the missing parts, then creating the right skin color for the customer. Hiệp explained: “The hard thing is that the skin doesn't have a fixed color, it changes with the weather, human activities, it fades overtime, etc. Furthermore, with clay and silicone, the colors when blended usually look different than the manufacturer’s instructions.” He shared an example: “One time, I was very happy with a prosthetic foot that I made. But when the person put it on, it was a cold winter day and they didn’t wear socks, the other foot was completely white. So the foot I made didn’t match at all.”

Hiệp said that the process from consultation to final product takes at least two weeks, and starting prices range VND1–3 million. But many times the cost for prototypes is five or six times higher than the price quoted to customers. After four years in this field, they have created hundreds of prototypes, a sacrifice for the most perfect product. When they first started, Vietnam did not have any private prosthetic workshops. There was no production process, and materials were rare as well. The duo had to research and experiment themselves. Prior to this project, Phúc had ample experience in silicone shaping, while Hiệp used to work as a testing technician. But when it comes to this particular field, that experience didn't help much.

A customer trying on a prosthetic ear.

Now, their production process is established and they have gained some recognition, mainly through word of mouth. Yet the duo still does everything themselves, from consultations and production to marketing and delivery. When asked why they haven’t expanded the business, Phúc explained: “It’s not that we don’t want to hire more people, it’s just that this work demands a lot of patience and fastidiousness. It is not an easy thing to find a companion who is careful and skilled.”

Talking about this field’s potential, Phúc said there is a high demand in the country: “Although we have only done some basic marketing ourselves, we are always overloaded. I trust more and more people with limb loss will find these products. Because as living standards get higher, more people will need products that can bring mental and emotional values.”

About their vision, Hiệp shared: “Although there is a lot of potential, I think this is not something you can get rich from…Because the handmade process takes a lot of time and energy. I think there will be chances for collaboration in the far future, but for now, due to a lack of workers and materials, Phúc and I will just maintain the production scale as-is.”

To find out more about Phúc and Hiệp’s work, visit their Facebook page.

[Photos courtesy of Phúc and Hiệp]

Over 90% of Vietnam's Adult Population Now Fully Vaccinated: Health Ministry

2022-01-18T12:00:00+07:00

Vietnam's vaccination campaign has made remarkable strides over the last six months.

VnExpress reports that the Ministry of Health recently announced that all adults eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine have been given their first shot.

As of last week, over 163 million shots had been administered in total, with 78.4 million people receiving at least one dose. All told, 71.5 million of those people had gotten two shots, while 13.6 million had gotten their third, according to the ministry's data. Overall, more than 93% of Vietnam's adult population has now gotten two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

It is not clear how many of these third doses were booster shots for two-dose vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Pfizer, and how many were the third routine dose for Cuba's Abdala vaccine, which is in limited use in Vietnam.

When it comes to those under 18, six million children are fully vaccinated, with 68% of the 12–17 age group have gotten two doses thus far.

The health ministry aims to fully vaccinate the rest of that demographic by the end of this month, and provide booster shots to all adults by the end of March.

Since struggling to get its vaccination drive off the ground in the middle of 2021 due to global vaccine shortages, Vietnam has achieved one of the world's highest vaccination rates.

Nano Covax Vaccine Provides 92% Protection Against Severe Covid-19

2022-01-04T13:00:00+07:00

A domestic vaccine may still see the light of day.

Tuoi Tre reports that the National Ethics Committee in Biomedical Research, under the Ministry of Health, met last week to assess Nano Covax, Vietnam's most advanced domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

This was the third such meeting, and the committee's researchers found that the vaccine is 52.1% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, thus meeting standards set by both the World Health Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration.

More specifically, it provides 92% protection against severe symptoms, and 100% protection against death from the novel coronavirus — the two most crucial benchmarks for a vaccine.

The news source adds that 11 of 15 members of the ethics committee voted in favor of this assessment; two more voted yes while asking for more data; and the final two did not vote.

These findings have been passed on to the health ministry's council on licensing of drugs and medicinal ingredients, which is expected to meet in the near future to decide whether to approve Nano Covax for public use.

The vaccine has been under development by Saigon-based Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC since 2020, and entered human trials on December 17 of that year. Over 14,000 volunteers have participated in three trial phases thus far.

It is not clear whether Nano Covax's efficacy against the Omicron variant has been tested yet. No domestic cases of the variant have been reported in Vietnam as of this writing.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the government aims to provide a vaccine booster shot to all adults by the end of March. Currently, 69.3 million people have been fully vaccinated, or 71.8% of the population.

[Photo via Suc Khoe & Doi Song]

Health Ministry Orders Plans for 3rd Vaccine Shots as Covid-19 Cases Surge

2021-11-27T10:00:00+07:00

As Vietnam grapples with a resurgence of the novel coronavirus, officials have been asked to plan for booster shots.

Viet Nam News reports that the Ministry of Health has ordered cities and provinces to develop plans for administering third COVID-19 vaccine doses, with priority initially given to people over 50 years old.

Local governments must accelerate the ongoing national vaccination campaign, and also draw up lists of people eligible for a booster shot.

According to the ministry, as of Thursday, 135.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed nationwide. This includes 48.7 million Sinopharm doses, 47.5 million AstraZeneca doses, 33.3 million Pfizer doses, 5.2 million Abdala doses, and 1.2 million Sputnik V doses.

Of these 135.2 million doses, over 113 million have been administered, enough to fully vaccinate 47.8% of the country's population. Roughly 3 million doses have been given to teenagers, while the rest have gone to adults.

It is not yet known when booster shots would begin, as many provinces still have low full vaccination rates.

This comes as daily COVID-19 case numbers rise again, with 12,429 domestic infections recorded on Thursday, the most since early September.

Saigon continues to log the most new cases, but localities such as Can Tho and Tay Ninh are experiencing major surges. Some provinces have re-introduced social distancing measures such as curfews or banning in-person dining in an attempt to reduce the risk of transmission.

Health officials have also advised that daily infection numbers are not the most important criteria given vaccination rates; instead, the number of deaths and severe cases are now the key data points.

Yesterday, 164 deaths linked to COVID-19 were reported, largely among unvaccinated people or vaccinated individuals with underlying health conditions.

Online Study, School Fees Most Affect Student Mental Health During Pandemic, Study Says

2021-11-10T14:53:10+07:00

It has been a disruptive two years for Vietnamese students due to lockdown regulations, so it’s unsurprising that many are struggling with their mental well-being.

The Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCMC) recently published the results of an internal study focusing on how the local COVID-19 epidemic has affected its students both in and out of school.

According to Dr. Nguyễn Phương Thảo, head of the research team, the data shows “COVID-19 was and continues to be the top-of-mind concern seriously impacting the mental health of youths, specifically students.”

The research, conducted from October 18 to 25 this year, surveyed 37,150 students currently enrolled at the institution, including 17,969 female students (48.4%) and 19,181 male students (51.6%). They were asked to fill in questions related to mental and physical well-being during the pandemic, COVID-19 and personal finance, COVID-19 and career prospects, and supportive measures.

Among factors contributing to anxiety among students, the top answer was pressure related to online study, at 65.1%. The current outbreak started picking up pace in mid-year, during the summer break and peaked at the beginning of the new school year in September and October, when education departments in Vietnam announced that classes would move online.

Virtual classes have become a source of worry for students across levels, not just those in college, because of insufficient resources like smart devices and even internet access in some cases. It’s estimated that thousands of pupils in primary and high schools in Saigon can’t study online due to lack of resources.

In the VNU study, 58.9% of students mention worrying about tuition fees as a source of stress. Another 27.7% cite family conflict as a factor, while overworking is a concern for 27.1% of students.

In terms of symptoms, the most commonly reported are sleeping disorders (56.2%) and loss of focus or interest in home and school activities (56.8%). Around 48% of students surveyed feel insecure, as well as a lack of confidence and life direction during the pandemic. Brain fog (36.5%) and difficulty controlling emotions (35.7%) are also concerning for some. The remaining symptoms are social anxiety (26.7%) and digestive issues (26.3%).

It’s also important to note that even though there were fewer female respondents than male ones, more female students reported having mental health struggles across all of the above-mentioned symptoms. Nonetheless, a positive sign is that female students are also more likely to undertake measures to improve their mental well-being, the report says.

To ameliorate mental health issues, 84.5% of students say they stay in contact with loved ones and 80% say that they engage in physical exercise at home. Nearly 90% join entertainment activities and 74.5% attempt to learn new skills and knowledge. Around 32.9% of students volunteer or participate in other altruistic endeavors.

[Photo via VTC]

Into the Storm: Saigon's Outbreak Through the Eyes of a Frontline Volunteer

2021-11-08T16:00:00+07:00

“The best way to overcome fear is to face it,” 33-year-old Hương Nguyễn thought when she decided to volunteer as a frontline worker during Saigon’s most deadly weeks of the pandemic.

Hương was one of thousands of young volunteers from the Go Volunteer! network, an NGO undertaking pandemic-related initiatives in Saigon. Having known about the organization since the end of May, she had debated the decision to join many times before finally taking the plunge in July. That was when the entire city became a red zone, with 4,000–5,000 new COVID-19 cases every day.

“I’ve participated in many charitable campaigns since I was in university, so when Saigon and Binh Thanh District where I live recorded record-breaking case loads, I was very concerned and wanted to help,” she explains. Still, it wasn’t a choice made lightly. Her company, where she works as a study abroad consultant, allowed employees to work from home. But after joining the frontline, she found that she had to spend her limited breaks and evenings off from pandemic work to complete tasks for her actual job.

“There were a few days when people came in droves to get vaccinated and my team, which does data input, had to stay until 9pm. I brought my laptop with me to work in my spare time,” Hương says. “I deliberated joining for a month. But that’s just my nature: I walk the walk, even though I was very conscious of the immeasurable risks of this volunteer trip.”

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences

I got to know Hương via a mutual friend. Browsing through the photos she posted on her social media feed, I couldn’t make out which role she was playing in the pandemic-fighting efforts: sometimes she was at the stadium where people were getting their shots, at other times she was wedged amid tiny alleys with COVID-19 test kits. She shares that she had never cycled through as many “job positions” as she did during those two months volunteering, from vaccine data entry to crowd control to rapid test squads.

To start, Hương was deployed to vaccination points in Binh Thanh District to enter personal information of local residents into the central database, and to get people to queue in an orderly manner. “Our data entry team worked on computers all the time and the task required a lot of precision, so we had an entire room to ourselves. I was quite surprised at first because the job description sounded a little...leisurely,” she reminisces. After just a day, she realized that no step in the process was easy. “Some days we received nearly 3,000 people and couldn’t finish keying their info until unearthly hours.”

After a stint on the data input team, Hương admitted feeling hesitant before starting to work at vaccination points and in teams conducting at-home fast tests for residents: “Part of it was because [it involved] direct contact with households in the red zone, the other part was because I’ve never assisted on healthcare tasks before.” After 10 minutes of training, she joined a five-person testing squad, officially on her third position in a month on the job.

“The toughest part wasn’t being in contact with many people, but those protective suits,” she shares. Donning an air-tight “hazmat suit,” complete with gloves, socks and a visor, for nine hours a day is no easy feat even on the cooler rainy season days of Saigon. “Everybody is wet from top to toe after taking it off; even our inner clothes are soaked.”

“Because of the many layers, people outside can’t hear us well most of the time. There were days when I fainted because I had to talk a lot and talk loudly in shifting weather conditions. My teammates freaked out.”

“I will continue volunteering until Saigon recovers.”

When I made the appointment to interview Hương for this article, I suggested a later time in the evening, thinking that it might give her time to have dinner or rest. She replied that she could squeeze us in at 6:30pm after she was done for the day. In our one-hour phone call, she passionately relayed her story with an energy that even people who’ve been working from home for the past four months like me would find surprising.

According to Hương, volunteering has changed her mental state for the better: “Being able to move around, meeting many new people, including so many young people in their 20s with an inspiring source of positivity, has calmed my nerves a lot. I worried less compared to the period spent sheltering alone at home.”

During our interview, apart from the complaint about the stuffiness of the protective gear, Hương mentioned many other endearing details of her time on the frontline. For example, there were the bananas or snacks that residents from a hẻm gave the team; a story about a ward official with a talent for catching fish with his bare hands; or the one time she accidentally called a policeman “uncle” and upset him, etc. When asked what she feels grateful for, she responded without hesitation: “Smiles, friendship, and medical knowledge to protect myself. We had health checks and rapid antigen tests every two or three days. Even though we met many people, we followed pandemic guidelines, so it wasn’t much of a worry.”

Hương also expressed a sense of awe and respect for the intensity with which medical practitioners carried out their job: “There were moments when we were completely spent, but looking at the selflessness of the doctors, it was clear that what we did couldn’t compare. I talked to a physician at the vaccination point. He said that after ending his tasks there in the late afternoon, he would return to his hospital to treat his own patients. On days with many admissions, he usually works until 2am, sleeps at the hospital, and then wakes up at 6am to prepare to travel to the vaccination site.”

When the outbreak eventually thing of the past, people will probably create documentaries and write books about these historic moments of our collective memory. In my mind, I picture black-and-white footage showing the bright and dynamic portraits of our frontline workers. Hương and 60,000 other volunteers in their instantly recognizable blue suits will no doubt be part of them.

Vietnam Has Spent $1.3bn of State Budget on Fighting Coronavirus

2021-10-20T15:00:00+07:00

It's been a costly battle so far.

VnExpress reports that over VND30 trillion (US$1.3 billion) from the state budget has been spent on fighting COVID-19. This figure was announced by the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control last weekend.

The Ministry of Health has received VND21.2 trillion (US$931 million) of this total in order to purchase vaccines, build critical care facilities and treat patients.

The Ministry of National Defense, which manages quarantine facilities across the country and supported lockdown and food distribution measures in Saigon and other hard-hit provinces, has received VND2.7 trillion (US$119 million). Another VND1.4 trillion (US$61.5 million) has gone to the Ministry of Public Security.

In terms of specific localities, US$228 million has been funneled to Saigon, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Hai Duong, the latter of which experienced a serious outbreak last year.

In addition to the money, 137,000 tons of rice from the country's national reserve has been distributed to 31 provinces and cities, while roughly 300,000 people from medical, military and police forces have been deployed nationwide. These include 20,000 health workers, 133,000 military personnel, and 126,000 police officers.

The figures above don't include pandemic-related expenses borne by individual provinces and cities.

Vietnamese Company Buys 50m Doses of Spanish Covid-19 Vaccine

2021-09-15T16:00:00+07:00

Another vaccine will come to Vietnam in the future.

VietnamNet reports that T&T Pharma, a Vietnamese pharmaceutical company, has signed a contract for 50 million doses of HIPRA, a COVID-19 vaccine currently undergoing trials in Spain. The vaccine, developed by HYPRA Human Health S.L.U., is a recombinant protein vaccine and can also be stored at higher temperatures than the likes of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage.

The final trial phase of HIPRA began last month and is scheduled for completion in October, after which production would begin. The company hopes to produce 75 million doses by the end of this year, and over 600 million in 2022. According to the news source, trials thus far show that HIPRA is effective against the Delta variant.

It is not clear when the doses purchased by T&T Pharma would be available. The deal is valued at US$444 million. Negotiations took place during a visit to Helsinki by Vương Đình Huệ, the National Assembly Chairman, that also saw several other pandemic-related transactions.

Slovakia donated 100,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses, while the French company NG Biotech donated 1 million test kits. T&T Pharma also signed deals with several German companies for technology transfer and production related to COVID-19 test kits.

To date, Vietnam has administered nearly 25 million Covid vaccine doses. In total, 5.8% of the country's 97 million people are fully vaccinated.

95% of Hanoi's Residents Over Age 18 Have Received At Least One Dose of a Covid Vaccine

2021-09-13T16:12:16+07:00

According to Vietnam’s COVID-19 Vaccination Portal, about 95% of resident Hanoians aged 18 or above have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.

On Sunday alone, the city administered 573,829 vaccine doses, setting a record for the most shots given in a day and almost eight times higher than the record day in August (72,000 doses).

Of the 5.5 millions doses allocated to Hanoi thus far, the city has used 5.4 million. Districts such as Ba Dinh, Thuong Tin and Bac Tu Liem have administered 95-100% of the doses they were given. The Ministry of Health plans to distribute an additional 1.5 millions doses so that Hanoi can complete the plan of 100% vaccination rate for citizens aged 18 or above by September 15th.

On September 8, Hanoi officials announced a mass testing and vaccination plan with the hope of suppressing the current COVID-19 outbreak by mid-September. VnExpress reported that since the announcement, Hanoi has conducted more than 2 million tests, detecting 10 positive PCR pool samples and 33 positive antibody samples.

In a meeting yesterday afternoon, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyễn Mạnh Quyền asked relevant agencies and departments to formulate plans for loosening restrictions after September 21 - the end date for the current social distancing period.

This morning, Hanoi confirmed 22 new positive cases, all in isolated or quarantine areas. The Vice Director of Hanoi’s Center of Disease Control, Khổng Minh Tuấn, also told Dan Tri that officials are working on plans to narrow “red zones” and will suggest the easing of restrictions if the situation continues to show positive signs.

[Photo via Ministry of Health Portal]

Hung Vuong Hospital Opens Care Center for Babies Born to Mothers With Covid-19

2021-08-26T16:06:20+07:00

As the coronavirus makes its way across Saigon and Vietnam, maternity care has become a particularly serious issue as more and more pregnant residents are getting infected.

As Thanh Nien reports, on August 25, the Hung Vuong Obstetrics Hospital officially launched the HOPE Center in District 5 with the specific goal caring for babies with mothers afflicted with COVID-19. In these cases, it’s highly likely that the entire household is COVID-19 positive and in quarantine, so the newborns are without caretakers while their mothers are fighting the disease.

The name for the center stands for Have Only Positive Expectations. It was established with support from the HCMC People’s Committee, the District 5 People’s Committee, the municipal health department, Hoa Mi 2 Kindergarten and the HCMC Women’s Association.

Hung Vuong Hospital is in charge of operating the nursery and providing medical training. According to Dr. Hoàng Thị Diễm Tuyết, the hospital director, her facility has treated nearly 1,000 prospective mothers and 500 babies born to mothers who are COVID-19 positive during the current outbreak.

These include cases where babies die in utero due to COVID-19 complications, babies are born prematurely, and healthy births. However, rarely do mothers pass on their infection to babies (only 1% of cases).

“While Ho Chi Minh City undergoes Directive 16, mothers with COVID-19 are required to quarantine in central facilities, so the number of newborns without caretakers is rising quickly,” she explained in Vietnamese. “Currently, the hospital has 130 babies born to infected mothers, over 50 of whom are ready to be discharged, but there’s no family member available to pick them up.”

At the moment, the HOPE Center has 25 volunteers, though more are needed to take care of the babies as Saigon’s case numbers grow.

According to Dr. Đinh Anh Tuấn, from the Ministry of Health, pregnant women are just as likely to get COVID-19 as other vulnerable groups, but pregnant patients are much more prone to complications than others. When mothers have respiratory distress, this could lead to a lack of oxygen in the fetus, miscarriages, or even stillbirths.

Moreover, when pregnant women carry comorbidities like hypertension, gestational diabetes or too much weight gained during pregnancy, their fight with COVID-19 could progress to moderate or severe quickly.

[Photos via Nong Nghiep]

What We Know So Far About Vietnam's Domestic Covid-19 Vaccines

2021-08-24T13:00:00+07:00

Aside from buying COVID-19 vaccines from elsewhere in the world, Vietnam is also trying to create its own version, with the hope of reaching herd immunity as soon as possible.

According to Lao Dong, the country is striving for domestic vaccine production as early as September. Currently, three notable vaccines are under research and trials in Vietnam: Nanocovax, Covivac and ARCT-154.

Nanocovax

Nanocovax is Vietnam’s first attempt at a COVID-19 vaccine, and is being researched and developed by the Nanogen Biopharmaceutical Company. Work began in May 2020, based on recombinant technology which uses harmless antigen (protein) fragments of the novel coronavirus to stimulate an immune response.

Photo via Hitvn.

As of now, Nanocovax is going through the third phase of human trials, which consists of two parts: Phase 3a with 1,000 volunteers, and Phase 3b with more than 12,000. VnExpress reported that the Research Ethics Committee under the Ministry of Health met last Sunday to review the result of Phase 3a. Their decision would be the basis for an “emergency licensing” for Nanocovax, allowing for production and distribution to begin. A committee representative told VnExpress the decision will be released as soon as possible.

Covivac

Covivac is the second made-in-Vietnam vaccine candidate approved by the Ministry of Health to be tested on humans. It is being developed by the Institute of Vaccines and Biological Medical (IVAC) using embryonic chicken eggs, similar to the traditional flu shot. This suggests the capability to produce this vaccine on a large scale at a reasonable price. The producer predicted that the price tag of Covivac will be no more than VND60,000 per dose.

Photo via Vietnamplus.

In March, 120 volunteers for the phase one clinical trial received their first injections at the Hanoi Medical University; the second injection followed two months later. The second phase started on August 18, with 375 volunteers in Thai Binh. The hope is that this vaccine will also get an emergency license by December this year.

ARTC-154

According to Vietnam News, the ARCT-154 vaccine was originally developed by Arcturus Therapeutics, a US-based biotechnology company, who has partnered with Vingroup’s VinBioCare to conduct clinical trials and manufacturing in Vietnam.

Photo via Bao Moi.

This vaccine uses the mRNA method similar to Pfizer’s. This technology allows a smaller dose of injection, longer-lasting immune stimulation, and immunization against dangerous new variants of the coronavirus such as Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma.

Professor Tạ Thành Văn, the main researcher for the ARCT-154 vaccine trials, told Vietnam News that while the Covivac trial needed a prominent press campaign for several days in order to have enough volunteers, the ARCT-154 trial only needed two days to get over 800 applicants. Only 100 volunteers were selected and received their first doses on August 15 at the Hanoi Medical University. According to the plan, the next phase will consist of 2,300 volunteers, while over 20,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the third trial.

As of this writing 14.2% of Vietnam's population — 13.7 million people — have received one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 1.9% are fully vaccinated.

Vietnam to Receive 10m Covid-19 Vaccine Doses From Cuba This Year

2021-08-24T11:00:00+07:00

The vaccines will arrive from Cuba between now and the end of the year.

The move comes after a phone call between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on August 23. The two leaders spoke of the important relationship between the two countries, stressing past assistance for one another. It is not currently clear which vaccine the doses will be, though Cuba is among a handful of countries currently capable to producing their own COVID-19 vaccine.

Moreover, early last month, Cuba announced plans to transfer vaccine production technology and knowledge to Vietnam. It would allow local facilities to produce Cuba's Abdala vaccine. While the Abdala vaccine has passed all three phases of human trials in Cuba, it has yet to undergo trials in any other country and was only authorized for emergency use in Cuba in July.

Earlier this summer Vietnam donated 5,000 tons of rice to Cuba.

Meanwhile, the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology sent an urgent request for expedited clearance and delivery of 31 million Pfizer doses that will arrive later this year.

[Photo via The National News]

How One Group Is Working to Keep Children Mentally Stimulated During Lockdown

2021-08-15T09:00:00+07:00

During Vietnam’s first COVID-19 wave, the charity organization Saigon Children worked to make sure vulnerable households had access to necessities like food, medicine and drinking water.

But now, in the midst of the country’s fourth, and worst, wave, parents are telling the charity about new concerns.

They say they’re increasingly worried about their children - not just their physical wellbeing, but their mental health.

“We called up a little over 1,000 parents in poverty and said, ‘What do you need?’ Most of them said, ‘Food,’ but also, ‘We’re a bit worried about our kids,’” said Damien Roberts, executive director of the charity that focuses on access to education for children around Vietnam. “They’re cooped up inside, frustrated. They’re isolated. They’re bored. They’re not able to see their friends.”

For Van Bui Canh and her son, Khang, the lockdown was difficult at first.

Khang, a 4-year-old boy with autism, didn’t understand why he couldn’t go outside to play, and Canh lost income when her company closed temporarily, she said in Vietnamese. (Mai Bui helped with translation)

Khang reading a children's book. Photo provided by Van Bui Canh.

But slowly, the mother and son have been adjusting to life in lockdown and, thanks to an educational intervention program through Saigon Children, Khang has developed a routine that includes exercising, reading books and doing other educational activities.

The charity is prioritizing efforts such as this one that supports children’s mental as well as physical health. Another is the delivery of “COVID backpacks,” which include food, soap and cooking essentials, as well as kids’ books, toys and a guide for parents on how to care for their children’s mental wellbeing and talk about mental health with them.

But the initiative with the broadest reach so far is the organization’s virtual storytime campaign, which involves volunteers recording videos of themselves reading children’s books aloud to be posted on the charity’s Facebook page. Dozens of volunteers have participated, including the UK’s Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Emily Hamblin, fashion model Chau Bui, and business leader and former Shark Tank Vietnam co-host Thái Vân Lin. Tens of thousands of children have tuned in from around the country to watch.

UK Consul General Emily Hamblin taking part in Saigon Children's story reading program.

“I think the program does wonders, not only for the children but also for the storytellers,” said Vi Mai, a teacher who volunteered to read a story for the campaign. “This is one useful, meaningful thing we can invest our time in.”

As the city enters its third month of lockdown, adults and kids alike are struggling.

But adults are able to rely on their life experience to help them through hardship, said Merijn Mattheijssen, general manager of Psychologist Vietnam, a psychology and counseling platform that is active in more than 10 cities around Vietnam.

"Over the years, (adults) actually learned how to deal with difficult situations,” Mattheijssen said. "For children, they have no experience. They are actually relying on what adults are saying.”

Kids pick up on the behaviors and the emotions of their parents, he said.

“If we see, for example, that parents are stressed and having symptoms of anxiety, we see that also in (their) children,” he said.

Mattheijssen said he worries that kids are developing screen addictions while stuck inside, spending hours per day watching TV, online gaming or scrolling through social media. Such a high amount of screen time can lead to sleep problems and increased feelings of loneliness.

And by staying in isolation, young people are not interacting with their peers or being exposed to different types of situations at school - experiences that are essential to their social and emotional development and help them learn important skills that they can use to cope with issues later in life, he said.

A 2018 UNICEF study found that around 12% of children in Vietnam suffered from mental health problems, most commonly anxiety, depression, loneliness, hyperactivity and attention deficit issues.

Experts fear the pandemic could cause rates of mental health disorders to rise. "I’m actually really afraid that if this pandemic takes longer than six months, then we will have really serious problems,” Mattheijssen said. "(Kids will be) more likely to develop, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety, or depression, or insomnia, or substance addiction."

In normal times, Jesse Hoang Nguyen would be taking her 8-month old niece on excursions around the city and to playdates with friends her age. But in the era of COVID-19, the youngster has to miss out on these experiences. “She’s quite an active kid, so I think she would love to have friends, even though she’s still a little young,” she said.

Jesse Hoang Nguyen reading a story for children.

Jesse volunteered to read for Saigon Children’s virtual story campaign and chose “Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy,” a Japanese picture book translated into Vietnamese. A sign language interpreter named Mendy accompanied her in the video so that deaf and hard-of-hearing children could be included.

“I want to give (children) a little bit of relief,” she said. “Apart from their family, other people also care about their wellbeing and their happiness while we’re in lockdown.”

In addition to their mental health, child advocates are also concerned about children’s educational outcomes if the pandemic continues. While online school is better than nothing, students who are using computer and phone screens for hours on end can have trouble focusing during online classes.

“After a while, your brain is not picking up new things,” Mattheijssen said.

Some families have had to pull their children from school altogether due to an inability to pay school fees or buy materials.

“Nationally, I think there’s a big chance there’ll be an increased drop out (rate), and, obviously, that’s going to have a long-term effect on lot’s of kids’ lives,” Roberts said.

Adults can support children by encouraging them to talk about how they’re feeling, Mattheijssen said. Parents can also try their best to keep kids in a daily routine and spend time with them practicing a new hobby or learning something useful, like a language or instrument.

"Especially now, it’s super important to be a role model as a parent for the child," he said

Keeping kids busy and entertained may be especially hard for parents who are struggling just to meet their families' basic needs, Roberts said, but he hopes that his organization can play a role in helping children stay happy and healthy during the lockdown.

Grown-ups, too, can benefit from helping the children around them, said The Huy, a classical singer who recorded a virtual story about eggs, potatoes and tea leaves and how each reacts differently when placed in boiling water. The story, he said, causes listeners to reflect on the different ways they can react to difficult situations in their own lives.

The Huy contributing to the effort.

“A pandemic is a very hard time for everyone,” he said. “But if we think positively, this could be a good opportunity for us to slow things down, take the time to share, and engage in meaningful activities. Then, when the pandemic is over, we can all go back to being a better version of ourselves, and so can our children.”