A foreigner gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in HCM City (Photo: VNA)Asthe vaccination drive is being accelerated across the country, the VietnameseGovernment is determined to provide vaccinations for all foreigners living andworking here, ensure them equal access to vaccines like local people.
Withthe motto of “leaving no one behind”, on September 6, Prime Minister Pham MinhChinh issued a document asking all localities and sectors to organiseregistrations and free vaccinations for foreigners in each locality regardlessof nationality, form of residence and employment.
InHo Chi Minh City, the country’s current largest COVID-19 hotspot, the city's authoritieshave mobilised all resources within its capacity to inoculate foreigners.
DuongAnh Duc, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, said the city’sauthority tasked the Department of Health to allocate vaccines and organisevaccination campaigns for foreigners.
Arepresentative of HCM City's Department of Foreign Affairs told Vietnam News that the department hadclosely worked with the Department of Health in this cause.
OnSeptember 10, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced a registration portalon the internet for foreigners to sign up for vaccination, including for thefirst or second dose. All registration must be completed before September 15.
Earlier,some districts in the city carried out their own vaccination drive forforeigners.
District7, which has the biggest community of expats in the city, has alreadyinoculated 18,000 foreigners of 106 nationalities, which is more than half ofthe foreigners living in the locality.
Meanwhilein Hanoi, the Central Lung Hospital is assigned by the Ministry of Health todeploy vaccination for embassies, United Nations organisations and diplomaticmissions, as well as foreigners in the capital city.
Upto now, the hospital has vaccinated more than 4,000 officials and employees ofembassies, 4,251 foreigners, nearly 2,000 United Nations officials andemployees and nearly 340 staff of NGOs in the capital city.
AsHanoi is setting a target of inoculating 100 percent of adult residents beforeSeptember 15, many more foreigners, together with local people, are also receivingthe jabs provided by authorities at district level.
Lastweek, Cau Giay district where about 4,000 foreigners are working and studying,started a large-scale vaccination campaign for foreigners.
TrinhThi Dung, Vice Chairwoman of the district’s People’s Committee, said thecommittee had assigned relevant units to submit the list of foreigners who needto be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the locality. They would be given the jabsin the shortest time possible.
Besidesvaccination, local authorities have also supported foreigners in need in otherways.
Inearly September, the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations coordinated with Hanoi’sVietnam Fatherland Front Committee to hand over hundreds of gift packages,including food, necessities, medical supplies and 500,000 VND (22 USD) incash to 270 foreigners living in the city who face difficulties due to thepandemic.
TranThi Phuong, Vice President of the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations,said: “It is just a small gesture but we hope this has shown internationalfriends the spirit of hospitality and care of the capital’s authoritiesand people.”
Inthe central city of Da Nang, eight hotlines in English, Japanese, Korean andChinese were set up in late August to help foreigners solve difficulties amidstrict COVID-19 restrictions.
NguyenThuy Anh, Deputy Director of the city’s Department of Foreign Affairs, told Vietnam News: “From August 27 to September9, the hotlines received about 560 calls, messages and emails from foreignersand overseas Vietnamese living in the city related to issues like support tobuy food, essential goods and medicines, visa extensions, procedures to go tothe airport or register for a vaccination, among others.
“Thedepartment has coordinated with the People’s Committees of districts to buy andpresent free food to nearly 120 cases in difficult situations.”
ThuyAnh added that in addition to this activity, the department regularly updatedthe guidelines and regulations of the central and local governments, mainly inEnglish and Vietnamese to the expat community in the city by sending theinformation to various channels like foreign NGOs, foreign consular offices orposting information on the Connecting Da Nang Worldwide Facebook page.
“Dependingon the nature of the issues, some documents and decisions of the city People’sCommittee are also translated to Japanese, Korean and Chinese,” she said.
Althoughnot having a hotline available to the general public like in Da Nang, HCMCity’s Department of Foreign Affairs has hotlines to directly work with foreignrepresentative offices in the city to help settle foreigners’ issues.
“Forexample, we have worked with them to help arrange transportation for foreignersto go to the airport or work with other localities to help stranded foreignerscome back to the city to catch a flight home,” the department's representativesaid.
Hesaid supporting disadvantaged foreigners was a policy set out by the cityauthority early on, which was carried out with the coordination of differentagencies including the city’s High Command, the city’s police, the Departmentof Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Inthe past few months, as HCM City tightened its social distancing orders andrequired people to shelter in place, many foreigners struggled to get fooddue to the language barrier, shortage of delivery workers and financialdifficulties.
“Inthe coming days, the city will open a centre run by the High Command to provideaccommodation and food to homeless foreigners and other foreigners inneed,” he said./.
VNA
