The English version of the hand-washing dance “Ghen Co Vy” (Jealous Coronavirus) excites the public and educates them on disease prevention measures (Photo: Print screen photo)
Hanoi (VNA) – Together with rapid responses and tracking work, communication campaigns have provided quick, relevant information in the community, contributing to Vietnam’s significant achievements in the fight against COVID-19.
The country’s efforts and initiatives to respond to and control the COVID-19 pandemic have been praised by the international community.
Personal stories and positive messages amid the pandemic have been presented in new and vivid forms.
Many touching stories from hospitals and quarantine areas have helped unite the community, spreading the message "No one is left behind in Vietnam". Those stories and messages have been shown through music videos and picture books, attracting the public attention.
They have been honoured in the sixth National External Information Service Awards, contributing to promoting the image of the country, its people and efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 to friends around the world.
Art without borders
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across countries around the world, posing difficulties and challenges in all aspects.
Amid difficulties caused by the pandemic, music videos with cheerful melodies, easy-to-remember lyrics, and easy-to-perform dances have proven powerful, not only in raising public awareness of protecting health but also helping people reduce their stress.
The English version of the hand-washing dance “Ghen Co Vy” (Jealous Coronavirus) has been highly valued in the sixth National External Information Service Awards.
The project has contributed to reducing stress for those on the anti-epidemic front lines.
The English version of the video was published on the official website of the Ministry of Health at https://ncov.moh.gov.vn; the Youtube channel of the Ministry of Health’s National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health (NIOEH) and the Youtube channel of artists Min, Erik, and Chau Bui.
In the English version (#EndCoVCoverChallenge), the video team hopes young people at home and abroad would join in the dance on social platforms such as Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter.
With the support of artists and celebrities, the project is expected to spread more meaningful messages towards preventing the pandemic in the future.
Musician Khac Hung said that the hand-washing dance by dancer Quang Dang has helped international audiences better understand the message of the song.
The project has contributed to spreading positivity, introducing Vietnam and its responsive ability in preventing and controlling the disease to international friends.
The series “Together We Win”, including seven video clips, is a special external media campaign developed by the Vietnam News Agency in conjunction with Media 21 Company, which has been running since the first days of the pandemic.
The product uses an innovative form of a series of vivid viral videos in many foreign languages to target the international public.
Each video clip in the series uses an English voice with Vietnamese, French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian subtitles.
The themes of the series "Together We Win" shares the views of Vietnam citizens in the fight against the pandemic.
Apart from posting on all e-newspapers of the VNA, such as VietnamPlus (with six languages), Tin Tuc (News), The thao & Van hoa (Sports & Culture), Vietnam News, Le Courrier du Vietnam, Bao anh Viet Nam (Vietnam Pictorial) (with 10 languages), and the television channel Vnews, the series "Together We Win" is also posted on television channels of the Vietnam National Television (VTV), the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), VTC as well as e-newspapers of other major agencies.
Notably, the VNA has fully tapped the power of social media to quickly spread these contents to users, especially foreign users. The series has been not only posted on the VNA Facebook fan pages and YouTube channels, along with other press agencies, it has also appeared on the Government’s own fan pages, VTV24, the Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the A Window to the World channel on TikTok for young people - the official account for the anti-coronavirus programme run by TikTok and IGV.
The campaign’s success is attributed to people’s response, helping to eliminate false rumours that cause public confusion, and confirming the important role played by the VNA in leading and orienting public opinion, and highlighting lessons and experience in organising large-scale communication activities at decisive times.
A shared spirit in trying times
“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our life. However, it also helps us understand the sharing and humanity in thunderstorms”, said Nguyen Tang Quang – the author of the bilingual Vietnamese-English book entitled “Con Da Ve Nha” (I’m home).
This publication is one of the outstanding works that entered the final round of the sixth National External Information Service Awards.
The sketchbook not only reflects daily life in concentrated quarantine through sketches but also spotlights the sharing and humanity amid difficulties. (Photo: Phu Nu (Women) publishing house).
The collection features sketches portraying 14-days in concentrated quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading with comments from its author.
It is the result of the real experience of young architect Nguyen Tang Quang after he came back from England and had to be placed under concentrated quarantine at the Military School of the Military Zone 7 in HCM City.
The sketchbook not only reflects daily life in concentrated quarantine sites through sketches but also spotlights the value of humanity, a positive attitude, and optimism amid difficulties.
The collection also spotlights the contributions of forces on the anti-epidemic front lines, including medical workers, soldiers and police.
“I would like to thank everyone for your interest and affection for the sketches I drew at the Military School of the Military Zone 7,” wrote Quang on Facebook.
“Honestly, I do not intend to continue with the next part of the story, because by the time I shared its first part on social media, I had only four days left to finish my quarantine time. However, the drawings created a little fun for everyone in the quarantine centre and the doctors have also asked me to create more paintings,” he went on.
Intentionally drawing for light relief, Quang was pretty free and comfortable to approach the topic. His first sketches capture the entertaining and humorous moments at the centre and the eagerness of the quarantined citizens preparing to come back home.
“The book is the day-and-night efforts of many individuals, from editors, to the community of Vietnamese students overseas who have worked together on its content, translation and illustrations,” the architect wrote on Facebook.
Quang studies MA Design Management at the University of the Arts London. He has been involved in designing many cultural, educational and resort projects in both Vietnam and other countries like Singapore and Australia. He also works in the field of community art consultancy, skill development and art event organisations.
He returned to Vietnam on March 17 and was quarantined at the Military School of the Military Zone 7, District 12, HCM City.
In his spare time in the quarantine area, he sketched 16 drawings depicting life in quarantine, using colour pencils, watercolour paints and two pens for sketching.
The photo “Cach ly Next Top Model” (Photo: Phu Nu (Women) publishing house) The sixth National External Information Service Awards took place on July 28 in Hanoi. It aimed to honour excellent authors, journalistic works and books related to external information./.
