Party leadership decisive for successful COVID-19 fight

COVID-19 patients are discharged from hospital (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has been a decisive factor for the success of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, according to a foreign diplomat.

The CPV’s leadership role in the COVID-19 fight as well as its efforts to maintain economic growth have been acknowledged and appreciated by the international community, said Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the on-going 13th National Congress of the CPV.

“Vietnam is a model in responding to the pandemic in the world thanks to prompt medical measures, and the support and unanimous involvement of people in the COVID-19 fight,” he stressed.

While many countries around the world, including major powers like the US, the UK, France and Russia are struggling against the pandemic, Vietnam, a country that shares a 1,200-km border with China, where the coronavirus first appeared, has succeeded in containing the spread of the disease.

As of January 23, 2021, one year since the first COVID-19 infection was confirmed in Vietnam, the country recorded only 1,548 cases, including 35 deaths, as compared to nearly 99 million infections and 2.1 million fatalities in the world.

Vietnam’s attainments in the fight against COVID-19 were attributed to the drastic direction of the Party and strong and quick measures taken by the Government.

Right after receiving information about the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the world, the Party and State had made many drastic and right instructions, with the viewpoint of putting the care for and protection of people's health first.

On January 29, 2020, one week after the first COVID-19 case was recorded in Vietnam, the CPV Central Committee issued Document 79-CV/TW directing ministries, agencies and localities to seriously implement pandemic prevention and control measures.

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong chairs a conference on COVID-19 combat (Photo: VNA)

In March 2020, Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong chaired the first conference on COVID-19 combat. Several days after the event, he appealed to compatriots, comrades and soldiers nationwide and overseas Vietnamese to stay united in their will and actions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “Each citizen must be a soldier on the battlefield against the disease,” he stressed.

In the spirit of "fighting the pandemic like fighting the enemy", under the leadership and direction of the Party Central Committee, Vietnam took strong and appropriate measures against COVID-19 and gained positive results in the combat, making itself a bright spot in the world COVID-19 control map.

Vietnam’s anti-COVID-19 achievements were praised by global specialised organisations and the international community.

Lauding Vietnam’s year-long COVID-19 fight, Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to Vietnam Park Kidong in his interview given to the Vietnam News Agency on January 22 said although Vietnam is a country with large, ageing population and lower-middle-income economy, and close to China with land crossing borders with multiple countries, it has been managing the COVID-19 outbreaks effectively, keeping the number of cases, including deaths, relatively lower than those of other countries.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases per 1 million population remains about 16 so far; and the cumulative number of deaths per 1 million population is about 0.4 to date, he said.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to Vietnam Park Kidong (Photo: VNA)

“These are the lowest figures among the 15 countries with more than 90 million population,” he said.

Vietnam has shown that there is indeed an effective way to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, even in the absence of a vaccine that can allow an economy to recover, according to Helge Berger, Assistant Director of the Asia & Pacific Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In a post in The Print, an Indian online newspaper, he described local restrictions and rapid testing and tracing as some of the key measures adopted in Vietnam in response to the outbreak.

He stressed that Vietnam’s experience in prevention can be replicated in low-income countries facing pressure in acquiring sufficient doses of vaccine.

Mohamed Djouadj, Chairman of the African Vovinam Federation and Chairman of the Algerian Vovinam Federation, also praised drastic and flexible policies of the Vietnamese Government to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it has helped Vietnam become a jewel of Asia and a destination for a large number of foreign investors and tourists.

Sharing views with Mohamed Djouadj, Nicolas Dervaux, Representative of the Governments of the French-Speaking Community of Belgium and the Walloon Region in Vietnam, said the country’s success in COVID-19 fight has also helped Vietnam reap positive economic growth and increase its position and prestige.

The attainment of 2.91-percent growth in 2020, among the highest in the world, was a success amid COVID-19, he said, adding the country’s international integration has been promoted through free trade agreements, while its politic, economic and defence situations have been kept stable.

Vietnam's international position has improved because its ruling party is capable of connecting with different poles and defending the nation’s sovereignty and economic interests, he affirmed.

All were carried out under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, whose role is extremely important for the country in the years of war as well as during the renewal process, he said.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery said that Vietnam, from the central to local levels, has taken drastic measures right from the beginning of this health crisis to curb the spread of the virus. The results obtained by Vietnam have testified to the effort and Vietnam is now cited as an example of success in the fight against COVID-19 and in maintaining positive economic growth.

Meanwhile, Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, diplomatic editor of the The Economic Times of India, highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in the COVID-19 fight as one of the biggest successes of the CPV during 2020, saying it has set a global example.

Vietnam has successfully prevented the spread of the deadly virus, said Carmelo M. Acuna, a senior reporter from the Philippines, citing Lowly Institute, an independent think-tank in Australia, which has placed Vietnam behind New Zealand and ahead of Taiwan (China) in handling the pandemic.

Carmelo M. Acuna, a senior reporter from the Philippines (Photo courtesy of Carmelo )

Vietnam has managed to keep its infections and deaths low, through border closures, localised lockdowns, targeted testing, and mandatory quarantine protocols – which allowed the country to be among the few to actually post positive economic growth in 2020.

“The post-pandemic era will bear fruit should the Vietnamese government and its leaders manage the crisis properly,” he said, adding that Vietnam is a tourist haven and it would soon attract foreign visitors as soon as more people receive vaccines.

Yuri Denisovych, head of Russian News Agency TASS’ bureau in Vietnam, one of the foreign reporters who are covering the 13th National Congress of the CPV in Hanoi, said Vietnam is among countries that have effectively contained the spread of the pandemic, and offered assistance of face masks, medicine and medical supplies to other nations.

Vietnam has obtained impressive progress in economic development and external affairs, while curbing the spread of COVID-19, thereby improving its role and prestige in the international arena, and affirming the CPV’s leadership which helps the country take the lead in Asia-Pacific, said Denisovych,

“Vietnam has overcome all challenges and hardships thanks to the CPV’s judicious leadership as well as patriotism and high determination of Vietnamese people,” he stressed.

Challenges from the COVID-19 have been unprecedented in human history as well as for Vietnam. But with the mettle of a ruling party that has gone through many ups and downs both in the struggles for national liberation and defence and in the national construction and reform, the CPV has been leading the country to weather the COVID-19 storm in its own way.

At the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (Photo:VNA)

Even in the early days of 2021, although new cases of COVID-19 appeared in some localities, it is still believed that Vietnam will win the pandemic and reap successes in the "new normal" under the sound leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam./.