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People flying to HCMC are tested for Covid-19 at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport, July 14, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records biggest daily spike of 3,379 Covid cases

Vietnam recorded 1,889 new local Covid-19 cases in 26 localities Thursday night, with HCMC accounting for the majority of the cases.

1,399 cases were recorded in HCMC, 122 in Binh Duong, 63 in Dong Thap, 60 in Dong Nai, 41 in Long An, 33 in Da Nang, 30 each in Ben Tre and Phu Yen, 17 each in Vinh Long and Binh Thuan, 13 in Binh Phuoc, 12 in Hung Yen, 11 in Can Tho, 10 in Ninh Thuan, seven in Hanoi, four each in Soc Trang, Quang Ngai and Khanh Hoa, three each in Bac Ninh and Tra Vinh, and one each in Binh Dinh, Ca Mau, Vinh Phuc, Lam Dong, Dak Lak and Bac Giang.

The HCMC Center for Disease Control (CDC) also added 689 more cases that had previously been detected in quarantine zones to its tally.

In HCMC, 1,260 newly recorded cases have been contained within quarantine and locked down zones, and 129 are being contact traced, cited VnExpress.

Among the southern localities, 80 of the cases in Binh Duong are close contact cases, 13 others returned from HCMC, and 29 are being contact traced.

57 cases in Dong Thap have been contained within quarantine zones, and six are being contact traced.

26 cases in Dong Nai have been contained within quarantine zones, seven returned from HCMC, and 27 are being contact traced.

27 cases in Long An have been contained within quarantine zones, seven returned from HCMC, and seven are being contact traced.

29 cases in Ben Tre are close contact cases, and one is linked to the Binh Dien Market in HCMC.

16 cases in Vinh Long are linked to a company in Long Ho District, and one returned from HCMC.

Seven cases in Binh Phuoc are close contact cases, and six are linked to the Thu Duc Market in HCMC.

Four cases in Can Tho are close contact cases, three others are linked to the Tan An Market in the city, two returned from HCMC and two returned from Binh Duong.

Two cases in Soc Trang are close contact cases, and two returned from HCMC.

One case in Tra Vinh is a close contact case, one returned from HCMC, and one returned from Tien Giang.

The case in Ca Mau returned from HCMC.

Vietnam approves Johnson&Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use

The Ministry of Health signed a decision on July 15 to conditionally approve the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine produced by Johnson&Johnson for emergency use in Vietnam.

The proposal was made by Johnson&Johnson Vietnam Ltd. Co., said the Ministry of Health.

According to GAVI, the Janssen vaccine is a viral vaccine which uses a version of an adenoviruses, which causes mild cold or flu symptoms in people. Johnson & Johnson has modified this virus to include DNA that codes for the spike protein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, reported VOV.

J&J's Janssen vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Vietnam. Photo: Reuters

This spike protein is one of the virus’ identifying features for immune cells, and what the virus uses to weasel its way into people’s cells.

The adenovirus works its way into people’s cells like a virus normally would, but then injects the genetic material for the spike protein instead. The cells do what they do best, and read that DNA to make copies of the spike protein, which then trigger an immune reaction.

With a single dose, Janssen was approved for emergency use by the Food and Drugs Administration of the United States in 2019 and by the European Union in July 2020.

Janssen is the sixth Covid-19 vaccine that has been approved for use in Vietnam, after AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Pfizer, Sinopharm and Moderna

Phu Quoc starts vaccinating islanders ahead of foreign tourist reopening

Authorities in Mekong Delta province Kien Giang plan to commence Covid-19 vaccination for Phu Quoc residents from Thursday as the island prepares to welcome back foreign tourists.

Under the vaccination rollout plan in Phu Quoc approved by provincial authorities, over 127,000 people on the island, including 60,000 employees of tourist and entertainment facilities that have been chosen for the pilot vaccine passport program, will be prioritized for Covid vaccination to prepare for its international reopening plan.

They would receive their first shots starting Thursday, with the second to be administered in September, reported VnExpress.

A resort on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang province. Photo: Shutterstock

Phu Quoc is planning to trial a six-month vaccine passport program starting October, welcoming 40,000 foreign tourists back to the island.

Some of Vietnam's major tourism markets with high Covid-19 vaccine coverage that could be considered for international reopening include China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., Germany, Russia, the U.K. and France.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, has become a top tourist destination since 2014 when the government began to allow foreigners visa-free entry for 30 days. Tourism is the mainstay of its economy, but last year the number of international tourists fell by 76.1 percent.

Vietnam closed its borders and canceled all international flights in March the same year.

The entire Kien Giang Province entered a 17-day social distancing campaign from Wednesday, with suspension of social events, gatherings of 20 people or more in one place and of 10 people or more outside workplaces, schools and hospitals banned.

It also ordered the closure of all tourist destinations and historical sites.

Kien Giang has recorded 18 infections during the ongoing wave that hit the country in late April.

Da Nang again bans swimming after detecting new Covid clusters

Da Nang closed all public beaches on Thursday afternoon just five days after reopening them after discovering new Covid-19 clusters.

All outdoor and indoor sports activities are suspended and barber shops are closed, Le Quang Nam, its vice chairman, said.

People swim at a beach in Da Nang city, July 10, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

This is the third swimming ban in less than three months since the fourth wave of Covid began in late April, according to VnExpress.

On July 10, after nine days without a new case, the city reopened beaches and barber shops and outdoor and indoor sports activities resumed, but on the same day a man in Cam Le District tested positive, and at least 20 other infections linked to him have since been confirmed.

On July 13 the city found two more Covid clusters but not their sources of transmission.

The popular tourist city has a coastline of 30 kilometers with some of Vietnam's most beautiful beaches like My Khe, Non Nuoc and Nam O.

It has had 289 cases in the fourth wave.

Vietnam has had 34,659 in 58 of its 63 cities and provinces.

Vietnam witnesses vibrant development of creative spaces

The number of creative spaces – which serve as venues for supporting connectivity and development of culture, creativeness and technology, has risen to 140 from 40 in the 2018-2021 period, according to the Cultural and Creative Hubs Vietnam project.

A cultural and creative hub (CCH) is a place, physical or virtual, which brings people together to present artistic ideas and creativity in a free and open environment, and in turn allows them to share a variety of artistic outputs with their communities.

The "Ca phe thu bay" (Saturday coffee) culture space in Ho Chi Minh city. Photo: VNA

In Vietnam, most CCHs are independent arts and creative spaces, often led and managed by artists and creative practitioners. These organisations are important players in the culture sector and have great potential for engaging in and supporting artistic expressions and access to the cultural life, reported VNA.

Creative spaces not only offer opportunities to access knowledge and skills, but also bring friendliness and openness, helping to promote change the identity of cities and create more jobs.

The British Council, in partnership with the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), launched the Cultural and Creative Hubs Vietnam project in June 2018.

The three-year project receivesfinancial support from the European Union (EU) totalling 450,000 euros (over US$532,000). It has brought many opportunities and benefits to innovators and creators in Vietnam.

It implemented a series of activities focusing on a network of local organisations actively engaged with practitioners and audiences in the field of arts, culture and creativity.

According to reports of the project, there are dozens of creative spaces were formed in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city. These models have been developing in other localities nationwide.

Creative spaces in Hanoi, HCM city, Hai Phong, Hue and Da Nang often focus on contemporary art and startups support services, and information technology.

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