With financial support and cooperation from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the UNDP and the Mekong Development Research Institute conducted a survey on people’s awareness and experience of Covid-19 prevention and control measures, on which the report was based.

Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Cherie Russell, Development Counsellor from Australian Embassy in Vietnam and Caitlin Wiesen, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) in Vietnam launched the results of a survey of citizens’ experience during the Covid-19 response.

The report considered the impact on children’s education, income reduction, job loss, health and safety, lock down and access to necessities.

The views and experiences of public health and the stimulus response to Covid-19 are important to inform how Vietnam positions itself in learning to live with Covid-19. The survey results give policy makers confidence they are making decisions based on the best evidence available to enhance responses during this next phase of the pandemic and any future public health crisis.

This initiative is part of the Australian supported Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) initiated by UNDP in Vietnam. PAPI measures and benchmarks citizens’ experiences and perception on the performance and quality of policy implementation and services delivery of all 63 provincial governments in Vietnam to advocate for effective and responsive governance.

In her opening remarks, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen highlighted Vietnam's experience and success in curbing the spread of Covid-19 last year.

The pandemic has been causing more severe impact in 2021 than in 2020, findings of the survey showed.

Citizens showed great concern about their personal health (68% of the respondents) and their children’s education (76%).

Covid-19 has had negative impact on employment and income, with 77% of respondents reported income reduction, especially for the poor, ethnic minorities, unskilled, non-agricultural self-employed labourers, those work in the service sector and those living in longer lockdown periods.

Medical workers amid the COVID-19 fight. Photo: VNA

The survey also reflects citizens’ preference and expectation. Despite significant economic impacts, most respondents clearly prioritised health over economy. As many as 83% of the respondents agreed that “The government’s highest priority should be saving as many lives as possible, even if it means the economy will sustain more damage and recover slowly”.

Wiesen said that the year 2022 is coming with unforeseen challenges ahead and the pandemic still remains and surges in many parts of the world.

However, with the fast and impressive delivery of Covid-19 vaccination in Vietnam in recent months, together with citizens’ support for mask mandates and the Government’s agile responses, she believes that Vietnam is well positioned to overcome the pandemic challenges and to recover soon.

“The Vietnamese experience has demonstrated to the world that public trust and confidence underpin success in government responses,” Wiesen said.

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