Vietnam mobilized resources for its COVID-19 vaccination program (Photo: VNA)

In 2021, the government made some tough decisions to contain the pandemic, solve the problems it caused, and mobilize resources to help the public and businesses while doing its utmost to fulfill set targets. 

Flexible management 

The 4^th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic which arrived with the emergence of the Delta variant forced Vietnam to take unprecedented measures to fulfill its targets while protecting its people. Within a short time, the State and government mobilized resources to carry out a vaccination program to achieve herd immunity. The government set up a vaccine fund,  strengthened vaccine diplomacy, and organized free vaccination on the largest scale ever seen in the country. Nearly 98% of Vietnamese people over 18 have now received at least one dose and 80% are fully vaccinated. Vietnam is now vaccinating children from 12 to 18. 

The government has provided timely, effective, practical support for disadvantaged people and children who became orphaned due to COVID-19. It has also launched several aid packages and prompt pandemic-response programs disbursing billions of USD to millions of people. 

Vietnam's export value in 2021 surpassed 660 billion USD (Photo: congly.vn)

Vietnam has shifted from a strategy of trying to eliminate COVID-19 to one of safely living with it in order to restore production, develop the economy, and reduce disruptions of production and supply chains. As a result, people’s lives and social and economic activities are recovering. Thomas Bo Pederson, Mascot Director in Vietnam, says: "I think the Vietnamese government has done a very good job and not only that they have done exactly what other responsible governments would have done in Vietnam's case. And I think many other governments have done similar. Obviously, your government has decided priority No 1 that the health of the people. Nothing is beyond or above the health of the people. So that has been the guiding principle for all government actions. However, it's also obvious to me that the government has understood very early on that economic health is also very important."

This year Vietnam maintained its foreign currency reserves and kept its domestic currency stable and inflation under control. The government adopted flexible and effective monetary and fiscal policies, managed public debt, stimulated supply and demand, diversified export markets, and took advantage of new-generation free trade agreements. Vietnam’s trade in 2021 totaled more than 660 billion USD with a surplus of 3 billion USD despite the pandemic. 

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh said: "We have maintained production and exports, in particular the operation of major export processing zones like Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen. We have mobilized resources to ensure goods distribution, raw materials for production, and exports during the social distancing period. We have also ensured safety at major export gates."

In 2022, the government will continue its strategy of safely and flexibly adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to recover and develop the economy.