Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting

While chairing the Government’s regular meeting on Thursday, PM Chinh asked for more effort to effectively carry out the country’s vaccine strategy and apply information technology to pandemic prevention and control for the fourth outbreak developing in a more complex manner.

Chinh said, 'It’s important to curb the spread of the disease to protect people’s heath, restore economic activities, maintain political stability and safety, strengthen external relations, ensure social security, and focus on vulnerable people.'

The Prime Minister said despite the pandemic, Vietnam made significant achievements in socio-economic development in May, and in the first five months of this year, successfully organized the general election, reined in inflation and interest rates, and maintained exchange rates while production, exports, FDI attraction grew, people’s lives remained stable and national security and defense maintained.

The PM said it is necessary to create harmonious and reasonable monetary and fiscal policies to control inflation and ensure growth, tighten financial and budgetary discipline, in particular saving budget funds for use in key and extremely difficult regions, issue policies for employees, employers, and businesses affected by the pandemic, and continue controlling entry and exit and strictly punishing illegal immigrants.

At the meeting, Government members heard reports and discussed COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, the socio-economic and State budget situation in May and the first five months of 2021, socio-economic and State budget forecasts for the first half and solutions for the second half, as well as the outcomes of the implementation of the medium-term public investment plan during 2016-2020 and the plan for the next five years. Vietnam recorded outstanding results despite the impact of the pandemic, with foreign direct investment hitting 14 billion USD, up 8.8 percent year-on-year, and export turnover exceeding 130 billion USD.

To date, 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, with 31,177 people fully receiving two shots.