In Vietnam Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

In Vietnam:

During The COVID-19 Pandemic

By: Megan Rees

An Expat in Vietnam During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Back To Normal?

The clamoring sounds of drums and squawking horns filled the street, outside my window. I know what it means: a funeral.  I can see the family members and friends of the deceased all wearing white, parading behind this tragic tune.  It was a symbol to me, a sign that life in Hanoi, Vietnam, was starting to return to normal, or so I thought.

Lunar Festival

Tết, is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. It is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture.  During the New Year festival it is normal to see Hanoi go from a busy, polluted city to a ghost town.  It is the time when the Vietnamese  pay respects to their ancestors, as well as welcoming the lunar New Year with family members. I love the city at this time of year.  Hanoi is vibrant and colorful, every space is decked out in multi-colored lights. People are happy. There are elaborate floral decorations with signs everywhere proclaiming, “Chúc mùng năm mới!” (Happy New Year).  Hanoi becomes festive and that warm holiday feeling fills the air.

A Slow Down

Then, the town gets quiet. Everything slows down. The typical commotion is muted. City streets are noticeably subdued and traffic is light.  It is a nice break from the usual hustle and bustle sounds of a rapidly developing metropolis.  The holiday itself was relaxing.  It is typical for families to come together over big meals to welcome the New Year. I had dinner on New Year’s Day with my adopted Vietnamese family; it was great for the world to stop for a while. It was exactly what I needed. But, there was an urgency, I needed to start working again.

New Year, New Work

The Tết Festival this year was observed on January 25th, at the same time  COVID-19 was aggressively spreading in China. I am a freelance teacher. Which basically means I do contract work, temporary work. I have no permanent employer. December and January are particularly difficult times of year for freelance teachers. Quite simply if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.  While there are salaried jobs, most expats in Hanoi teach hourly, usually at several different places for different employers.  Immediately following Tết, the employment picture usually improves. As more jobs become available, one can ride that money-making train once again. But, not this year.

It Gets Worse

Schools opened for two days after the holiday. Schools then shut down to prevent the coronavirus transmittal.  The Vietnamese government was taking quick action to prevent the spread of the virus. At first it looked effective. In the beginning of March, hospital records show the virus cases dropped from 16 cases throughout the country to zero. Things started to look up. Many international and private schools reopened on March 2nd. Public schools were scheduled to reopen on March 8th.

A Quick Change

Then, on Friday, March 6, 2020 we found out about, “Patient No. 17”. Weeks after Vietnam declared that all 16 of its coronavirus cases had recovered, the situation changed dramatically. Suddenly, social media erupted. Pictures spread like wildfire.  Men in full hazmat gear were shown going into an apartment in the Truc Bach neighborhood of Hanoi.  The first official case of COVID-19 was now in Hanoi.

Patient No. 17

We would soon learn Patient No. 17 was a young Vietnamese woman who had traveled to Italy and England and then returned to Vietnam.  Reportedly she is a wealthy heiress who regularly jet sets around the world. She exhibited symptoms before she came back home, but never sought medical attention.  Her case has caused local outrage, especially on social media. Things deteriorated quickly from there. As of March 17^th, according to the World Health Organization, Vietnam had 61 cases of COVID-19, with zero deaths.  Needless to say, schools and language centers were closed once again, leaving the majority of expats to find work online.

A Need To Renew

As the virus continued to spread, Vietnam’s government tightened restrictions on who could come into the country. True Color Tours is a trusted tour agency used by most expats in Hanoi. According to the True Color Tours Facebook page,  “Due to the virus COVID-19 outbreak, we just got information from our contacts that from March 15th, our immigration will stop stamping visas on arrival for all nationalities, at all airports/land borders, even if you already had your visa letter approved.”  While it may sound like a shady term to an American ear, visa runs for expats in Vietnam are the norm. Visa holders from most countries must leave Vietnam every 3 months to be in compliance with visa regulations.

New Laws

I was one of the expats that had to do a visa run. Fortunately, I did it before all the new restrictions went into effect.  Many other expats, however, were not so lucky. Several of my friends had to leave the country this week for good, because of the new visa restrictions.  A new law, now mandates everyone must wear face masks in crowded public spaces.  Life in Hanoi is currently dreary and slow – in a way it feels like a never-ending vacation, long past fun. The future of COVID-19 remains uncertain, causing global instability.

We’re Still Here

I have lived through two months of school closures. I am unable to find steady work. But, I am learning  the importance social connection. I find myself amazed and grateful for the goodness, the kindness and the generosity of people everyday. Each time I feel I’m about to break, I don’t.  I somehow manage to overcome a difficult obstacle – I’m still here.  The coronavirus may have halted modern life as we know it for a while, but what it can’t suppress is the human spirit.

We’re All In This Together

All around the world, people are terrified of this potentially deadly virus.  Personally, I’m more afraid of the mass hysteria being caused by the pandemic, than the infection itself. Fear, extreme fear, leads to panic. Then comes the ugliness.  Stories of hoarding, and price gouging are everywhere. Stories of Asians being attacked in the United States is alarming. At the end of the day, COVID-19 is an extremely contagious pathogen, which is proving to be difficult to control.  Please remember that unlike society, viruses don’t discriminate.  Be kind – we are all going through this difficulty together as one world.

Let’s Be Positive

The positive thing about this worldwide shutdown is that we have been given permission to take a much-needed break.  If you aren’t working, take this time to catch up with people you care about.  Take a break from cable TV news stations and your social media news feeds.  Discover Marie Kondo. Go to YouTube and learn that musical instrument that you’ve been banging on about. Catch up on your reading. Learn a new language. Start a blog, or a podcast. The sky’s the limit, unless money is involved.

We Can Do This

If you do catch the big C, then worry, but remember that most people survive it – you most likely will, too.  At the end of the day, though most governments are trying, attempting to control the coronavirus is like trying to get 20 cats to do the same thing at once, nearly impossible.  Take this time to stop and actually smell the roses – it’s not very often that you get what you wish for, time off.

*According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.