Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns among the Vietnamese Population

James McClure

Despite Vietnam’s COVID-19 vulnerability due to geographical proximity to China as well as its under-resourced public health sector, the nation has successfully avoided a catastrophic surge of coronavirus cases. By utilizing the authority of the single-party central government to detect and isolate cases early on as well as provide clear and consistent health messages to citizens. Significant mismanagement of the 2003-4 SARS epidemic caused the Vietnamese government and population to be more cognizant of the risks of rapid COVID-19 transmission. While the prompt government response prevented mass casualties, particularly among the most epidemiologically vulnerable, PTSD, anxiety, and depression have still impacted millions of Vietnamese people.

As a result of lockdown restrictions, schools, language centers, as well as many other nonessential businesses have been shut down. Loss of income and the ensuing economic uncertainty has created intense anxiety for millions of Vietnamese people who have lost work during this pandemic. These restrictions have also placed additional stress upon people who wish to immigrate to Vietnam. The Vietnamese government has virtually banned all entry of foreign nationals to prevent the spread of the disease over borders, which has forced people who wish to enter the nation to do so by illegal means. Immigrants who successfully enter Vietnam are likely to experience severe negative mental health outcomes, due to lack of access to the nation’s health care system.