Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Central Vietnam Faces Strictest Lockdown to Date Hugh Bohane DA NANG, VIETNAM - As the delta variant of COVID-19 has surged through Vietnam over the past two months, the country'scentral provinceshave endured the strictest lockdown measures to date. As of Tuesday, the country had recorded 624,547 confirmed cases and 15,660 deaths, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Both foreigners and locals have been complaining that food and water supplies have been mishandledbecause ofrestrictions onmotorbike delivery people known locally as "shippers."When the full lockdown was announced three days in advance it causedpeople to rush to stock up at localmarkets. 'Directive 16' On July 22, the government issued "Directive 16," an official notice to follow stay-at-home orders, for the coastal city of Da Nang.Under the new directive, residents couldn't leave their homes. Non-essential businesses were shut, food shipping stopped and residents were banned from exiting Da Nang without official written permission. Ward leaders were mobilized to the various neighborhoods,enforcing curfews and issuing order forms to residents for food and water deliveries.If residents were in green zones,they were allowed out during a two-hour period but only in close proximity to their homes.Some ward bosses provided free groceries consisting of a few different vegetables and instant noodles. Supermarket aisles emptied,and anxiety about a Wuhan-style lockdown was starting to collectively set in.Expatriatesand locals have been panickingandventing their frustrations in online forums. "Why wasn't there a concrete plan for food supply chains if outbreaks were to getthis bad, that's what I am most angry about,"said Brian Edwards, a British nationalwhose name has been changedforprivacy.Because of an existing respiratory problem, Edwardswas afraid to go out into crowded spaces such as supermarkets and is relying on local contacts to help him receive food. Shelves at a local minimart are nearly empty after authorities announce a lockdown in Da Nang, Vietnam. August 2021. In August,[1]Da Nangcolor-coded itsneighborhoodsbased on infection ratedataandprovidedanonline map. All wards underwent massCOVID-19testing every three days inspaces where social distancing was not possibleand people becameconcernedthesemightbecomesuperspreaderevents. Vaccine availability an issue Until recently, Vietnam had received widespread acclaim for its handling of COVID-19,but a slow vaccine rollout has become its Achilles'heel. There is a consensus that Vietnameseauthorities relied too heavily ondonated [2]vaccinesas opposed to buying them. "Most local people want the vaccine in Vietnam--maybe notthe Chinese-madeSinopharm--but the [3]rollout of any vaccines has beentooslow,and you know, people just followorders and rarely say anything critical about the top,"said Nguyen Tung, a Da Nanglocal, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy. Tung thinksthegovernment is showing signs of strain incommunicating information to the public andthestrict lockdowns could continue into next year, especially in Ho Chi Minh. Hesaysthe authorities will eventuallyneedto stop thestrictlockdowns andlet the country move towardnatural immunity while allowing the economy to open back up. Some people are worried theauthoritiesmight be stockpiling vaccines and money might go into the wrong hands. [4]Vaccine scams save already emerged, with some people being overcharged forthe shots orreceivingf[5]ake vaccines. As of September, less than 4% of Vietnam's adult population has received two shots, and 16.5% have received a single shot. Much of the vaccine rollout has been concentrated in Ho Chi Minh, which has the highest case rate nationwide. Military personnel have been dispatched to the city to manage the lockdown there. Many foreigners marooned in Da Nang have encountered problems renewing their tourist visas. At the same time, they are also finding it difficult to leave the country because of the strict lockdown and lack of domestic and internationalflights. People line up to get tested for COVID-19 in a Da Nang neighborhood in September, 2021. As of Tuesday,leavingthecentral provinces of Vietnamrequiresflight tickets, aCOVID-19test, and a written letter of permission to leave fromanembassyorcity police authorization.Those leavingneed to hire a private car to drive them to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh,depending onthe departingcity. The cost isroughly 7.5million dong ($330) per person ifride-shared,and the journey itself can take up to 24 hours depending on traffic andthe timerequiredto pass throughprovincialcheckpoints. In Facebook groups, people have beenlamentingthatvisa agentsareovercharging themfor extending their visas orlocal immigration officials making thempayexcessiveoverstay fines at the airport.Expatriates' main gripes include lack of communication or miscommunication between the government and foreignersresidingin Vietnamand the ever-changing rules. "They(immigration officials)are so corrupt, they will try to make money from you in any way possible,"wrote one foreigner on Facebook about his recent exitexperience. "There is no reliable information, nobody knows what's going on and they are making it impossible to leave,"said Mark Warth, an Australian nationalwhois desperate to leave Vietnam with his wife. His namehas been changed to protect his privacy. The dearth of reliable information haslikely promptedVietnamese authorities to implement a [6]newhotlinefor foreigners in Da Nang;however, responseshave been either slow or nonexistent. Mostexpatriatesin Da Nang are English teachers.Due to the closure of many local schools and the recent worldwide termination ofmost foreignteachingcontracts withonlineChinese schools, many[7]foreign teachers are struggling financially.And the situation for the poorest localshas worsened as theVietnameseeconomyslows. "Many local people are starving and haven't had paid work for a long time,"said Nga Hanh,a local woman working as a consultant in Da Nangwhose name has been changed to protect her privacy. Hanh has a brother who works for the government. His salaryhas beenslashed in half since last year,but he sayshe is one of the lucky ones tostillhave a job. "Some of my friends in the tourism industry haven't worked for over a year,"Hanhsaid. Her sister,a nurse,has been forced to stay in the hospital and work 24-hour shifts since thelatestlockdown began,andsheisn'tbeing paidforovertime. "It must be so terrible for the really poor people here in my country right now.Nobody takes care of the poor people adequately,"said Hanh. References 1. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/da-nang-to-base-covid-restrictions-on-threat-level-by-locality-4350985.html 2. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/japan-to-supply-vietnam-extra-astrazeneca-batch-4351192.html 3. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/commentary-vietnams-attitude-towards-chinese-vaccines-very-telling-2022376 4. https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210311/vietnamese-health-ministry-warns-of-covid19-vaccine-fraud/59733.html 5. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/health-ministry-warns-of-fake-coronavirus-vaccine-sales-4246912.html 6. https://vn.usembassy.gov/da-nang-lockdown-extension-and-assistance-hotline/ 7. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-07/china-education-firms-to-end-most-classes-with-foreign-teachers .