German expert: Public consensus key to COVID-19 fight in Vietnam

In a recent interview with German newspaper Oberbadische, Wendle said Western countries initially hesitated to laud Vietnam’s success in fighting the pandemic but experts such as Country Director of the US Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Thailand John MacArthur have now verified the country’s achievements.

Having read many articles in renowned European newspapers about Vietnam’s successful fight against COVID-19, Wendle shared the same view as MacArthur, adding that it is not surprising.

Vietnam reached public consensus on epidemic prevention and control measures, he said, which have been undertaken from the grassroots to the central level.

Though such measures could not be simply adopted in other countries, Vietnam proved that if political decisions are widely welcomed by the public then epidemic prevention and control measures will be successful.

He noted that as Vietnam was hit hard by SARS in 2003, the fight against COVID-19 was launched almost immediately.

Commenting on the epidemic’s impacts on society, the German expert said they will be short-lived because social distancing measures have been applied for only a short time - three weeks, and most economists have forecast that Vietnam’s economy will continue growing this year.

Trained in banking services in Switzerland, Wendle co-founded the Culture Bridge consulting firm in Vietnam to match projects between Vietnam and other countries./.