A COVID-19 Diary
Life in Saigon During Vietnam’s Pandemic Peak
Thursday, March 19 2020, 9:40 am. 76 infections, 16 recovered, 0 deaths, 14,950 tests
Been meaning to start this for several days and haven’t out, partially out of laziness, and partially out of not knowing where to start. Someone on Twitter said a history professor suggested that people start keeping a daily diary of what’s going on, so here we go.
Yesterday 10 new cases were announced, I believe the highest total in a single day here yet. There was also the situation with a Crossfit trainer in Thao Dien who was on one of the flights with a previously confirmed infection, and went to Soma, BiaCraft and supposedly Buddha Bar on Saturday. Couldn’t do a hem gem with a colleague because he had been at Soma that night and was waiting to hear about the test results. Thankfully negative.
Hadn’t left Thao Dien since the weekend until yesterday — drove into D1 and down Bui Vien. Incredibly quiet, with Go2 and Crazy Buffalo boarded up, though not sure if that’s because of this or something else. Other parts of D1 not as quiet, but most people in masks.
More news/reports of anti-foreigner attitudes and discrimination. A friend’s roommate getting CDs thrown at him and avoided in central Vietnam, a notice at a Hanoi gym that foreigners could no longer work out. Haven’t had any issues myself, but haven’t been going out much. Had temperature taken for the first time yesterday at Meatworks, of all places.
Last Saturday was when they announced the bar/cinema/karaoke/spa/beer club closure in District 1 from midnight. Went to Bandidos and Mangetsu that night for a birthday. Japantown was a ghost town. Rest of city followed the next day, but not sure where the line is between bar and restaurant — East West and HoD closed, but Pasteur and BiaCraft open?
Is unnerving watching things rapidly get worse in the US. Didn’t seem like the country was taking it seriously until last week when the NBA season was suspended and Tom Hanks announced he had the virus in a span of like 30 minutes. Lots of people taking self-isolation/social distancing seriously now — like on the podcasts I listen to — but still reports of packed bars and parties, etc.
Europe a mess too, and thousands of overseas Vietnamese are returning to Vietnam to escape these virus hotzones. Imagine that!
Couple nights ago were a bit scary, with several new cases in Saigon, including a couple near where two colleagues live. Every day wondering if the government is considering more extensive lockdown orders, or where the line is for that to happen. Thao Dien is quiet, amazing with the schools still closed, though not dead. Evenings are almost Tet-like.
Hit 200,000 infections globally yesterday — read that it took three months to reach 100,000, and 12 days for the next 100,000. Insane growth in Italy, Germany, Spain and the US — New Orleans/Louisiana looking awful. 281 cases and eight dead in the state out of 704 tests.
Comforting to be home with the pets and my partner — glad we’re together, and as much as it sucked to cancel the February trip to Japan, would’ve been insane to go.
Feeling pretty good about being Vietnam. Still can’t believe how well the country fared in the ‘first wave,’ but shutting off China and South Korea quickly was obviously effective. Moving from extremely skeptical of the numbers to pretty believing back to somewhat skeptical once I learned about the relatively low testing numbers here, though those are increasing.
Continue to be confused by the total lack of mention of Vietnam in almost any international media — they all mention Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. But the narrative of Vietnam doing far better than most of the west (and even exporting test kits now) is incredible.
Watching Instagram videos from quarantine facilities here is really interesting — good to see some level-headed people after a few initial stories with foreigners complaining — “wouldn’t let my dog sleep in the bed,” “too much bureaucracy,” etc.
Watched Contagion last weekend and the parallels were eerie, though thankfully this one isn’t as deadly. Wondering if/when violence will occur in the US with reports of record ammo sales and lines out the door of gun shops.
Wild to see so many countries just closing up shop. Vietnam reportedly closed its border with Cambodia yesterday, and Cambodia has reportedly retaliated by banning Vietnamese — haven’t seen official reports of that yet. Malaysia and Taiwan have stopped flights. A friend who was visiting from the US is in travel hell after not being allowed to fly into Kuala Lumpur from Saigon and then missing a quickly booked flight through Tokyo. Airport here a dead zone, though the arrivals area sounds insane due to everyone returning and the health forms/checks etc.
Safe to say none of us have lived through something like this, and every day brings new uncertainty over what will happen next, how long this will last, etc. So glad I got my residence card last week, otherwise this would’ve been extremely stressful, as there is so little clarity on what the deal is with visas. For now, we just wait and see.
Saturday, March 21, 2020 10:06am
Johns Hopkins tracker: 275,427 globally — hit 200,000 just 3 or 4 days ago
47,021 in Italy, 21,571 in Spain, 19,848 in Germany, 19,644 in Iran, 19,624 in the US
Vietnam — 91, 17 recovered, 15,637 tested
Found out yesterday that a friend had been at dinner on Sunday with someone who was at Buddha Bar on Saturday for a St. Patrick’s Day Party, so I’m an F3. The British pilot was confirmed, The Ascent locked down and Buddha Bar closed. Social media reaction is the expected dumpster fire.
91 cases now, rumors of two new ones in District 44, but nothing announced at this stage yet (Saturday afternoon). My partner will start working from home next week, though she has to go to a factory on Monday.
Still wondering what the line is for the government to order large-scale lockdown/quarantine. They’ve taken over the dorms at VNU to make space for 20,000 people, as thousands of international students and overseas Vietnamese are racing home with conditions in Europe and the US deteriorating.
Heard from a friend in the US this morning asking how things are — again, feeling so much safer here. Stores still fully stocked, people out and about, feels rather normal, especially compared to what’s going on elsewhere.
If they can keep this mostly contained in the quarantine zones, I have faith this won’t get much worse, though leaders are warning of dire consequences if any mistakes are made.
The Prime Minister just ordered all international flights to be halted, though not sure when that will happen just yet. Next week I assume — VNA already said they’re stopping all overseas flights by the 25th.
Excerpt of a fascinating email from a Saigon-based business owner: “I saw my doctor on Monday…We got talking about the tests and how few have been done so far. So I asked him, why so few tests? He said they are quite expensive and the government is rationing them preparing for the worst. He says their testing strategy is still very focused on people who are connected to hotspots, local and abroad. They aren’t allowing anyone who wants a test to get tested. Later this week I talked to another friend whose colleague works as ISHCMC. Her friend took off recently for a vacation in Prague (!) and flew back on Friday. She was brought to a government quarantine site in Cu Chi for testing along with 50+ people on her flight. She was tested, completed paperwork and, because she has a temporary resident card, they let her quarantine at home. She called to see if her test came back negative, but they informed they only inform about positive tests…She was in touch with some of the tourists she met at her short time in Cu Chi and after three days all of them said they were not tested yet. Obviously you can’t report on rumors, but if these things are true, it is concerning.”
And this from a friend’s housemate: “It started in Pu Luong where there were only a few homestays open and even where I stayed there seemed to be some tension in the air. The following day, it was impossible to find a place to stay as all the homestays had decided to close up. People seemed spooked but I think a strong recommendation from the government had something to do with the closures. I decided to press on and head South. I made it as far as Thai Hoa, where I found a cheap hotel without any issues. The following morning I had a tense moment while taking a picture of a café called ‘Virus Tea & Coffee’ which I found to be funny for obvious reasons. A man sitting with his friends asked me why I was taking the photo and I tried to explain the irony in Vietnamese but he cut me off and said “fuck you,” actually repeating it again jus for good measure. Needless to say, I left Thai Hoa feeling sad. Arriving days later in Phong Nha I learned that the Paradise Cave had been shut already due to the Covid situation. Without much else to do, there were a lot of foreigners doing scenic loops on motorbikes through little valleys and villages. Unfortunately, the locals did not greet us with the familiar welcome and charm. Roadside cafes advertising coffee, cold beer and food in English were shooing us away, and some aggressively. To make matters worse, it became redundant to hear groups of kids yell ‘Corona’ as you drove past. Even younger children seemed to have been taught to cover their mouths around foreigners, even if they were just driving by.. I saw this in various townships between Phong Nha and Da Nang. Another unsavory experience I had was whenI approached a soccer game in a small village in Phong Nha, just trying to watch, and my presence alone stopped the game. The Corona chatter started and a young kid ran up, pointed his finger at me, and started yelling ‘Cách ly!’ which means quarantine in Vietnamese. While these kinds of encounters weren’t pleasant per say, I didn’t see them as altogether malicious either. I think the kids are being kept home more these days and they are being overexposed to news, chatter, and gossip about the Corona virus. Currently, the news is that foreigners are bringing the virus to Vietnam and spreading it, which is true. However, I think when the kids see us it’s more a feeling of amusement combined with a touch of fear. Conversely, the older Vietnamese are genuinely afraid. Many times I saw parents or grandparents hurriedly usher the kids inside as I stopped on the side of the road to take a photo or check directions. The height of the discrimination I received was yet again in Phong Nha on my last day there. A French couple and I were trying to find a café where you can sit on swings near a river. Upon finding it at the end of a dead end street we were met by an angry owner who told us repeatedly to ‘Go, go, go!’ After that I went a small length up the road and stopped to check my phone for directions out of the area when I heard the usual ‘corona’ jeers from a group of kids in front of their house. One of them made a big X with his arms and motioned for me to go. I had no business with them and felt I was a safe distance away so I continued to check my phone. Moments later, something whizzed past my line of vision. I looked up to see the kids slinging CDs or possibly DVDs at me! None of them hit me but I sped off there and then. I don’t completely blame families for being protective and I do think people need to stop travelling. However, some of the discrimination is just unreasonable. Kids shouldn’t feel the need to cover their mouths when a foreigner wearing a mask drives by on a motorbike though this is something they’re being told to do. In any case, the whole experience really made me appreciate the kindness and hospitality that some of the locals still offered me along the way. Which is something that we all too often take for granted.”
Haven’t had any problems personally yet, but I also haven’t gone too far from the house.
So the testing figures are a slight concern, but at the same time we’re not hearing of slammed hospitals or unexplained deaths. By and large I think they have a good handle on things. Vietnam still invisible in foreign coverage, for whatever reason, but obviously what really matters here is how things are going.
Interesting following IG accounts from people in quarantine. Obviously not the greatest accommodation in the world, but they’ve set up an amazing amount of space rapidly, and the medical and military staff are true heroes. With the exception of the reaction to patient 17 (rich young woman who flew back to Hanoi from London and kicked off a lot of this) and the anti-foreigner reports, the national reaction has been amazing.
Getting weird not seeing people, even if we don’t go out that much.
Beautiful weather ongoing — very hot during the day, but breezy, and quite nice in the evening, with generally great AQI. If we get through the next couple of weeks without significantly more cases and no need for stricter social measures, it should actually be really nice here (kinda fucked up to think about that while so many countries are being absolutely slammed, but that’s reality).
Hoping all family and friends in the US stay ok — the numbers there are going to be truly horrifying. Crazy how long it’s take for this to be taken seriously over there, while much of Asia was prepared.
Set to get much worse in Indonesia and Malaysia — Thailand getting worse, Bangkok just closed all malls, while still nothing from Laos and Myanmar. Cambodia, we shall see — but worrying signs from there.
Took the dogs for a walk (with masks on). Beautiful weather, still pretty normal out — ran into a group of drunk expats outside a house saying “we’re not social distancing!” Not what you want, really — lots of kids and adults out, plenty of places still open. So striking to see in comparison to what I’m reading about other countries.
92nd case confirmed, an international student from Da Lat who returned from Paris. Rumored two new cases in D4 — two British nationals.
March 22, 2020–9:16am
Johns Hopkins tracker: 305,234 cases globally — 81,321 China, 53,578 Italy, 25,496 Spain, 25,493 US, 22,213 Germany, 20,610 Iran
Vietnam — 94 cases, 17 recovered, 15,637 tested (testing number unchanged so far)
Rumors of restaurants and cafes closing from a colleague.
Italy has closed everything in the country except supermarkets and pharmacies. Almost 800 dead there in one day — unbelievably grim.
Talked to a good fried in the US — Chicago sounds quiet. He went to a grocery store when it opened and there were only 20 cartons of eggs, just 1 per customer. Bought some shitty chicken, but “I’m not concerned about quality right now.” Just staying home and hoping for the best.
Bicycled over to Thu Thiem before sunset — hundreds of people flying kites. Kids, teens, adults — quite an amazing sight, given everything that is going on. Truly special, and a great sunset to boot.
March 23, 10:43am
336,000 global cases — 81,435 China, 59,138 Italy, 33,276 US, 28,768 Spain, 24,873 Germany. 98,333 recovered.
5,476 deaths Italy, 3,153 deaths Hubei, 1,772 deaths Spain, 1,685 deaths Iran, 674 deaths France
Going to be a critical week with hundreds of suspected cases, largest single-day spike yesterday, and thousands of Vietnamese returning from overseas.
Worried about the D2/D8 cases, as they are within the community and presumably interacted with a lot of people. Will Thao Dien be locked down? Or even more widespread? Unclear at this stage.
Three new cases, a doctor in Hanoi and two quarantined upon arrival at Noi Bai. A co-worker shared post about guy who returned from Indonesia, works at MPlaza and went to Sorae and Landmark 81 gym before developing symptoms and went to FV in Bitexco. Sorae has FB post about it, but nothing official yet. Getting more worried.
Two more new cases — two Vietnamese who had returned from Cambodia, seems like they were already quarantined in Tay Ninh. 118 nationwide.
Just read — over three months to hit 100,000 globally, 12 days to 200,000, three days to 300,000.
Riviera Point in D7 under lockdown now. Two suspected cases, also related to Buddha Bar. Fucking mess. Threemore cases in Saigon, up to 121 — the Vietnamese-American guy above (who somehow “couldn’t recall” all of his flight details), a Canadian in Masteri (Buddha Bar) and a Vietnamese guy who returned from the US through Narita. (Was quarantined on arrival.)
First Ministry of Health text in English — asking anyone who has arrived since March 1 to self-isolate at home for 14 days. Also a mass text from Prime Minister’s office yesterday saying all citizens are soldiers in the fight against Covid-19. Messages from the city government as well.
Haven’t been outside today, other than going to Family Mart (they’ve closed the dining area) and a lightbulb store with signs in Vietnamese and English asking people to wear a mask.
9:40pm 351,731 global: 81,496 China, 59,138 Italy, 35,241 US, 33,089 Spain, 26,220 Germany. 5,476 dead Italy, 3,153 dead Hubei, 2,206 dead Spain, 1,812 dead Iran.
More cases here — 123 now. Mostly quarantined upon arrival, though one came back from Malaysia and drove back to the Mekong Delta before testing. Big C fully stocked, a wall of rice, instant noodles and toilet paper when you enter. Still no signs of major concern, though haven’t left District 2 since Thursday.
March 24, 2020 9:49am
378,679 cases globally — 81,507 China, 63,927 Italy, 43,963 US. 35,136 Spain, 29,056 Germany. 100,985 recovered.
Deaths: 6,077 Italy, 3,153 Hubei, 2,311 Spain, 1,812 Iran, 860 France
Frustrating messaging with a friend in the US last night — he said it’s just the flu for young people, media is doing a “dog shit” job, can’t do this economically for two weeks. Last part is somewhat true, though the ‘just the flu’ argument has been thoroughly taken apart at this point.
Read about Hanoi mayor, whose son is studying in the US — told him to stay there and prepare food for three months. Word that Saigon will stop receiving inbound flights starting tomorrow as quarantine facilities are overwhelmed. Medical, army and other staff must be exhausted.
10:29pm — Drove to Thanh My Loi earlier to get photos of a building for Saigoneer. Fairly busy out. Home the rest of the afternoon. Around 4pm it was announced that restaurants with capacity over 30, gyms, arcades, sport centers, pools, barbershops and beauty salons would have to close at 6pm until the end of the month.
Cooked dinner (Caesar chickpea kale salad) and played Age of Empires while my partner worked late from home. Checked after and 11 new cases, up to 134, mostly caught in quarantine but four are connected to the Buddha Bar cluster (three expats, one staff). Could really cause problems. 24,311 tested now (was 17,148 this morning), and they’re saying everyone who has arrived since March 8 will be tested — officials supposed to go door-to-door.
Took dogs for a short walk — absolutely dead outside. Most places closed, extremely quiet — weird atmosphere now. 1,596 suspected cases under surveillance, 46,933 in isolation (26,135 at home).
March 25, 9:11am
421,792 cases globally, 81,591 China, 69,176 Italy, 54,893 US, 42,058 Spain, 32,991 Germany
107,762 recovered
6,820 deaths Italy, 3,160 Hubei, 2,991 Spain, 1,934 Iran, 1,100 France, 775 USA
Quiet day in Vietnam so far, no major news, but hearing from a friend in Hanoi that it seems someone (possibly multiple people) have died at Bach Mai Hospital, while 10 people there are in critical condition. I’ve only previously seen that three were critical. Would be a major development if true. [The part about deaths ended up not being true.]
Roughly 200 medical staff in isolation at/from the hospital which sounds very serious.
7:39pm — seven new cases announced, 141 total. All up north, almost entirely in Hanoi — one is an ER doctor at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
A friend in Thao Dien messaged earlier about foreigners being taken away in a bus with pillows and suitcases from the building across the street. Probably Buddha Bar-related.
Went for a jog — beautiful late-afternoon weather these days. Saw a couple groups of expats with no masks on and near each other, just doesn’t make sense at this point.
Bach Mai to test 4,000 staff and 1,000 patients after two workers and a patient test positive.
March 26, 2020 9:37am
148 cases here now, seven more announced this morning — 14 in 24 hours, 10 of whom were quarantined upon arrival. 30,548 tested, a big jump from last update.
Heard that Copac in District 4 is locked down, someone who was at Buddha Bar and supposedly tested positive.
2:45pm — Got a Twitter message about rumor that Saigon would be locked down this weekend, but all of the news sites say it’s false. Co-worker shares article about the PM saying all non-essential services nationwide need to shut down soon. No meetings over 20 people, reduce public transport, and limit flights to/from Saigon & Hanoi. Will wait to see what the details are, but appears to moving in a serious direction. Ministry of Health has also called on people to stay off the streets, and anyone over 60 should strictly stay home. No hard regulations yet, though you can now be fined for gathering near hospitals, quarantine facilities, etc.
Went to Big C — phở place on corner is closed, official notice on the gate. Streets semi-busy, supermarket pretty normal. Saw a woman breeze in on phone with no mask on and blew off the hand sanitizer guard. Woman spraying down baskets before you take them.
Temperature check and hand sanitizer at entrance of Annam.
Five new cases as of 6:50pm — two quarantined upon arrival, two linked to Buddha Bar, another a Vietnamese guy living in Tan Dinh who returned before quarantine and went around District 1. 153 cases now.
487,648 cases globally. 81,782 China, 74,386 Italy, 69,197 US, 56,188 Spain, 39,502 Germany. 117,749 recovered. Deaths: 7,503 Italy, 4,089 Spain, 3,169 Hubei, 2,234 Iran, 1,331 France
March 27, 2020 8:49am
Woke up to news that the US has already passed China in case total.
Ride-hailing services to be halted at 6pm? Unclear right now.
Brazilian guy in a friend’s apartment complex who was already in quarantine tested positive but people on FB were calling for his head, while police posted a pic of his TRC on Zalo and FB.
532,253 cases globally, 85,840 US (new #1), 81,782 China, 80,589 Italy, 57,786 Spain, 43,938 Germany. 122,627 recovered
24,072 dead, 8,215 Italy, 4,365 Spain, 3,169 Hubei, 2,234 Iran, 1,696 France
March 28, 2020 8:50am
Worked all day yesterday, went for a nice run. Partner called at 5:30 saying Warehouse was having a big closing sale until 6, so we ran over there and stocked up on wine and beer. Saw a friend there — weird talking to people with masks on.
Ten cases announced in the evening, four quarantined upon arrival, three connected to Buddha Bar and three connected to Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi.
Leaders saying we will not reach 1,000 cases — not sure what happens if we do.
Colleagues have said they are having a really hard time focusing on anything, though I’m able to kinda turn off when playing Age of Empires.
One friend in mandated home quarantine due to co-worker who hung out with someone who had been at Buddha Bar.
Six new cases announced this morning, up to 169. Three were quarantined upon arrival. One is a Danish tourist who stayed in Hanoi, Ha Giang, Hoi An and Da Nang. Two more at Bach Mai Hospital.
595,953 cases globally. 104,007 US, 86,498 Italy, 81,905 China, 65,719 Spain, 50,871 Germany. 131,007 recovered.
27,333 deaths. 9,134 Italy, 5,138 Spain, 3,174 Hubei, 2,378 Iran, 1,995 France. Italy had almost 1,000 deaths yesterday, highest one-day total anywhere.
35,808 tested in Vietnam
7:23pm
Quiet day, mostly at the house . Five new cases announced this evening, including three more linked to Bach Mai Hospital. It’s been locked down with eight cases connected to it, and no patients currently there can leave until they test negative. Now testing 5,000 people there.
March 29, 2020
1:08pm
Five more cases this morning, including four linked to Bach Mai in Hanoi. 16 from that cluster now. Hospital is locked down, nobody in or out until they are all tested. Military chemical unit disinfected the place last night — crazy pictures from there.
Global cases: 664,924. 124,665 US, 92,472 Italy, 82,057 China, 73,235 Spain, 57,695 Germany. 140,222 recoveries.
30,848 deaths. 10,023 Italy, 5,982 Spain, 3,182 Hubei, 2,517 Iran, 2,314 France
10:54pm
Cases up to 188, with more at Bach Mai. Mostly in Hanoi. .
At home most of the afternoon, except for a drive into District 1. Incredible weather and air quality. Really quiet in town. Got some nice photos.
Started Tiger King [never finished it], watched more Community and then ZeroZeroZero.
Flight and passenger transport being restricted big time. Each airline only 1 Hanoi-Saigon flight per day, most other routes suspended. No more long-distance passenger trips between the two cities.
685,623 global cases. 125,313 US, 92,472 Italy, 82,122 China, 78,797 Spain, 58,247 Germany.
145,706 recovered. 10,023 deaths Italy, 6,528 Spain, 3,182 Hubei, 2,640 Iran, 2,314 France. US 2,000.
March 30, 2020 1:12pm
More cases (194 total) linked to Bach Mai (25 total) this morning, now reading that the Hanoi leader said disease experts have told him it could be more complicated than Daegu, Lombardy and New York. Thousands of people in and out daily, thousands of patients transferred, hundreds dining at canteen, infected nurse treated 2,000 people. Most worrying development yet.
But 52 recoveries! And lots more starting to test negative. 35,808 tested in total.
Someone I know in Saigon self-isolated at home for a week since he was at Buddha Bar, then officials showed up to take him to quarantine anyway. Tested negative but can’t leave for 14 days — was a really shitty facility at first, then taken to somewhere better in District 9.
723,700 cases globally. 143,025 US, 97,689 Italy, 82,152 China, 80,110 Spain, 62,435 Germany. 151,991 recovered.
34,005 deaths. 10,779 Italy, 6,803 Spain, 3,186 Hubei, 2,640 Iran, 2,606 France.
Lockdown Begins
March 31, 9:31am
Cooked dinner and finished ZeroZeroZero last night. Bought beer and bread in the afternoon. More cases announced last night, over 200 now, with most of the new ones linked to Bach Mai.
A friend messaged that there are 10–20 people in a group chat she’s in that are F1 due to Buddha Bar but are refusing to report themselves because they don’t want to be taken to a shitty quarantine facility. They are isolated at home but had a week or two in between contact and finding out they were F1. Curious how many other people there are like that.
Vietnam to import 200,000 test kits from South Korea for people in quarantine and anyone related to Bach Mai.
784,716 cases globally. 163,807 US, 101,739 Italy, 87,956 Spain, 82,223 China, 66,885 Germany. 163,370 recovered.
37,639 deaths. 11,591 Italy, 7,716 Spain, 3,186 Hubei, 3,024 France, 2,757 Iran. US nearing 3,000.
1:03pm — Was playing Age of Empires when nationwide social distancing was ordered. No public gatherings of more than two people, 2 meters of social distancing, only leave the house for essentials. Manufacturing to continue. Not sure it will change much for us, though I’ll probably have to stop running. [This wasn’t the case]
Will see whether they fine people or how this goes elsewhere in the country.
Meat and beer delivered!
April 1, 2020 11:14am
Lockdown or no? People on Twitter saying both that things are very quiet and relatively normal. Will take a walk later to see. News out of US is relentlessly grim — models saying 100,000–200,000 could die, if not more.
Cases here up to 212, more linked to Bach Mai. Almost 60 people have recovered though.
859,556 cases globally. 189,510 US, 105,792 Italy, 95,923 Spain, 82,294 China, 71,808 Germany. 178,300 recovered
42,332 deaths. 12,428 Italy, 8,464 Spain, 3,523 France, 3,187 Hubei, 2,898 Iran. 1,096 in NYC alone, over 3,000 in US now.
April 2, 2020 10:03am
Hung Kings’ holiday today, though we can’t really do anything. Quiet afternoon and evening yesterday — cooked faro with roasted mushrooms and grilled lamb for dinner, watched Community and Briarpatch. Had finally finished ‘Number One Chinese Restaurant,’ now started ‘The Mountains Sing.’
Four new cases this morning, 222 total but almost 60 recovered. Major testing jump this week — 38,000 on Monday, 67,000 today. Must be the fast test kits they bought from South Korea and all the Bach Mai-related testing.
Article last night said that situation is under control, though seems awfully fast for how complex they said it is.
Hearing of people being out exercising and in groups at parks — would like to exercise as well but am concerned that this will force the government to really crack down. Would rather not have a true lockdown, as they have the manpower to make that unpleasant. Friend in Hanoi sent video of police and loudspeakers — haven’t seen/heard anything like that here.
Went to Family Mart last night and was very quiet out
935,817 cases globally, 215,417 US, 110,574 Italy, 104,118 Spain, 82,381 China, 77,981 Germany. 193,700 recovered.
47,208 deaths — 13,155 Italy, 9,387 Spain, 4,032 France, 3,193 Hubei, 3,036 Iran. US over 4,000
American aircraft carrier that visited Vietnam has massive outbreak going on — 3,000 people to be evacuated. Not sure where it started.
April 3, 2020 11:29am
1,015,709 cases globally. 245,213 US, 115,242 Spain, 112,065 Spain, 84,794 Germany, 82,443 China. 211,409 recovered.
53,069 deaths. 13,915 Italy, 10,348 Spain, 5,387 France, 3,199 Hubei, 3,160 Iran. US over 5,600.
Quiet morning at the house. 233 cases in Vietnam, no deaths 73,164 tested — another jump from yesterday when tests were around 67,000. 75 recoveries!
Took some macro photos of flowers out front earlier — peaceful to watch the bees and bugs on them.
Two friends want to come over tonight but I’d rather not do that — would be pretty hypocritical even though I know we’ve all been cautious. [They didn’t.]
April 6, 2020 12:58pm
Haven’t written in two days — hard to get motivated. Lots of cleaning and cooking over the weekend.
Went for a run at 5 yesterday — lots of people out, not everyone in masks. Stories and video from Hoan Kiem in Hanoi of people being stopped and/or fined for being out without an essential reason, though have heard that’s not the case elsewhere in the city.
Only four new cases over the weekend, which is amazing, now 241 with 0 deaths — though British pilot from Buddha Bar is now on ECMO treatment.
Played a Zoom trivia game on Saturday, which was a lot of fun.
88,551 people tested here now, which well more than double a week ago. 91 people have recovered, and 67,273 in isolation — 23,992 at home.
Not sure where things stand with Bach Mai, but Saigon seems to be in good shape. One concerning story from the weekend was the cutlery company in Binh Duong which shut down 800 people after a Korean who had been working there tested positive upon returning to Seoul.
1,275,542 cases globally. 337,637 US, 131,646 Spain, 128,948 Italy, 100,123 Germany, 93,780 France. 262,985 recovered.
69,498 deaths. 15,887 Italy, 12,641 Spain, US 9,637, 8,078 France, 4,934 UK, 3,603 Iran.
Japan now spiraling as well after seeming to be weirdly under control, Singapore has also exploded to well over 1,000 cases and is going on a month-long lockdown.
Can’t say it too many times — great to be in Vietnam.
April 11, 12:10pm
Getting much worse at keeping this thing update — low motivation in general.
Work during the week, mopped the house this morning, though lots more cleaning to do.
Largely been home, other than taking the dogs to a park the other day. Was nice to walk around and let the dogs play outside. Left right as the police showed up.
Need to go to Can Gio to get pics for Mongabay story but not sure how risky it is. Is part of Saigon, but concerned about the ferry crossing — also there’s basically just one road so nowhere to hide, and there’s the quarantine/treatment facilities out there.
Will the social distancing campaign end on the 15th? I’d be surprised at this point. New case numbers remain low but there’s that village in Hanoi they sealed off and officials keep saying how we’re nowhere near done yet.
Friend in an apartment sent a screenshot of messages the Brazilian guy who lives in their complex has gotten after recovering — horrible. Really different experiences for us living in a house with no interaction with authorities.
Definitely some nastiness with racism/xenophobia, also some quarantine messes, but I still feel pretty confident in how things are going. Still lots of skepticism from Twitter people.
US, Europe etc still in really bad shape, though there are apparently some positive signs — just waiting to see when social restrictions will start to ease, and where.
VietJet and Bamboo resuming Hanoi/SGN flights on the 15th — would be surprising if that happens.
April 12, 2020 10:57pm
Government to meet tomorrow about the social distancing campaign — fully expecting them to extend it. Two new cases today, both in that Hanoi village linked to the guy who had gone to Bach Mai last month.
April 16, 2020 1:42 pm
Really struggling to keep up with this thing these days.
Social distancing extended for another week here and in Hanoi, as well 10 other major cities/provinces. Wouldn’t surprise me if it lasts longer than that too.
2,064,668 cases globally. 639,664 US, 180,659 Spain, 165,155 Italy, 134,753 Germany, 134,582 France. China now sixth.
137,108 deaths — over 30,000 in the US, 21,645 Italy, 18,812 Spain, 17,167 France, 12,868 UK.
Still 0 deaths in Vietnam, 268 cases, over 130,000 tested.
No more cases from Ha Loi or Samsung plant yet. Latest case a teenage girl in Dong Van, which is kinda random. Still confident in how things are going, but wondering more and more what ‘normal’ will even mean after this. Read Ed Yong’s piece which was US-specific, but some forms of social distancing could be in place through next year, even into 2022. Honestly no idea when we’ll be able to visit the US again.
Domestic travel? Also no idea.
Some articles saying a vaccine could be ready by the fall, but listened to a podcast where an expert said that would be the fastest vaccine development in human history. There are no previous vaccinations for a coronavirus.
Tough getting paid these days — waiting to see if I get my US stimulus money. Just strange having so much uncertainty over basically every aspect of life.
April 22, 2020 1:42pm
A few friends came over last Saturday, which was nice. Drove down to Can Gio to get pics for Mongabay (story came out well) and sunburned my hands. Was good to get out of the central districts, although the ferry was not practicing social distancing at all.
Last day of social distancing, expecting things to start being relaxed tomorrow, though not exactly sure how much yet. Hanoi may continue but no cases here in Saigon since early in the month. Airlines planning to resume domestic flights immediately, which is a little concerning — wouldn’t be surprising if new cases appear, but we’ll see.
That’s where the diary ended, as that was largely the end of my direct experience with major pandemic-related regulations. Businesses steadily re-opened and domestic travel resumed.
I considered adding more during the Da Nang outbreak of July/August, but that had minimal impact on daily life in Saigon. Reading back through it has been a strange experience, as I had forgotten a lot, and clearly expected things to get worse than they ever did. (Also…I really watched a lot of TV and drank a lot of beer.)
In the meantime, I got engaged and took a few domestic trips, while global cases have gone from just over 2 million to almost 60 million, and Vietnam is nearing 90 days without any known community infection of the coronavirus. The tourism industry is in ruins and plenty of people are in economic pain, but living in Vietnam through all this is almost like living in an alternate reality compared to so many countries.
For readers from here, little of the above will be new, but I hope that people outside the country get a sense of just how smoothly (for the most part) things have gone.
