In addition to these donations of 8.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, the United States has committed more than $26.7 million in COVID- 19 related assistance to Vietnam since the start of the pandemic.
In addition to the 7.5 million vaccine doses the United States donated through the COVAX Facility, Vietnam has received 4,176,00 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX Facility.
It is estimated that 27,000 people in six provinces will benefit from the project’s interventions, 70% of them are elderly.
Economic activity began to slow down in the second quarter of 2021, and growth forecasts have been downgraded for most countries in the region, according to the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Fall 2021 Economic Update.
GDP growth in Q3 may likely have slowed to 1.9% y/y, from 6.6% in Q2, as the pandemic hit the economy.
The strict lockdown in Viet Nam’s southern region and in Ha Noi and surrounding industrial areas, which contribute nearly 50% of the country’s GDP, dragged down the index of industrial production in August.
Growth picked up in the first half of 2021, largely because of higher trade volumes, but slowed down in the second half of the year as the fourth wave of the pandemic took a toll on business and the labor market.
Ms. Ferro brings over three decades of experience across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East, and South Asia and has held several leadership positions in the World Bank.
The research revealed that in Vietnam, 72% of the banking sector sees a ‘lack of understanding of customer needs and outcomes’ as an obstacle in further developing digital tools for its customers.
Like other areas of the world, smartphones and digital-only services have changed how people live in Vietnam. However, compared with other developing countries, the uptake of digital banking has been slower.
This is the first instalment of Australia’s commitment of 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses to be shared with Vietnam this year, in support of Vietnam’s COVID-19 response.
The two countries reached an agreement on the current new Embassy site in 2019. Earlier this year, the Hanoi People’s Committee granted approval for the United States to lease the site, issuing a Land Lease Decision for 99 years.