covid-19

Hanoi eases strict lockdown rules, but workers still avoid the office

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This article was published in The Business Times. AFTER two months of lockdown to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, the Vietnamese capital Hanoi is continuing its cautious reopening and easing more restrictions. In a flurry of government announcements earlier this week, travel permits were done away with… Read More (Paywall)

Hanoi’s ‘new normal’: How much has changed for the foreigners who chose to stay?

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This article first appeared in the Hanoi Times The blue and yellow logo of the Vietnam Post building basks peacefully in the glow of the slowly lowering Sunday afternoon sun, on the eastern side of Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of Hanoi. On the forecourt, before it, however, energy levels are high. A crowd is … Read more

Making it work, worlds apart: Can love survive COVID-19?

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This article first appeared in Tuoi Tre In a cinema in Ho Chi Minh City, on a business trip six months ago, Simon James and Ngan Nguyen’s romantic relationship took its first tiny steps. They had gone to the cinema with a group of their colleagues but, shortly after finding seats, they peeled themselves off … Read more

Hanoi pets short of homes as COVID-19 forces owners to leave, deters new adoptive parents

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This article first appeared on Tuoi Tre Animal shelters in Hanoi have registered a spike in new arrivals as COVID-19 border restrictions force foreigners to return home leaving behind their four-legged friends. “Some of them actually look into the procedure to take them back home lawfully. But the thing is no airlines are taking animals … Read more

COVID-19 border closures: Hanoi’s int’l community grapple with stay or go dilemma

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This article first appeared on <a href=”https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/city-diary/20200224/expat-businesses-hit-hard-by-extended-covid19-school-shutdown/53139.html“>Tuoi Tre</a> Governments around the world have urged their citizens to come home if they wish to as many countries, including Vietnam, close their borders to slow the spread of COVID-19. “In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange … Read more

COVID-19 panic shifts attitudes toward foreigners in Vietnam

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This article first appeared on Tuoi tre Some businesses across Hanoi are refusing entry to foreigners of all backgrounds as a fear of foreigners takes hold in Vietnam. Signs in front of some gyms and cafés have explicitly denied entry to “foreign members” as the cases of COVID-19 among recent arrivals from Europe have risen. … Read more