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Some hospitals have begun providing on-demand Covid-19 test services in response to high demand. Nguyen Thu Ha in Bac Tu Liem district in Hanoi said she has returned home from Quang Ninh province where she spent the Tet holiday. She and other family members made health declarations after the return. They were asked to stay in quarantine at home and report to the local medical center if they have a high temperature or cough. If so, they will get tested. However, as Ha is worried about the infection probability, she has decided to use on-demand testing service and pay for the service. Many other people also want to have on-demand tests as the pandemic is still in a complicated situation. The fee for tests is between VND1 million and VND2 million. There are many hospitals in Hanoi recognized by the Ministry of Health as meeting the requirements to test for SARS-CoV-2. The testing center of the University of Public Health has confirmed that the center is providing Covid-19 testing service at a fee of VND1 million to subjects without epidemiological factors. Samples are taken at 9-11 am every day. At Hong Ngoc Hospital, service users have to pay VND1.6 million. At Medlatec, the fee is VND1.199 million. Licensed medical centers have the right to provide on-demand tests. However, hospitals only reserve testing kits to carry out compulsory tests for patients going to the hospitals. Meanwhile, the tests are free if they are conducted for epidemic prevention purposes. At 108 Hospital, people who want to get tested before traveling abroad have to pay VND2,350,000. The E Hanoi Hospital is also one of the medical centers allowed by the Ministry of Health to conduct Covid-19 tests in Hanoi. However, Le Ngoc Thanh, director of the hospital, said the service is only provided to those who have suspected factors or want to go abroad. He went on to say that it would be a wasteful expenditure if tested spontaneously. “The test result is valid only at …

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Dinh Quang Hinh, analyst at VNDIRECT Securities JSC, noted that the local economy’s recovery “will slow down”, especially in the next two months. According to Hinh, the tourism industry may still be the most affected by the new COVID-19 wave. Reports from travel and airline businesses showed that many travellers cancelled flights and hotel reservations, and postponed their plans. In addition, the blockade in some localities such as Hai Duong province and the closure of a number of non-essential services in other cities and provinces may reduce the growth rate of several service sub-sectors, especially accommodation, catering, tourism, and entertainment. At a cocentrated quarantine area. Photo: VNA Unfeasible policies Facing the serious impact of COVID-19 on the economy, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham The Anh, chief economist of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR), said that the country could not pursue macro policies in the same way other countries would do, for example through large-scale monetary easing, due to limited financial resources after years of deficits, coupled with constraints to inflation and exchange rate targets. Vietnam was one of the few countries in the world with positive economic growth in 2020. But this year, according to Anh’s observation, “the policy space is no longer wide” to support economic growth and social security. Last year, the State Bank of Vietnam lowered interest rates three times and supported commercial banks with a VND250-trillion package ($10.87 billion), which is still being deployed. In addition, pandemic prevention and social backup subsidies to ease the impacts of the crisis are also putting great pressure on the budget balance. In 2021, monetary policy, particularly interest rate tools, will see a significantly reduced effectiveness, according to the VEPR’s chief economist. Anh also warned about an asset bubble that is forming in the stock and real estate markets. Last year, property …

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BIDV MetLife representatives received an AmCham CSR Recognition Award 2020 In the social distancing period of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, BIDV MetLife received a number of claims for insurance benefits under the circumstances of limited travel and difficulties in the verification process. However, with responsibility and the spirit of always putting clients’ interest first, BIDV MetLife overcame such limitations, quickly collected documents, made claim decisions, and paid for the clients’ families as soon as the paperwork had been completed. One particular client had an accident and died in May, leaving behind their life partner and two school-aged children. BIDV MetLife had its staff quickly verify the information. After collating the results, the company decided to pay accidental death benefit as in the contract terms with the aim to promptly help the family stablilise after the unexpected event, and ensure future education for the children. Another client suddenly died while travelling abroad last year. The customer’s insurance contract did not specify the beneficiary – luckily, the client purchased life insurance from BIDV MetLife. After receiving the case, BIDV MetLife’s Benefit Department helped the client’s family complete the estate division agreement so that they could take advantage of the benefits as claimed in the contract. Over the last six years, BIDV MetLife has paid almost VND36 billion ($1.56 million) in insurance benefits. In 2020 alone, BIDV MetLife successfully resolved 5,790 cases, paying around VND25.2 billion ($1.1 million). Since its establishment in 2014, the top priority and mission that BIDV MetLife has pursued is to strive to bring the best for customers, and ensure customer service quality in any and all circumstances. Not only focusing on taking care of and ensuring customer benefits, since entering the Vietnamese market BIDV MetLife has utilised corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes to contribute to the …

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