Title: A Comparative Study on the 1st-3rd and 4th Waves of COVID-19 Outbreak in Vietnam: Focusing on the Government Roles and its Cooperation with Local Communities

Autor: BEAK Yong-Hun

Name of Journal: East Asian Studies (동아연구) Vol.41 No. 1.

Abstract: The fourth wave of COVID-19 in Vietnam has been ongoing since the end of April 2021. This study aimes to examine the aspects of 1st– 3rd and 4th waves in Vietnam and their implications. In particular, this study focuses on the response systems, methods, and disciplines of the central and local governments and social responses to them, from the end of April to the beginning of July. This period corresponds to the time that infection began to spread in two large cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This study argues that the (central and local) government’s proactive response and discipline in dealing with COVID-19, and consistency in the way that discipline is provided to the citizens are important to control the infectious diseases. This paper also derives implications for overcoming the health crisis and epidemics based on the previous research outcomes. In a context where the autonomy of local government is strengthened, policy responses based on the context of local community are required. Moreover when it works properly, citizen participation and trust can be enhanced. If this process becomes a virtuous cycle, the code of conduct that can guarantee public safety is also correctly shared among members, which then could have a positive effect on health.

Keywords: Vietnam, COVID-19, 4th Wave, Response, Governments, Local Communities, Cooperation