Being quarantined in Vietnam during the COVID-19 situation
As Vietnam works to contain the spread of COVID-19, the government and local authorities are working together to set up quarantine facilities across the country.
Netizens are curious about the conditions in quarantine facilities, and understandably so – we tend to wonder how people kill time while stuck in the same place for 14 or more days.
Turns out that there’s plenty for quarantined people to do – as photos by quarantined netizens who posted them on social media reveal.
Free, delicious meals aplenty
Apart from hotels and hospitals in Vietnam, schools and chalets are also being used as quarantine facilities as part of the government’s response to the coronavirus. Most people under quarantine are Vietnamese citizens coming back from overseas and foreigners working in Vietnam coming back from countries where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly.
Both Vietnamese people and foreigners served with quarantine orders are housed in these facilities for at least 14 days, and are provided with free meals and medical testing on a daily basis.
As thoughtful as these welfare measures sound, some have raised questions about their condition, especially those who believe there’s no such thing as a free meal.
In response to netizens’ concerns about their meals in these locations, quarantined people have shared these photos of their daily spread, surprising many.
Influencer Chau Bui sharing a photo of her Vietnamese pork noodle soup breakfast on Instagram
Image adapted from: @chaubui_
“I slept at 9.30PM and woke up 6AM this morning to this sumptuous breakfast. I’m having more quality meals than what I get at home,” shared Chau Bui, a Vietnamese influencer who returned from Italy. She has been posting photos about her quarantine experience on her Instagram stories.
Image credit: Vũ Việt Linh
“What a sumptuous breakfast. Everyone is given bottled water every day,”, shared professional photographer Vu Viet Linh from a quarantine ward in Zone 7 Military School.
According to many who are serving quarantine orders in different camps across Vietnam, they get different meals daily, and their food is always delivered fresh and hot. Behind the scenes, in order to provide the quarantined people with a variety of quality meals, military officers and soldiers stationed in quarantine facilities wake up by 3AM to prepare over a thousand meals every day.
Bento-style meals for the quarantined in Thai Son Luxury Hotel in Ha Long, Quang Ninh Province
Image credit: Ha Long Tha gio
Many hotels and chalets have signed up to be quarantine facilities for people at risk of COVID-19, some even providing free or discounted room and meal services for the people serving quarantine orders here. At quarantine facilities in Ha Long City, each temporary resident even gets a meal allowance of VND180,000 (~USD7.67) per person, per day.
Image credit: Nguyễn Ngọc Hiếu
“The rooms are spacious and airy. I am provided with free toiletries and served 3 meals per day. The only thing I don’t have here is air-conditioning”, shared Nguyễn Ngọc Hiếu from his quarantine ward.
Making new friends, ordering food delivery, and working out
It no longer feels like a quarantine when the quarantined can order bubble tea
Image credit: Vũ Việt Linh
Contrary to popular belief that a 14-day quarantine is synonymous with no contact with each other and the outside world, many photos posted by those living in quarantine facilities indicate that they’re having the time of their lives.
Families of those under quarantine can send them basic necessities and supplements. The quarantined can also order food delivery to their facility address Upon arrival, the courier only needs to provide the recipients’ information at the gate, and the food or drinks will be brought to them by facility staff.
Two quarantined people receiving supplies from their families
Image credit: Vũ Việt Linh
Most people also take advantage of this quarantine period to make new friends in the same facility, work out, read books, or simply take a break from work.
Exercise in the morning
Image credit: Vũ Việt Linh
Quarantined people have also been posting pictures of themselves getting some exercise as best as they can within their facility compound. Netizen Vũ Việt Linh shared one of himself attempting push-ups in his facility’s outdoor area, among other photos of his quarantine area.
Image credit: Vũ Việt Linh
“So cute :)) Look at each photo.”, Facebook user Trương Thị Ngọc Tú commented on his photo album.
“3 meals per day, complimentary masks + a dream team = paradise,” netizen Ngô Thanh Mơ added.
Image credit: Vũ Việt Linh
Rest assured that your surroundings will be spick and span – all of the quarantine facilities will undergo a thorough cleaning process in line with Vietnamese Ministry of Health guidelines so they are safe to stay in. Everyone is provided with surgical masks, and also asked to wear them most of the time to stem the spread of the virus.
Serving quarantine is not scary
It’s not the best feeling if you are transferred from the airport straight to a quarantine facility for 14 days, separated from your family and friends.
However, instead of being cynical about how you would cope for the next 14 days in quarantine, think positive and see this as a retreat.
You’ll be able to make new friends and have time to do things you’re normally too busy to do when in the outside world, such as exercising, playing sports, or reading books. And you’ll be playing your part in lessening the possibility that COVID-19 spreads to the wider community.
Catch up on more COVID-19 news from Vietnam:
- Life in Phu My Hung, Saigon’s Little Korea, after COVID-19 Case 66 was found in the area
- 8 online grocery shopping services in HCMC
Cover image adapted from Vũ Việt Linh, Nguyễn Ngọc Hiếu, and Vũ Việt Linh
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