(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam seems to be the only bright spot in Asia, balancing public health and the economy right from the onset of COVID-19, according to the Manila Times of the Philippines.
In an article published on Thursday, the paper praised Vietnam’s efforts in the fight against the pandemic, citing the World Bank’s forecast that Vietnam’s economy will have grown 2.8% in 2020, while its Asian neighbors struggle to recover from the ongoing crisis.
Nikkei Asia of Japan said Vietnam’s success in keeping COVID-19 under control has minimized the pandemic’s impact on its economy. As of October, Vietnam’s exports had grown 9.9% to 26.7 billion USD, it noted, adding that FDI commitments to the country were an estimated 38 billion USD this year, even before the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was signed and foreign manufacturers started shifting their operations to Vietnam.
According to Sonny Africa, Executive Director of the Ibon Foundation, a Philippine non-profit research, education and information-development institution, the key to Vietnam's success during the current health crisis has been containing the pandemic.