Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers are leaving large industrial cities to return to their hometowns due to the lockdown. Many families are making the journey on foot. “I have been unemployed for more than three months,” said one man on the road with his family. “At least we will be safer at home”.
In the Diocese of Phú Cường, the Missionaries of Christ’s Charity take care of 70 lonely elderly. “Living here, I'm never sad,” one resident said. For the nuns, “love here in this home.”
The area is part of Vietnam’s most important economic hub, which includes Ho Chi Minh City and Đồng Nai. Provincial leaders plan to boost businesses and employment. But the virus still imposes distancing and lockdowns. For one worker, vaccines are the key to economic recovery.
In southern Vietnam’s largest city, 1,500 children have been orphaned by COVID-19. “Many don't even know their parents are dead,” says a social worker. Government has taken steps to deal with the emergency.
Distance learning is a growing source of concern for Vietnamese families facing connectivity problems and economic difficulties. At the start of the new school year, parents ask for help from relatives and government. The head of the Department of Education urges teachers not to forget pupils with difficulties.
About 39 people died from extreme weather phenomena in the past week. Every year at least 9,000 Vietnamese die from poor sanitation and 250,000 are hospitalised because of contaminated water. Prolonged drought has damaged crops. For farmers, the pandemic has complicated the situation even more.
The Vatican dicastery for integral human development will provide support for the people of Vietnam, severely tried by the pandemic. This deed joins the Vietnamese Church's commitment to the sick. “Here Jesus is waiting for me to give his love to others,” said a nun in Xuân Lộc who contracted the virus in hospital. Francis also offers aid to cyclone Yaas victims in Bangladesh.
Bishop Gioan Đỗ Văn Ngân of Xuân Lộc is behind the initiative. More than 9,600 cases are reported per day in the country. The Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God and the Dominican Sisters are helping out.
After the Ho Chi Minh City area, Binh Duong province is the most affected by the virus. Workers are forced to sleep and eat in their workplace. Some of them have fled, while others have been prevented from returning home.
Nuns, priests, monks and volunteers from other religions have taken part in a government programme to combat the pandemic. They were sent to hospitals to support health personnel. Yesterday, more than 7,000 new cases of infection were recorded.
Some free supermarkets (Siêu Thị Zero Đồng) have been set up in a number of parishes in the Diocese of Cần Thơ to help the poor and those facing hardships due to the pandemic, with scores of people volunteering.
In the parish of Vĩnh Hòa, many families are unable to leave their homes because they are in isolation. Fr Kim brings food and gifts and tells them "feel safe, because the parish community is always with you and prays for you".
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