Vietnam has been working well in coping with the 2019 novel coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic, even better than Japan, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda has said.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda meets Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in Hanoi. Photo: Vietnamtourism

Vietnam has gained significant success in curbing the spread of the epidemic with successful treatment for 15 out of 16 infected people. The figure lists Vietnam among few countries having the highest recovery ratio in the Covid-19 epidemic, Mr. Kunio Umeda said at a meeting with Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi has successfully cultivated and isolated the 2019 novel coronavirus in the lab, making Vietnam one of three first countries to do so.

The country has successfully produced rapid test kits for the Covid-19.

Vietnam has been controlling the epidemic and hopes to end it soon.

The ambassador said Vietnam’s achievements in combating the epidemic are impressive and the embassy would like to disseminate the news on the country’s Covid-19 control to comfort Japanese businesses and tourists when working in and visiting Vietnam.

Vietnam remains a destination for international visitors, Mr. Kunio Umeda said.

Japan is the third leading tourism market for Vietnam. In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 952,000 Japanese arrivals, up 15.2% on-year.

In January 2020, the number of Japanese arrivals to Vietnam rose 11.4% to 89,000. Since early 2020, the two countries have organized different activities to promote tourism.

So far, the two countries have signed a number of agreements on tourism to boost cooperation in this industry. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has opened a representative office in Hanoi.