Like many places around the world, Vietnam is now afflicted by the fourth wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike before, the use of vaccines against the coronavirus is now very crucial for the fight against the pandemic. For everywhere in the world, too. 

The big question is how to get vaccines quickly and enough because Vietnam doesn't jet produce vaccines and still needs time to be able to provide itself with its own vaccines. 

Me Linh District's medical employee gives a Covid-19 shot to a worker at Quang Minh Industrial Park on July 5. Photo: Pham Hung

Or in other words, it is the question about its vaccine strategy Vietnam must have to sail the country through the storms of the present pandemic and to be well prepared to successfully deal with coming pandemics. 

It is in fact the question about diplomacy, money, and operational organization. 

Every proper and promising vaccine strategy must comprise of the following three components: getting as fast as possible enough vaccines imported, pushing its own vaccine-producing program, and combining this vaccine strategy with other effective measures against the pandemic. The vaccine strategy only does not ensure needed success in the fight against the pandemic. 

Vaccines are now fiercely contested in the world. The demands are still overwhelmingly surpassing the supply. Therefore, it might be for some but certainly not for all places in the world to get their populations vaccinated in the next future. The proper art of diplomacy is required to access all vaccines sources, to diversify and ensure vaccine supplies. 

State policies are needed to facilitate the process aiming at getting vaccines produced inside and by the country. And programs to vaccinate the population have to be effectively carried out. 

A national vaccine strategy must further inhabitable efforts to create international equality on vaccines supply and usage among all countries and territories in the world because one could only be safe against this pandemic when all are safe against it. 

Therefore, diplomacy, morality, humanity, responsibility, and justice are in demand everywhere and from everyone in the world.

Every vaccine strategy has to keep in its mind that herd immunity is only an interim goal but not the final destination. 

Therefore, a vaccine strategy along with preventing pandemic infections and with getting herd immunity has further to include its integrated parts for the times after having herd immunity and for the so-called state of new normalcy, which means the times of co-habitation with the pandemic. 

It is in this aspect a truism that the earlier, the more coherent and consistent as well as the more far-reaching the vaccine strategy is the more effective it could be.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by Ambassador Tran Duc Mau are of his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Hanoi Times.