​Policy Responses to COVID-19 within the Context of SDGs: Experience from Local Governments in Vietnam

Abstract

Good health and well-being are the essential goals to achieve sustainable development. However, having seriously hit all corners of the world since January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the fiercest health crises in human history. It challenges governments to have prompt and accurate control actions. Although a developing country with limited resources and low technological capacities, Vietnam has succeeded in controlling the outbreak with rapid and drastic measures, especially in policy responses of the central government to COVID-19 from the early days. Simultaneously, most local governments in Vietnam also had valuable tools to mitigate this pandemic's adverse impacts in each province's unique context. This study selects three centrally controlled municipalities of Vietnam, including Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, as case studies to analyze their diverse policy responses to COVID-19. We analyze data on cases of infection, death, and recovery from coronavirus (COVID-19) in Vietnam by province from the Open Development Mekong website. Additionally, regarding country-level and municipal-level responses, we review relevant documents issued on the online database “Vietnam Laws Repository ”and other relevant official websites. This study aims to give insights into the municipal government's progress in policy responses in Vietnam during three waves of the outbreak, including the first wave (March – April 2020), the second wave (July – September 2020), and the third wave (January – March 2021). Based on critical elements for localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the local government in the future: multilevel governance, city preparedness, integrated planning, and strategy for implementation, we draw lessons from the COVID-19 responses of three cities in Vietnam, a developing country. To prepare for similar future outbreaks to fulfill SDGs, local governments may comply strictly with national guidelines and policies, public information, healthcare, adaptive behavior changes to mobility restriction, community mitigation measures, social security, and local governance.