Vietnam’s “Safe Journey”: Effective strategy in using Covid-19 vaccines

The “Safe Journey” campaign of Vietnam has brought important information to people all over the country about Covid-19 vaccines, persuading them to get vaccinated, with the goal of leaving no one behind, said Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam.

Speaking at the finale celebration on December 16, which reviewed nine months of a Covid-19 “Safe Journey” campaign, Rana Flowers stressed that the participation of leading experts in health, pediatrics, celebrities, and influencers in the campaign helps its message reach millions of people effectively, and re-affirms the importance of following Covid-19 precautions.

Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam speaks at the event. Photo: Tran Minh

The “Safe Journey” campaign was launched on March 7 by UNICEF, in collaboration with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).

After nine months, the campaign has achieved impressive results on the media and social networks. It has emphasized the importance of everyone following and practicing Covid-19 prevention and control measures, including vaccinations.

The campaign has also actively contributed to realizing Vietnam’s policy of “safe adaptation, flexible and effective control of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Specifically, the campaign's messages reached more than 60 million people and received over 5 million interactions on Facebook.

During the campaign, short videos and infographics were posted on the Facebook pages of the Health Ministry, UNICEF in Vietnam, WHO in Vietnam, and those with millions of followers. Talks on Covid-19 vaccination for children, and instructions to take care of children with the virus were broadcast on popular TV channels.

The campaign also promoted communication activities on the platform of Tik Tok and its messages were translated into languages of ethnic groups in Vietnam as well as sign language.

Dr. Angela Pratt, Chief Representative of the WHO in Vietnam, said they believe that the campaign has provided people with important and accurate information about Covid-19 vaccines, helping everyone understand the safety, the need, and the efficiency of the vaccines, especially for children.

In 2022, after more than two years of responding to the pandemic, Vietnam has adapted to a new normal life, opening the country up while remaining vigilant against the pandemic and new strains of Covid-19.

In her speech, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong noted that Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest coverage rate of the Covid-19 vaccine, with more than 265 million doses safely administered.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong speaks at the finale celebration. Photo: Tran Minh

In particular, nearly 90% of the population aged 18 and over have received the fourth dose while more than 90% of children aged from five to under 12 were injected with the first and nearly 70% of the children the second dose.

Huong added that the vaccination results had greatly contributed to the communication that mobilizes people to get vaccinated against Covid-19. In addition, "Safe Travel" is a concrete example that contributes to the success of pandemic prevention in Vietnam.

The communication work has been decisive for the positive results of the vaccination campaigns against the Covid-19 virus, said the Deputy Minister, who described the campaign as a good example.

“This success is thanks to the efforts of the Vietnamese Government that has mobilized resources on accelerating the speed of vaccination against Covid-19 across the country,” Huong noted.

Besides, Vietnam has received active support from international organizations, especially UNICEF, and WHO. The media have encouraged Vietnamese people to actively participate in safe vaccination against Covid-19 disease, emphasized the deputy minister.