Hi and welcome to the channel.
My name's Megan, and I am currently in Da Nang, Vietnam.
In today's video, I'll be giving an update
on the coronavirus situation here in Vietnam,
as well as an update on my plans regarding returning home to Canada.
(Music)
Vietnam reported 16 cases of coronavirus back in February
before having a three-week run without any new cases.
In the last week, we've had several dozen new cases come in,
which were tracked back to a flight that originated from London
and landed in Hanoi.
In response to these new cases,
the Vietnamese government took fast and major measures
in an effort to contain the spread.
If anything you hear from me conflicts with information
that you are receiving from the CDC or the WHO,
please listen to those instead.
I am not a health care professional;
I'm just giving you the information that I know to the best of my ability.
The most significant announcement is that the Vietnamense government
will stop issuing visas for all foreigners regardless of your nationality
starting March 15 continuing on to April 15.
My understanding is that even if you have already a flight online
and had approval for a visa on arrival,
you will still not be able to board your flight
and you will not be able to receive this visa.
As of today, there are also new restrictions on visa extensions
for visa holders that are currently in the country on a three-month visa.
Normally, you can come here on a one-month or a three-month
and then extend for an additional month or an additional three months.
At this time, my understanding is that you cannot extend for three months,
and you do have the option to extend for one month,
but it seems to be up in the air
and at a higher price than what you would normally pay.
This is a major concern for many of the foreign friends that I have
that are currently in Vietnam
who were expecting to stay here for another three months.
Many Southeast Asian countries are following the same strategy
and closing their borders.
These closures are likely to continue over the next month,
so friends are in the dilemma of whether or not they extend here for one month
and then take their chances,
although it's going to be more limited as to where they can go next.
Wearing a mask has also become mandatory for all foreigners
and all locals in public places.
I don't know if wearing a mask is being actively enforced,
but for myself, personally, I will wear a mask
and I also hope that other foreigners will as well.
Not wearing a mask may be sending the message that you are either ignorant
or that you don't care to contribute to containing the spread
of the virus within this country.
So please, consider wearing a mask
even if you don't think it's doing any good;
it's going to help at least with perception
and not antagonizing the locals here any further.
Another change which is similar to most countries around the world
is that major events are canceled.
Most recently the Formula 1 race in Vietnam has been canceled.
Local events and entertainment establishments,
like karaoke bars, gyms, large shopping centers, movie theaters,
as well as all massage businesses,
have been asked to close their doors,
and the government will reassess whether or not
they will reopen at the end of the month.
People are certainly not out and about, but there are no lockdowns
and most shops and restaurants in the city remain open;
many have shortened hours or are offering delivery services only.
There are additionally temperature check zones that are set up
for land entry into Da Nang
as well as temperature checks happening for those entering larger restaurants
or larger stores that do remain open at this time.
In addition to having a large support network of foreigners here in Da Nang,
I am also part of many online communities that involve foreigners,
expats, travelers, online English teachers, and so on, living in Vietnam.
The general consensus that I am getting from these groups
is that foreigners right now are not very welcome in the country.
This makes sense to me considering that the cases that have come
are being imported by us foreigners.
Travelers in Vietnam are reporting being denied entrance
once they arrive at hotels,
even if they have booked them far in advance
and had it approved on sites like "booking.com".
It appears to be very similar to the racism and discrimination
that was initially seen against Chinese people
in the early stages of this outbreak.
This is rooted in fear; and I'm not saying it's okay,
but I do understand where it is coming from.
In addition to being denied entry into certain places,
there are quite a few cases of...
uhmm...
foreigners being verbally assaulted.
I have not heard of anything physical that has happened yet,
but generally being yelled at, insulted, asked to get out of the country,
and even being spat at.
I have personally not experienced any of this;
however, I have seen signs put up at hair salons
and several restaurants in this city
that do say "No foreigners."
I have also had locals cover their mouths as I walk past.
There have been less than 60 reported cases of coronavirus in Vietnam
over the last three months,
and with these new restrictions in place,
I am quite confident that the government will be able
to contain the spread of the virus locally.
Next, I'll be moving on to developments coming out of Canada
and how I personally plan to handle the situation
and whether or not I will be staying here in Vietnam.
The Canadian government recently announced
that Canada will be closing borders to most foreign travelers.
- We will be denying entry to Canada
to people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- International flights are going to be funneled
through four of Canada's major airports,
which are Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto.
Canadians that are currently abroad are being urged to come home now
before it becomes more difficult to travel into Canada.
- Canadian travelers should return to Canada via commercial means
while it is still possible to do so.
Let me be clear,
if you're abroad,
it's time for you to come home.
- Once foreign travelers arrive back in Canada,
whether they are citizens of foreigners,
they will need to self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days.
My home, Ontario, is currently considered the epicenter
of the coronavirus outbreak in Canada.
Schools and many businesses are closed,
events are canceled, there is panic, stockpiling,
and people are being advised to stay in their homes.
The situation in Canada is currently the worse that it has been
and it's only expected to worsen over the upcoming weeks.
- All Canadians, as much as possible, should stay home.
- The last thing that I want to do right now is get on a plane
and spend the next 30 hours, minimal, traveling from Vietnam to Canada.
through multiple airports.
If I don't catch the virus or some other bug
while I'm in the airplane in the air,
I would be shocked if I didn't catch something
while I was in one of the airports.
The reports that I'm seeing online and on the news
are that there are many people in large crowds, all crammed together,
waiting hours for coronavirus testing
and then to be transported to their next flight.
I'm healthy, I'm strong, and even if I caught the virus,
it likely would be a mild case.
However, I would be bringing that case back with me to Canada.
Once I arrive in Canada,
I actually don't have access to my apartment until May 1st,
which means I would need to book a hotel and then self-quarantine for 14 days,
because there is no way that I am requesting to stay at the home
of a family member or a friend right now
where I could possibly expose them to the virus
or whatever bug I pick up on my way home.
I've lived in Da Nang for the past three winters,
and over the years, I've felt strong connections
both with locals and foreigners here in the City.
I'm welcome to stay in the apartment that I'm currently in as long as needed,
and my visa allows me to stay in the country
for the next two and a half months.
and I will continue to work with no change online from Vietnam.
In addition, I have a bag packed in case I were to be unexpectedly quarantined.
This bag has things like food, water... as well as a phone charger.
I have additionally stocked up with a week's worth of canned,
nonperishable and frozen food
should we be confined to our apartments.
I have plenty of water available, as well as a pot and a kettle,
to boil tap water if it came down to it.
I absolutely have fears about staying here as a foreigner
and I'm being incredibly vigilant with an anticipation
of a potential rise in crime,
as everyone else should be around the world as well.
These are tough economic times and...
I don't know how that will impact local life here
or in other places around the world.
As of right now, I am choosing to not spend a minimal of 30 hours
traveling across the world right now
when things are the worse that they have been.
I am hoping things will improve in several months
and I am able to take this trip safely,
but there is no guarantee.
The coronavirus may be controlled
as temperatures heat up in Canada and the US,
or they may not.
This could only be the tip of the iceberg, and in two months from now,
the whole world could be like Italy,
on a lockdown, with greater travel restrictions
and greater consequences for being outside of Canada.
So, in summary, I am still in Da Nang
and I am prepared to spend several months in Da Nang if it comes down to that.
I have been getting dozens of messages with recommendations
on what I should and what I should not do,
and while I know the majority of these
are coming from a place of trying to be helpful,
please stop.
I like to act like I have it all together
but it was in trying to film the run-through of this video
that the stress and anxiety and fear
that I've been pushing down for the last week
completely came out and I had a full-on...
a full-on breakdown
at that point.
Understand that I am not taking this situation lightly,
and I know that all of us are scared and all of us are stressed,
and that we are all doing the best we can do with our situation
and the information that we have available to us at this time.
Please understand that I am safe, I am happy,
I am not stuck, and I have plenty of local support here on the ground in Vietnam
as well as support from family and friends abroad
and I ask that for the time being you please respect my decision.
Again, this is a flexible decision
and it will change as new developments happen
over the next few hours and over the next few days
and over the next few weeks.
I would love if you would share where in the world that you currently are
and what the situation is like on the ground there.
Are people stockpiling? Is it business as usual?
Is it full-blown panic?
Would be great to know what is actually happening on the ground where you are
without the bias of the media trying to sell headlines.
Thank you so much for watching, and if you found this video helpful
or informative, I hope you will subscribe for future updates
as well as give it a thumbs-up below.
In the mean time, I hope to catch you down in the comments section.
Thanks again.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and I'll see you soon.
Bye.
And as a side note, if you're currently stockpiling TP,
don't worry, there is another way,
and we can all just adopt the Asian method.
(Laughs)
And also, if you haven't heard the coronavirus "Wash Your Hands" song
out of Vietnam,
I'll link it below.
(Vietnamese song)