Information about nCoV appears on mobile apps.

Accordingly, several domestic telecommunications giants are continuously sending informative messages to their mobile phone subscribers.

They also produce short instructional clips for propaganda purposes on popular social networks and communications channels in Vietnam like Facebook, Zalo, YouTube, and Lotus or the hotline 1022 of Da Nang City.

Simple new tabs are added on their official websites so that users can conveniently access trustworthy information about the disease spread, protection methods, and healthcare support.

Significantly, the timely handling of people distributing misleading information about nCoV status in Vietnam lately has been greatly appreciated.

Technology companies have helped the local authorities in Da Nang City, An Giang Province, and Vinh Long Province to identify and then heavily fine three people for ‘providing wrong information’ on social networks about the nCoV epidemic in the nation.

Similarly, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Information and Communications has asked three celebrities, Dam Vinh Hung, Cat Phuong, and Ngo Thanh Van, to explain their inaccurate information on social networks about the nCoV outbreak. They are preparing documents to fine other 14 people with similar activities.

Technology enterprises are now cooperating with the Ministry of Health to upgrade the formal e-portal for this epidemic.

Viettel has finished installing 21 live stations at 21 major hospitals nationwide to ensure effective operation tasks. This has allowed the professional support among doctors in different regions of the country in the treatment.

Mobile phone service providers like VinaPhone, MobiFone, and Viettel offer the free-of-charge hotline 19003228 of the Ministry of Health especially for addressing issues of nCoV outbreak.

When this line is overloaded, another one operated by Viettel, the 19009095, was activated to share the burden immediately.

MobiFone provides free-of-data-charge access to the website www.moh.gov.vn so that citizens can obtain precise information about the epidemic.

FPT Group shared that they are now actively collaborating with related health agencies to develop a consultation Chatbot for automatic answering questions about the nCoV outbreak (protection methods, signs of disease, quantity of patients, locations of disease hot spots) while aiding schools to teach students online via VioEdu in the extended school break because of nCoV.

General Director of VNPT-IT Ngo Dien Hy shared that his company offers the free e-learning program for distance teaching and learning in case of possible prolonged school breaks.

It is also researching other technologies to help teachers and learners in knowledge transfer in this special time.

Minister Hung asked that technology businesses apply proper methods to analyze big data in order to deliver appropriate reports about the disease and propose effective solutions to improve disease fighting performance. SGGP

Thanh Tam

Government enlists tech companies in Coronavirus fight

Minister of Information and Communications, Nguyen Manh Hung has called on all organizations and companies in the information and communications sector to join the efforts to combat the coronavirus, especially propaganda efforts.  

Mobile app developed to support nCoV prevention and control

After six days of implementation, military-run telecom group Viettel on February 7 finalised a mobile application, Vietnam Health, which was ordered by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to support the prevention and control of coronavirus.