Vietnam takes the lead

OF countries that shine with success stories (and appear to be winning) in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Vietnam has taken the lead, not only among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), of which the Philippines is a member, but even throughout the world.

Of the 10 countries with at least a million population that have zero fatalities so far, four belong to the Asean, namely Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Timor-Leste. However, only Vietnam has a relatively large population with 97 million (almost as large as that of the Philippines with 107 million), while Cambodia has 17 million, Laos has 7 million and Timor-Leste is last with 1.3 million.