This is what NOT panic-buying looks like
I don't know if the Vietnamese are just not subjected to the media scare-tactics or if they are simply not really taking it seriously but when I see the pics and stories from my friends in Australia and USA in regards to the supermarket situations that exist there I can't help but feel that cooler heads are prevailing over here... and we are right next door to the source of the Corona-virus.
It began at Lotte Mart, which is one of the big supermarkets here in Da Nang. Rather than the chaos that I have seen from others with massive lines to even get in the grocery stores in USA, there was barely anyone here at all.
There were so few people here I wasn't entirely sure the store was open. However, there was a lady at the bottom floor that was checking the temperature of everyone that came in. The digital results were displayed in Celsius, so it took me a minute to determine whether or not I was ok but she let me past so 36 degrees must be OK! I went upstairs and found an abundance of shopping carts all lined up in an organized fashion the same as any other day.
There was zero mayhem and the shelves were fully-stocked with everything there normally would be. I did notice just one thing that was missing, and that was the Japanese brand of mushrooms that I normally buy for my stir-fry and I don't even know if this has anything to do with the current global situation.
The fruit and veg section was completely chock a block with all the fresh produce that we would see on a normal day. There were plenty of staff and some of the areas were currently being not just restocked, but organized to make the display look better.
Of course the big story in the world is how everyone is scrambling to buy 2 years worth of toilet paper all in one go and how they have had to get authorities involved to prevent skirmishes over this product that very few of us gave much mind to in the past.
That was just one of 2 lanes filled to the brim with disposable paper products, there were also hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizer not just stocked, but again, all labels facing forward in an organized and presentable fashion.
So my question is this: Given that we are all more or less facing the same situation around the globe, why is it that there is a near complete lack of pandemonium over here? Could there be some truth to the media actually making things a lot worse in the West? I don't really know very many Vietnamese people yet but the few that I do know are carrying on with their lives in a calm and normal manner. There haven't been very many deaths or even cases here despite the fact that this country, which you could fit inside of California, has more than 90 million people in it. There are also plenty of densely populated urban areas, one of which I live in.
Why is there no chaos at the supermarket or really anywhere else for that matter? Could the accusations of hash-tag-fake-news have some truth to it? I suppose if Vietnam were to explode with Corona-virus cases in the future we could come to the conclusion that they should have panicked, but if it does not, can we not at least fathom the possibility that we are overreacting in the West?
Wow, must be nice. It certainly does not look like that here. Everyone in LA is freaking out.
yeah, I've been flexing on my friends back in the states with my access to toilet paper. I've had some people offer to pay the shipping if i would mail some to them. It's cray cray
Lol - It's pretty much the same here in Chonburi. There are 0 panic buys (yet). I'm not sure how it looks in Bangkok but overall I think it's way more relaxed compared to other countries.
I'm also glad that this insane toilet paper war will never start on any Asian ground 😁
maybe now would be a great time to introduce our western pals to the glory that is the bum gun!
Man, I honestly felt pretty awkward yesterday buying a pack of toilet paper.. 😁
Bum gun's are great. I still don't get why western countries don't use them..
yeah, me neither, but until i came over to Asia I actually had no idea that people actually used them For me they were something that was used in the kitchen sink.
For us, its good that we don't need toilet paper 😀 but still panic people are making the traders profit from other necessary commodities. Its best not to panic and instead take precautions.
Very interesting. I guess fear feeds on fear and social media play a part in spreading more fear. Or perhaps the Vietnamese just have a certain level of resilience built into them.
Though, I still do not understand why people need to stock up toilet papers. Food I can understand, but stocking up toilet paper is really baffling.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 5/10 - need recharge?)
lol yes, it simply doesn't make any sense at all. I wonder if it all began because of that bizarre australian youtube video where there was a brawl over toilet paper and this just got people thinking.... crap! we need to get toilet paper now!
Hi @gooddream … Thanks for this post that shows us not all people around the globe are going completely nuts as a result of Clovid-19 lurking around every corner...😲 Personally, the 'read' was a welcomed relief from all the downtrodden stuff we've been bombarded with lately.
My thought on your question above in part, reflect a similarity of one who commented below about the possibility that the Vietnamese people might have a "built in resiliency." It made me consider the DNA or genetic memory/coding that may be passed along from generation to generation is in play here...?
The Vietnamese people suffered an extremely long period of strife at the hand of invaders from other countries eg. China, France, USA and others independently or in unison. As a result, these people, in an effort to survive were in a sense forced to develop mechanisms to endure and conquer the oppressors.
Their adaptive talents, seemingly became more and more honed over those many years. Perhaps this strong, ancestral history became emblazoned within their very souls, in some mysterious manner? They may have inherited a quiet wisdom, beyond our general comprehension.
Sorry...I didn't intend to get so deep and lengthy in a response...I guess my heart was at play, thinking about things of the past. I am seventy years old, and a military Veteran from the late 1960's...who developed a lot of respect for the Vietnamese people as a result of their perseverance under the most horrible conditions imaginable.
Best wishes to you - there.
i hadn't really thought about it from a ancestral point of view but you could have a point there. I was only really thinking about it from a here and now perspective.
They very well could be better equipped to handle strife given the fact that the country has been through so much of it in the past.
I think it is totally the media that is driving a lot of it. The other thing I would ask is whether or not you have 5G service in Vietnam? Apparently, there is some evidence that Covid or supposed cases of Covid are somehow linked to 5G. I haven't read the full hypothesis, but it is kind of intriguing in a conspiracy theory sort of way. I might need you to ship me some stuff if we start to run low :)
Lotte has plenty of stock left because local Vietnamese prefer getting their stuffs at smaller neighborhood convenient stores. Also, many do not have the purchasing power to shop at Lotte yet. In an agricultural based country, food is the least of their concern. The biggest problem for Vietnamese especially ones living in Danang is Agent Orange contamination. Traces of Agent Orange is still found in rural parts of Danang. The US government invested heavily in Danang to remove Agent Orange from rivers. If you intend to have children one day, I highly recommend you to get tested if you are afraid of mutations in your future descendants. There was a documentary on Youtube on the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnamese children. Some are mentally retarded, some born without limbs while others have defective hearts.
I think the panic in Vietnam hit earlier than it did in other places because of the proximity to China. Way back in early February, there was no hand sanitizer to be found all over the city (though TP was never a thing...still don't quite understand that one). People were reluctant to hang out in coffee shops like they normally would and my Vietnamese study partners wouldn't meet up with me anymore. Also, all classes have been out from elementary school through university since mid-February. I do think Vietnamese people took it seriously but maybe just didn't overreact in such a ridiculous, caricaturish way as we saw in America and other countries. I have heard that there is a bit of an anti-foreigner sentiment in the air now because they associate European-looking people with the virus now. It is interesting to hear your perspective. Honestly, I wish I was back there now.
I was looking online the other day and saw that they reacted before it was an issue and this is a very good thing because they don't have the money or medical resources to combat this at all. Turns out it was a very good move on their part. I don't think we can fully rely on the numbers that are being reported but zero deaths is probably a winning situation!
I didn't get here until the end of Feb so I guess it had all calmed down by then.
All things considered, I think Vietnam is probably handling things better than a lot of the world has. That being said, I'm still critical of the stats. If an elderly person passes away, I would guess that there is less likely to be an autopsy done linking it to covid-19. Many parts of the world have a very different relationship with death and see it more as a natural part of life. Those deaths might not be reported as "covid" deaths and the same for people who were already struggling with health issues. Of course, this is all speculation but I think we need to take it into consideration when looking at the data critically. More testing is ultimately going to result in what looks like a higher number of cases.
totally agree with what you said there. I don't have any idea how the testing occurs here and they aren't going to tell us. If they are being truthful and there are really only 250 cases nationwide well... what will they do once they eradicate it? Just not let anyone in at all? That could complicate my visa runs for sure