Vietnam Post-Virus Recovery: Economy Soars
2020-06-05
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc looked very happy during a visit to an industrial park last weekend.
2He talked to workers about their health and examined the speakers being produced in factories.
3The visit was part of a government campaign to reopen Vietnam's economy after containing the disease COVID-19.
4There is very little sign of the novel coronavirus in Vietnam.
5The nation has gone over six weeks without an infection, helping it to open earlier than other Southeast Asian nations.
6HSBC bank used the term "Pho'nomenal Vietnam" when talking about the country, a reference to the well-known Vietnamese soup.
7In a report last week, the bank said Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian economy that will grow in 2020.
8Devendra Joshi and Herald van der Linde are investment experts at HSBC.
9They noted in the report that the trade arguments between other nations are creating opportunities that will help Vietnam's economy.
10The trade tensions between China and the United States is just one example.
11Because of tariffs, goods in both nations have become more costly.
12Many companies moved their factories from China to Vietnam to escape the taxes.
13So Vietnam became the unexpected winner in the trade war.
14The coronavirus also helped Vietnam's economy in unexpected ways.
15When China took action to stop the virus, international supply chains suddenly stopped.
16Businesses looked to Vietnam as a supplier, and money flowed into the economy.
17When the coronavirus hit Vietnam, forcing schools and companies to close, the economy slowed, but continued to grow at a yearly rate of 3.8 percent.
18Experts say COVID-19 provides one more reason why companies should set up operations in Vietnam.
19When the supply chain stopped, companies around the world found that having one supplier - China - could damage their businesses.
20Since then, many have invested in Vietnam for the long-term.
21The government of Vietnam ended its stay-at-home order for most of the country in the middle of April.
22Since then people have returned to work and school with new social-distancing measures in place.
23Businesses have also changed.
24 Ford Vietnam no longer accepts cash, and price discussion takes place online.
25The company also disinfects each car when it is sold or repaired.
26Pham Van Dung is the general director of Ford Vietnam.
27He told VOA that the company thinks of "keeping the safety of our employees, agents, customers and partners first."
28Some startup companies in Vietnam see new opportunities coming from the coronavirus crisis.
29In Ho Chi Minh City, a startup company called Vibeji created a teaching website.
30Anyone can make money by offering educational videos about any subject - from cooking to playing games.
31This is a good time to social distance and work from home, the company said.
32"We all should play a part during this difficult time," said Tri Lecao. He is the chief executive officer of Vibeji.
33I'm Susan Shand.
1Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc looked very happy during a visit to an industrial park last weekend. He talked to workers about their health and examined the speakers being produced in factories. 2The visit was part of a government campaign to reopen Vietnam's economy after containing the disease COVID-19. There is very little sign of the novel coronavirus in Vietnam. The nation has gone over six weeks without an infection, helping it to open earlier than other Southeast Asian nations. 3HSBC bank used the term "Pho'nomenal Vietnam" when talking about the country, a reference to the well-known Vietnamese soup. In a report last week, the bank said Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian economy that will grow in 2020. 4Devendra Joshi and Herald van der Linde are investment experts at HSBC. They noted in the report that the trade arguments between other nations are creating opportunities that will help Vietnam's economy. 5The trade tensions between China and the United States is just one example. Because of tariffs, goods in both nations have become more costly. Many companies moved their factories from China to Vietnam to escape the taxes. So Vietnam became the unexpected winner in the trade war. 6The coronavirus also helped Vietnam's economy in unexpected ways. When China took action to stop the virus, international supply chains suddenly stopped. Businesses looked to Vietnam as a supplier, and money flowed into the economy. 7When the coronavirus hit Vietnam, forcing schools and companies to close, the economy slowed, but continued to grow at a yearly rate of 3.8 percent. 8Experts say COVID-19 provides one more reason why companies should set up operations in Vietnam. When the supply chain stopped, companies around the world found that having one supplier - China - could damage their businesses. Since then, many have invested in Vietnam for the long-term. 9Social distance 10The government of Vietnam ended its stay-at-home order for most of the country in the middle of April. 11Since then people have returned to work and school with new social-distancing measures in place. 12Businesses have also changed. Ford Vietnam no longer accepts cash, and price discussion takes place online. The company also disinfects each car when it is sold or repaired. 13Pham Van Dung is the general director of Ford Vietnam. He told VOA that the company thinks of "keeping the safety of our employees, agents, customers and partners first." 14Startup opportunity 15Some startup companies in Vietnam see new opportunities coming from the coronavirus crisis. In Ho Chi Minh City, a startup company called Vibeji created a teaching website. Anyone can make money by offering educational videos about any subject - from cooking to playing games. 16This is a good time to social distance and work from home, the company said. 17"We all should play a part during this difficult time," said Tri Lecao. He is the chief executive officer of Vibeji. 18I'm Susan Shand. 19The Voice of America reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 20________________________________________________________________ 21admire - v. to openly compliment something 22customer - n. one who buys things 23tariff - n. a tax placed on items sold from one country to another 24cash - n. paper or coin money 25disinfect - v. to remove germs 26supply chain - n. the system used by international businesses to buy parts as they are needed 27park - n. an area of land set aside for play or work 28reference - n. to speak about something