Thailand, Vietnam and the ‘Covid dividend’

Bangkok, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are roaring back to life after their coronavirus-related partial lockdowns. Thanks to a disciplined public health response by their governments, companies and people, Thailand and Vietnam are now getting back to a “new normal” that looks suspiciously like the old one — traffic jams and all. The beaches nearest to Bangkok are heaving with visitors. Vietnam’s schools, restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs are open again, while football matches at stadiums packed with cheering spectators have been allowed to resume. Most Vietnamese have stopped wearing masks. While a second wave of infections is a risk here, as everywhere, the authorities in both countries have been encouraged by a drop in new local Covid-19 infections to zero in recent weeks.