Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City support pandemic prevention

Volunteer medical staff checking-in at Hotel Continental Saigon in early July 2021

According to Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, SaigonTourist Group has donated 6,150 nights of accommodation and three meals a day to doctors of Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, the Can Gio COVID-19 treatment hospital, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

At the same time, the department is developing a plan to support 3,000 doctors, nurses, and medical staff in participating in pandemic prevention and control in the city in the near future.

There are six hotels in the area providing free accommodation and meals for about 650 doctors treating COVID-19 patients for at least one month, 11 hotels serving as isolation points for doctors and nurses involved in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, providing free meals and accommodation for nearly 3,500 nights in 14-21 days.

For those needing isolation establishments, there are nearly 100 hotels for free or at 30-70 per cent discounts for immigrants, F1 quarantine cases with little funds, or the disadvantaged. However, the list has not been issued publicly yet.

In addition, a number of hotels in Ho Chi Minh City are operating as "community hotels" for disadvantaged people who have not been able to return to their hometown.

To support disease prevention, many tourism businesses have provided vehicles to transport medical staff and vaccines for vaccination campaigns, as well as quarantine for F0 and F1 cases. They have also been providing volunteers to participate in vaccination and large-scale sampling in the city.

Some hotels such as Vien Dong, InterContinental, and the Chefs' Association under the Tourism Association cook and provide thousands of meals for the poor in lockdown areas, as well as the armed forces.