191,500 people in Da Nang have no Work

[ASEAN NOW News]

Data just released by the Da Nang Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs show that in 2020 and also for the first 5 months of 2021, 191,500 people in Da Nang stopped working temporarily, lost their jobs, along with more than 40,300 freelancers had no work because of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Da Nang city 

 

According to a recent report by Da Nang Today, more than 45,000 out of 56,000 workers in the Da Nang tourism industry have lost their jobs during the pandemic, the Da Nang Tourism Association’s latest figure shows.

 

These unemployed are struggling to survive with such precarious jobs as GrabBike drivers, online sellers, construction helpers, and porters.

 

Mr. Huynh Tan Phap, the Director of the Suoi Hoa Eco-Tourism Site, said: “We faced many difficulties due to the impact of COVID-19 over the past nearly two years."

 

“We prepared for welcoming guests back on the occasion of National Reunification Day on April 30 and International Labour on May 1 as the COVID-19 situation was brought under control in Da Nang at that time.”

 

New Virus has Negative Impact

 

“The resurgence of the virus in the city had a negative impact on the operations of our tourism site and lives of our employees,” added Phap.

 

“Thus, we are in need of timely support from the national and municipal governments to get through these challenging times.”

 

The Da Nang tourism industry has been "frozen" for almost two years, due to the pandemics, and more than 90% of hospitality workers have lost their jobs or temporarily stopped working without pay, according to Mr. Cao Tri Dung, the Chairman of the municipal Tourism Association.

 

In its efforts to support the unemployed hospitality workers, the Da Nang government has approved to facilitate them to access preferential loans from the Da Nang Branch of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies with an annual interest rate of 7.92%.

 

To date, only about 2,000 people have applied for a coronavirus loan from this bank.

 

During his recent meeting with representatives from the Da Nang Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, municipal Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang called for urgent action to develop sources and policies to help people who are struggling financially during the pandemic, especially hospitality workers.

 

Mr. Nguyen Dang Hoang, the Director of the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the focus will be on speeding up the procedures to help the city’s most vulnerable people affected by the crisis.

 

This will include hospitality workers, who can get financial support from the national government.

 

 

In addition, efforts will be focused on organising more job fairs and expanding links with elsewhere in the Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands to offer more employment opportunities for job seekers in Da Nang during the pandemic.

 

Other Cities Struggle too

 

Da Nang like many other SE Asian cities rely heavily on tourism, and with borders closed across the region, international vacationers are almost nonexistence.

 

Da Nang’s problems can be mirrored by Pattaya City in Thailand, where they had a health tourist industry and also, similar to Da Nang, a successful golf industry.

 

Pattaya is a ghost town

 

Now, although locals and a few expats still book rounds of golf, the city itself is like a ghost town, with many hotels closed.