Vietnam with a population of 96 million has, so far, managed to crush the coronavirus with no deaths recorded, having taken early measures to stop flights, lockdown the population, set up military-style quarantine camps and it has the highest test-per-confirmed-case ratio of any country in the world.
There are concerns about a second virus wave but the greatest worry ahead is economic for a trade and tourism-reliant country.
Modern Vietnam came into being on 2 July 1976 8.30 am Ha-noi, when north and south were merged after the end of the war. This year there is, exactly now, a dead-halt Solar Arc Mars opposition Pluto, as many have been thrown out of work and poverty increased. There’s also a confused tr Pluto conjunct the Solar Arc Neptune and a few jolts from tr Uranus hitting on the Vietnam Saturn square Uranus during the lockdown. But on the upside there’s an upbeat tr Pluto trine the Jupiter in Taurus till late year so confidence will stay high. Ahead the Solar Arc Pluto will oppose the Jupiter along with a Solar Arc Mars square Sun in 18 months’ time so there’ll be a major push for success which could overshoot the mark and backfire. Perhaps overly aggressive state control.
The Bank of Vietnam chart, 6 May 1951, will feel the impact of the economically unstable tr Uranus in Taurus square tr Saturn in Aquarius in 2021 and on as tr Uranus is conjunct first the Bank’s Taurus Sun in 2021 and then moves on to conjunct the Mars and square Pluto up to 2023. That will be a very rocky ride. At the same time there is a disappointing Solar Arc Neptune square the financial Venus in 2021 and then square the Saturn in 2022; plus a highly uncertain and panicky tr Neptune opposition the Saturn in 2022/23.
So much like elsewhere the economic pain will start to bite from 2021 and on for several years. But having survived through the devastating war years the Vietnamese are tougher than most.