Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - After months of fighting COVID-19, Ho Chi Minh Cityand southern provinces plan to gradually resume economic activities fromOctober 1 since they have basically controlled the pandemic.

Businessesin industrial zones, processing and exporting zones and high-tech zones will beallowed to reopen soon. Vietnam News reporterThu Ngan speaks with business executives to ask how they plan to overcome thedifficulties posed by the disease and how they prepare for the new period.

Chung Wai Fu,  General Director of Lee & Man Vietnam

Morethan 93 percent of Lee & Man’s employees have got their first or secondCOVID-19 shots, and the pace of production and business is also maintained at arelatively stable level as are ensuring relationships with domestic and foreignpartners and jobs for more than 1,100 officials and employees.

Itis all thanks to the collective spirit and efforts of the corporation’semployees.

Seeingthe complicated and unpredictable fourth wave of the disease, our company wasaware of the danger of infection in industrial zones, always adopted thegreatest caution and was well prepared to respond to [it]. We make thorough andcomprehensive preparations focused on implementing pandemic preventionactivities and protecting the company's workforce. The housing area for Lee& Man’s employees built in 2018 is well able to cope with the on-site modelmandated by Hau Giang province’s administration.

Inthe coming time our company will continue to adopt more significant pandemicprevention measures and make greater efforts to ensure business efficiency andprevention of disease spread among factory workers. We are committed to ourresponsibility to the community, and hence have practical values andpositively impact the lives of local people.

Inaddition, the company continues to pursue and support the policy of ‘VietnamesePersonnel Localisation’, prioritising recruitment and training of local humanresources, reducing dependence on foreign personnel, especially in the contextthat now moving between countries is very difficult, generating careeropportunities for locals, and fostering local and regional economicdevelopment.

Sincethe very first days of Lee & Man’s factory in Vietnam we have identifiedand believed that human and social security are the key factors in thesustainable development of a business. We can only succeed if people are safeand healthy to operate.

Onbehalf of Lee & Man, we wish you good health and prosperous growth, andhope you are always a close bridge between readers and businesses.

Bui Hai An, Chief Product Officer at Timo

Asa digital bank and also a fintech start-up, Timo has been able to keep 90 percentof our digital services during the lockdown while helping our team workremotely.

Butthe pandemic has impacted our services at four hangouts national-wide as wellas the activation campaigns we had planned with our partners to offer theseservices to customers.

So,with the situation under control thanks to the Government and frontlinepersonnel’s efforts, we can slowly and safely open our hangouts again.

Timois trying its best to ensure a better experience for customers, especially inthe case of services that require direct interaction.

Wetry to help people stay on top of their finances and live the best possiblelife they can. We do this through rethinking a wide range of banking productsand services and focusing on providing the best possible customer experience.

Weknow that banking does not exist in isolation and believe in the idea of socialbanking. For us this begins with small shifts in the mindset, thinking aboutconnecting people instead of just bank accounts. And this extends all the wayto big questions like how banking in general and Timo specifically can be acontributor to a prosperous and harmonious society.

Tooperate in the new normal, we have already shifted most of our activitiesonline. Nevertheless, we are also building features that can help customerstransact seamlessly and safely.

Forexample, we have just handed out TimoPay by Link, a feature that allows sendinga payment link to sellers, shippers or friends to get money directly into theirbank accounts instead of using cash.

Fora broader view of the pandemic and lockdown, the general situation can belinked to the story and usage of Move Money, Timo’s most used product. Sinceits E-C-V – easy, convenient, and bringing value -- it’s now customers’favourite feature in our application. The most visible features Timo has broughtare no-fee, fast, efficient, and successful movement of money.

Wealso figured out that though people are staying at home their shopping needshave never decreased. For instance, on Zalo Connect, there is a selling supportsection. Many stores are selling via social media and provide local shipping.We even buy goods in the apartment we live in, and there are many such cases.Therefore, people increase the number of transactions as they pay online bills,buy groceries, etc. And it leads back to the story that when society isdistanced and people cannot contact each other, Timo becomes an importantelement in helping people process these transactions easily and quickly. Hence,it can be said that Timo is making efforts to provide people with the most convenient,quick, social, and friendly ways and products to transact and deal with theirdaily issues in the best way possible.

Revolvingaround the ‘New Normal’ story all behaviours related to consumption and dailylife have changed completely. Besides, people are carrying out more and moretransactions. Timo sees this, and we are trying to bring the value to customersand a more comfortable and convenient life, and to resolve the problems theyface as best as we can./.