Vingroup school chain offers free Covid-19 tests for students

By Thanh Hang May 14, 2021 | 03:46 pm PT

A Vinschool kindergarten in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Vinschool.

In a first for the country, the Vinschool chain will offer free Covid-19 tests for all its 31,600 students starting Saturday.

The school, run by Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup, will begin testing at its branches in Times City, The Harmony, Central Park and Golden River urban areas in Hanoi and HCMC before moving to other branches, it announced Thursday.

The decision is intended to ensure appropriate testing time frames and social distancing between students.

The Covid-19 tests would be performed by Vinmec, a high-end hospital chain also run by Vingroup. The tests are not mandatory and students can opt out if they wish.

Vietnam's latest Covid-19 wave has seen 808 local cases recorded in 26 cities and provinces since April 27.

Several localities including Hanoi and HCMC have let their students stay home and study online as a measure to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.