‘It Was a Really Tough Time’: Pandemic Takes a Toll on International Students’ Mental Health

Hailey Do walked on the street of Sydney, Australia on February 19, 2020. provided by Hailey Do

It has been more than one year since the last time Hailey Do, a third-year student from the University of Technology Sydney, left her hometown. Feeling trapped in her 80-square meter flat in the bustling suburb of Strathfield, Sydney, she longs for her peaceful homeland, Da Lat, a small city nestling among the wooded hills and weaving roads of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

Vietnam shut its border on March 22, 2020, the same day the country surpassed over 100 cases of coronavirus infections for the first time. Just one day before, Australia reported 1081 confirmed cases and started to impose the social distancing rules.