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The machine distributes a 1.5kg bagful of rice to workers, many of whom are street sellers or people who earned a living from cash-in-hand jobs like housekeeping or selling lottery tickets.
Hoang Tuan Anh, the businessman behind the idea, earlier had donated a batch of smart doorbells to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City. Similar ‘rice ATMs’ have been set up in other big cities like Hanoi, Hue and Danang.
Vietnam has reported 262 Covid-19 cases and there is a 15 day lockdown which began on March 31 and many small businesses have been shuttered and thousands of people temporarily laid off from work.