The Vietnamese Embassy in the UK has handed out 10,000 antibacterial masks to Vietnamese nationals based in the UK as as a a way of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

10,000 antibacterial masks are presented to Vietnamese community in UK
(Photo: Vietnamplus.vn) 

The donation was given by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese in order to help the UK’s Vietnamese community overcome the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.

In attendance at the handover ceremony were representatives of the Vietnamese Association in the UK, the Vietnam Business Association in the UK, along with a number Vietnamese community representatives.

The event saw Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Tran Ngoc An note how the donation can serve as a symbol for the spirit of mutual support towards Vietnamese expats in an effort to help them pull through these tough time and mitigate the risks of the COVID-19 infection in the UK - a country that has been hard hit by the epidemic.

The diplomat also shared some of the experiences that have seen the country succeed in containing the COVID-19 epidemic. Most notably, with a population of over 90 million people, Vietnam has only recorded 342 COVID-19 cases with no fatalities.

Aside from protecting the health of the general public, the country has also been able to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic with the economic growth rate for this year projected to be 4.8%, a figure that is in contrast to many developed economies such as the UK who have already experienced a serious downturn.

Ho Vu Phong Truong, a representative of the Vietnamese community in Birmingham, extended sincere thanks to the support and concern shown by the Vietnamese Government and other relevant agencies while promising to directly distribute the face masks among the Vietnamese community as swiftly as possible.

Representatives of the Vietnamese community from all over the UK also expressed their support for the COVID-19 epidemic prevention actions and control measures that the nation has carried out in the hope that the epidemic soon be stamped out.