As many as 50,000 face masks were presented to overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in Canada as the gift from the Vietnamese Government to help them effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is unpredictably developing in the world, especially in North America.

Addressing the hand-over ceremony in Ottawa on June 27, Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong said that the embassy will continue accompany OVs in the country in the fight against COVID-19, and do its best in the citizen protection work amid the outbreak.

He highlighted the significance of the donation, saying that it is a vivid demonstration of the policy "OVs are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation”.

Protecting citizens is one of the embassy's important tasks as the COVID-19 pandemic is raging around the world, Phong said, adding that the embassy has done its best to protect citizens and support Vietnamese students studying in Canada to find flights back home.

Notably, its website has updated the COVID-19 epidemic questionnaire for Vietnamese students in Canada, attracting more than 4,000 visits and is highly appreciated by the community.

In addition, the embassy has cooperated with the Vietnamese community in Canada to provide accommodations for disadvantaged students, while working actively with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to suggest local universities open dormitories for students until the end of the school year.

Apart from organising three flights to bring about 900 Vietnamese people from the country back home safely, the embassy has also worked closely with agencies of the host country and asked for health protection measures for Vietnamese expatriates living in the Northern American nation.