Based in Hanoi, the Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research (VG-CARE) has donated a total of 2,000 3M-N95 face masks and 100 sets of personal protective equipment to be used by health professionals who work at the Institute of Tropical Medicine of the University of Tübingen in Germany, as both nations seek to bolster joint efforts to fight the coronavius epidemic.

VG-CARE members join fight against COVID-19 (Photo: VG-CARE)

The haul of medical supplies represent crucial equipment that is necessary for medical staff in order for them to provide suitable care for patients at clinics throughout Germany. The medical equipment is set to be put into immediate use following its arrival in Tübingen on 11 May. 

This donation follows the lead of VG-CARE, who provided 6,000 swab tubes in late March to be used in a joint clinical study of the universities of Tübingen, Hamburg, and Stuttgart in order to develop a COVID-19 drug, with efforts eventually starting on April 1.

The items were sent as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Huu Song, the Vietnamese director of VG-CARE and alumnus of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), seeks to increase the partnership that exists between the country and the Central European nation. 

This increased support has served to build a closer relationship between doctors and scientists at the University of Tübingen, and with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Huu Song and his colleagues at the 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi.

Most notably, the German Embassy in Vietnam and the DAAD branch located in Hanoi have also been able to successfully facilitate the implementation of the project in an efficient manner.