The Vietnamese Embassy in Paris played host to a handover ceremony on May 7 to present a large quantity of medical masks to various French associations and authorities.

At the handover ceremony (Photo: VNA) 

The donation has seen over 15,000 medical masks delivered to the Vietnamese Association in France, the Union of Vietnamese Student in France, the France-Vietnam Friendship Association, the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Groups of the Lower House and the Senate of France, along with local friends and partners also benefiting.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Nguyen Thiep stated that his French friends had been very touched by the show of solidarity along with the compassionate spirit displayed by the Vietnamese people.

Following the donation, the leader of French newspaper L’Humanité expressed profound gratitude for the Vietnamese support to help the European country fight the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), affirming that the move will serve to further bolster the close historical and cultural ties between the two nations.

As one of the recipients of the donation, Stéphanie Do, President of the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, moved to offer thanks for the Southeast Asian country’s timely support of the French people, adding that she will strive to quickly distribute the made-in-Vietnam medical masks to elderly people throughout France.

Elsewhere Vuong Huu Nhan, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in France, elaborated on the difficulty that many people in the Western European nation face when trying to purchase protective face masks, adding that the association has since been striving to find supply sources to distribute among the elderly or at-risk members.

Nhan emphasised the significance of the Vietnamese Embassy’s practical assistance as officials work hard to reduce the anxiety felt among groups of Vietnamese people abroad. This comes after it was made mandatory to wear face masks whilst in public in France with the European country gradually easing lockdown measures.

Statistically, France has been one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with the number of confirmed cases reaching 137,779, with 25,987 fatalities as of May 7.

Following an eight-week period of a nationwide lockdown, it is expected that socio-economic life will be gradually restored after May 11, although there high risk of the virus spreading among the population of Paris in addition to people in the European nation’s northeastern provinces.