Vietnamese ambassador to Venezuela Le Viet Duyen handed over a range of medical supplies and 20,000 face masks on August 27 to representatives of the Venezuelan National Assembly to help their people in the battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

At the hand-over ceremony (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela) 

The donation represents a gift provided by the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) to Venezuela, with the donation made via the Venezuelan embassy in Hanoi in May.

Upon addressing the hand-over ceremony, Ambassador Duyen highlighted bilateral ties between the two countries in recent years, conveying the wishes of the Vietnamese NA, the Government, and local people, to share resources with the Venezuelan Government and people in an effort to overcome the challenging period.

Recent times have seen staff at the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela closely co-ordinate efforts with relevant agencies in both countries in order to bring necessary medical supplies to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas amid a ban on international air routes due to the impact of the COVID-19.

In response, representatives of the Venezuelan National Assembly and Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their gratitude to the nation for providing invaluable and timely support for the South American country amid the challenging nature of the pandemic, especially with Latin America becoming the global epicentre of the pandemic.

Furthermore, they affirmed that the donation of medical equipment will be of great significance for Venezuela as they continue to battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that mutual relations will develop further, with major achievements carried out on a par with the comprehensive partnership  between the two nations.