Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung on May 18 presented the token of medical supplies worth 420,000 USD as gifts from the Vietnamese Government and people to eight countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and South Pacific.

At the hand-over ceremony (Photo: VNA)

The donations were handed over to the Ambassadors to Vietnam of Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The gifts, which are hoped to help the countries effectively deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, include anti-bacteria cloth face masks, medical face masks, specialised protective clothing, and made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 test kits.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony, Dung highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation among countries to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping that the gifts will partly help the countries address difficulties caused by the medical crisis.

He expressed his belief that with efforts made by their governments and people, the countries will quickly overcome this difficult time.

The official said he hopes the countries’ governments would continue to coordinate, especially through mechanisms led by ASEAN, to facilitate the repatriation of their citizens and create favourable conditions for those who stay, especially international students, to have access to essential services.

For their part, the foreign diplomats thanked the Government and people of Vietnam for the support, emphasising that these medical supplies are not only valuable material support, but also vivid evidence of the friendship and reliable partnership between Vietnam and other countries.

The ambassadors praised Vietnam's success in dealing with the pandemic, saying that Vietnam is a typical model in this fight.

They affirmed that their countries will continue to work closely with Vietnam to minimise impacts of COVID-19 on socio-economic development, as well as to recover from the epidemic.

Previously, in April, the Vietnamese government also provided support for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to help them in their fights against the disease.