The Vietnam Ministry of Health will provide Cambodia with SARS-CoV-2 test kits worth VND5 billion (more than US$ 211,400), said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during a reception in Hanoi on March 27 for Cambodian Ambassador Chay Navuth who paid a courtesy visit.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) hosts Cambodian Ambassador Chay Navuth

The Cambodian diplomat thanked the Vietnamese Government for providing his nation with medical equipment worth USD100,000 to help prevent the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Vietnamese cabinet leader told his guest about his recent phone talk with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the COVID-19 fight, and Vietnam’s decision to offer the medical aid to Cambodia.

PM Phuc highlighted the biggest outcome of bilateral cooperation last year with the signing of legal documents acknowledging the achievements in land border delimitation and border marker planting. He asked the Cambodian side to intensify border control for epidemic prevention while still facilitating cross-border trade activities between the nations.

PM Phuc also suggested stepping up cooperation in finance and transport, and promised to help Cambodia increase personnel training in the field of security-defence.

Ambassador Chay Navuth expressed his impression with Vietnam’s development across a variety of fields, particularly last year’s economic growth of over 7 percent. He thanked the Vietnamese Government for its provision of medical supplies for Cambodia to combat the COVID-19 epidemic.

Chay Navuth thanked Vietnam for helping the Cambodian people escape the Pol Pot genocidal regime before and offering scholarships to Cambodian students, especially in the areas of security and national defence. 

The ambassador pledged to serve as a bridge for the further promotion of sound relations of neighborliness, traditional friendship and long-term sustainable and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.