The first batch of Vietnamese medical equipment is being transported by FedEx airline and is expected to arrive in the United States on April 8 in a bid to support the US in their ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Medical workers at a hospital  in New York (Photo: VNA)

The shipment includes more than 450,000 pieces of made-in-Vietnam DuPont protective clothing and is one of the two shipments that is being sent to the US. 

Upon arrival, the goods will be handed over to the US Strategic National Stockpile which is responsibly for addressing which place is most in need of the medical protective equipment on the frontline as health workers battle the COVID-19.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been collaborating alongside Vietnamese authorities to strictly monitor and deal with the impacts caused by the global pandemic.

Both sides have been in constant contact and have exchanged information in an attempt to prevent the COVID-19, including progress on the research and development of vaccines and other suitable medicines.

Over the past two decades, the US has spent over US$706 million providing medical assistance for Vietnam.

Whilst during the previous ten years, the US has also offered significant technical and financial support to the country in a bid to help cope with new infectious diseases. 

In recent times, the USAID has unveiled an additional US$2.9 million in medical assistance for the Vietnamese government.              

With the COVID-19 epidemic spreading globally and the demand for medical protective products increasing in the US, Vietnam's medical supplies outlines the country's mutual support of international partners and proves its contribution to the global efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.