US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink has commended the Vietnamese government for its efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and affirmed that his country will support Vietnam in this fight.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Dan Kritenbrink speaks at Hanoi University in November 2018. Photo: Minh Tuan/Hanoitimes

“I also want to commend the Government of Vietnam, which has done an outstanding job in its response to Covid-19 and continues to be proactive, cooperative, and transparent,” Kritenbrink said in a video clip filed on the embassy’s Facebook page.

According to the ambassador, since the beginning of this crisis, the health team, both in the US embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, has been collaborating with the Vietnamese government to monitor and respond to the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The US has invested more than US$706 million over the past 20 years in health assistance in Vietnam and has provided substantial technical and financial support over the last decade to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and serious infectious diseases.

That work has helped establish connections between American and Vietnamese health professionals that are instrumental as both countries are fighting this epidemic. “We will continue this important work as the Covid-19 crisis continues, and even after it is resolved,” the ambassador said.

In contribution to the fight against Covid-19 in Vietnam, the ambassador tipped that all of the US mission staff are working from home as much as they can in accordance with guidance from both the Vietnamese government and the US Centers for Disease Control. “It is just one way that we are doing our part to slow the spread of Covid-19 here,” the ambassador added.

“It is the challenging time. As strong partners, the US and Vietnam will get through this together… Partners stand together and we stand together with Vietnam in this fight,” he concluded.