The Vietnamese government has donated 550,000 made-in-Vietnam anti-bacterial face masks to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, which are battered by the Covid-19 pandemic and in a critical shortage of medical supplies.

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung and four European ambassadors at the symbolic handover in Hanoi, April 7, 2020. Photo: Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the spirit of mutual support during hardship, the Vietnamese government has decided to make the donation to the five countries to aid their anti-pandemic efforts, said Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung at the symbolic handover ceremony in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Vietnam has established strategic partnerships with the five European nations, which have the highest tallies of coronavirus infections and deaths.

To Anh Dung stressed that during this global pandemic, no country alone can deal with the spread of the pandemic and strengthening international cooperation and unity is an important factor in the protection of people’s health and well-being.

Vietnam always stands ready share experience and collaborate with other countries and the international community, within bilateral and multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN-EU, the G20, and the UN, to push back the pandemic, added the Vietnamese diplomat.

For the part, the EU ambassadors extended their profound gratitude to the government and people of Vietnam for the gifts during this difficult time although the Southeast Asian country itself has limited resources to and is also struggling to deal with the pandemic.

They also thanked Vietnam for its care and treatment of European citizens who were found positive with the virus in the country.

Before this donation, Vietnam had sent medical equipment to China, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos.

Data: Vietnam's Ministry of Health. Chart: Minh Anh