NDO/VNA – The Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association on April 21 presented medical supplies to help Lao people, especially doctors and nurses who are directly involved in preventing and combating the COVID-19.

Minister of Information and Communications and Vice President of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association Nguyen Manh Hung handed over the gifts to the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association through the Lao Embassy in Hanoi.

The medical supplies include 500 protective suits and 18,500 face masks, including 17,500 medical masks and 1,000 antibacterial cloth masks.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Minister Hung said that the gifts, despite being small, deeply reflected the sentiments of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association members toward the Lao people, contributing to promoting the special solidarity between the two nations and affirming their commitment to holding hands to overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He showed his belief that despite those difficulties, the two countries will actively promote the cause of national development, construction and defence to reap bigger achievements for the happiness and prosperity of their people.

For his part, Laos Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang expressed his sincere thanks to the Vietnamese people and the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association for their valuable affections given to the Lao people.

100,000 face masks presented to Indian people

On the same day, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung, who also chairs the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, presented 100,000 antibacterial cloth masks to Indian Ambassador Pranay Verma to assist the South Asian nation in the fight against COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the biggest challenges the humankind has faced over the last 100 years, he said, noting that Vietnam and India can share many practical experiences and valuable lessons to jointly defeat this outbreak.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung (fourth from right), who also chairs the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, presents 100,000 antibacterial cloth masks to Indian Ambassador Pranay Verma on April 21, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Lam Thao)

The official added with the wish to help India prevent the disease, the Vietnam-India Friendship Association has called on businesses in the information and communications sector to donate 100,000 antibacterial cloth masks to the Indian people.

The small gifts demonstrate the Vietnamese people’s solidarity and friendship with their Indian peers, he noted.

Offering thanks to the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, Ambassador Verma said the face masks will be distributed widely to the Indian people.

He also said the Vietnamese and Indian Prime Ministers held phone talks on April 13 during which they agreed that their agencies would keep in touch in the time ahead to coordinate the countries’ response measures against the pandemic and boost cooperation in other spheres of bilateral ties.

In an earlier meeting with Ambassador Verma, Minister Hung touched upon the big changes in social activities amid the COVID-19 outbreak such as working from home, online learning, e-payment, and online health checkup.

Vietnam plans to put the 5G network and devices into operation this October. Meanwhile, India is known as a software workshop of the world. Therefore, he said he hopes IT businesses of the two countries will enhance collaboration in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and dealing with global issues like cyber security.

Verma also shared his views on current technological issues like 5G technology, e-Government building and IT manpower training which, he believes, Vietnam and India have their own advantages in, and can work together for common development.

Vietnam offers medical supplies to foreign armies

The Ministry of Defence and its units have offered medical supplies to the armies of China, Laos, Cuba, Germany, Hungary, and Cambodia in support of their fight against COVID-19.

Worth nearly VND19 billion (US$826,000), the supplies include gloves, face masks, protective suits, thermometers, and hand sanitiser, among others.

The offer is part of the Vietnamese army’s efforts to join hands with its foreign counterparts to drive back COVID-19, protecting people’s health and ensuring socio-economic development.

Source: Nhan dan news