The rapid antigen test kits, worth around US$500,000, were donated by the states of Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Sachsen-Anhalt.
At the handover ceremony held in Hanoi on July 2, Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong thanked the German Government and people for their precious and effective assistance to Vietnam’s healthcare sector in the recent past, expressing his hope that medical cooperation between the two countries will continue developing in the time ahead.
The test kits will be distributed to provinces and cities facing complex pandemic developments to serve in the fight against COVID-19, he added.
He also noted that in 2020, when the pandemic first broke out in Germany, the Vietnamese Government presented 100,000 face masks to its German counterpart. Besides this, Vietnamese people in the European nation also donated 100,000 masks to German states while making face masks and offering free meals to medical establishments and rest homes in the country.
German Ambassador to Vietnam Guido Hildner said the test kits are part of Germany’s support via the WUS, which calls on the administrations in German states to make more donations to provide Vietnam with about 1 million rapid COVID-19 test kits in the coming time.
The aid reflects the solidarity between the two countries, not only at the governmental level but also at state level, he emphasised.
The diplomat also expressed his impression of the positive results the Government of Vietnam has achieved in their fight against the pandemic, while thanking the Vietnamese community in Germany for their support in the host country during these difficult times amid the epidemic.
Meanwhile, in Germany, in response to the call of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Letter of Appeal from the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, many Vietnamese associations and individuals as well as German friends have made donations to join hands and support the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam, contributing to its COVID-19 vaccine fund.
As of July 1, the embassy has received a total of 20,970 euros (about VND550 million) in contributions for domestic epidemic prevention and control work.
The embassy regularly updates its information on the donation and support on its website at http://www.vietnambotschaft.org.
