Belgian enterprises ready to support pandemic prevention in Vietnam

The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) and representatives from Nike Inc. would like to discuss the possibility of supporting Vietnam with COVID-19 prevention as well as testing equipment and factory cleaning equipment.

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien (R) and FESI General Secretary Jerome Pero at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien (R) and FESI General Secretary Jerome Pero at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

The information was discussed at a meeting held between Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and FESI General Secretary Jerome Pero and representatives from Nike in Brussels on September 9.

The meeting took place as part of the working visit to the European Union and Belgium by Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and a high-level delegation of the Vietnamese Government.

FESI General Secretary Jerome Pero shared the serious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and economies of countries worldwide, including Belgium and Vietnam, as well as the difficulties that Vietnam is facing.

He also expressed his belief that with the experience gained from pandemic prevention in the past period, Vietnam will certainly overcome the pandemic.

He noted that he is working with FESI’s partners to assist Vietnam in fighting the pandemic. FESI has also sent a letter to President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, proposing the provision of COVID-19 vaccines for Vietnam through the COVAX mechanism.

Minister Dien said that FESI and Nike have been partners accompanying Vietnam’s sporting goods and footwear production and exporting industry for years and Vietnam also plays an important role in the value chain of this industry.

He acknowledged the proposals of enterprises and agreed to support the reopening of production activities in Vietnam, hoping that FESI and Nike would have an effective voice with the EU and the US government to facilitate Vietnam’s earliest and fastest access to vaccine resources through COVAX or commercial mechanisms.

Dien added that for labour-intensive industries such as textiles, garments and footwear, securing a vaccine source for workers is a prerequisite and the basis for restoring and maintaining long-term production to adapt to and live together with the disease. Nike currently employs 150,000 workers in Vietnam.