HCMC – A batch of 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine donated by South Korea will arrive in Vietnam tomorrow, October 13, South Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh-wan told a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh today.
Apart from shipping the 1.1 million doses to Vietnam today, South Korea also transported 470,000 doses to Thailand on the day.
This is the first time South Korea has made direct vaccine donations to other nations, except for its financial support through the COVAX Facility.
Speaking at the event, the prime minister thanked the South Korean Government for its donation, hoping the country would continue supporting Vietnam in the fight against Covid-19 as Vietnam is speeding up its vaccination drive to help the economy recover and bring life back to normal.
South Korea will continue to provide Vietnam with medical equipment and Covid vaccines in the coming time, said the South Korean representative.
Vietnam is one of South Korea’s leading strategic investment and trade partners, said the South Korean ambassador, adding that despite the pandemic, bilateral trade has risen by 18%, the Government’s news site reported.
During his talks with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s 76th session in September, South Korean President Moon Jae In announced the vaccine donation plan to Vietnam.
The decision to donate the vaccine doses to Vietnam and Thailand was based on the safety of South Korean citizens living there, the Covid situations of the two countries and the diplomatic policies, Tuoi Tre Online reported, citing the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
