Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs donated 550,000 cloth face masks to the ambassadors of five European countries to help them fight the novel coronavirusat a ceremony organized in Hanoi on Tuesday, according to the World & Vietnam Report.

The Vietnamese-made face masks, which can bar droplets, were given to the diplomats from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, all presently battered by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the World & Vietnam Report, which is the official press agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Government Office, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, and the head of the EU delegation to Vietnam.

The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted sufferings on the global community, including Europe, Deputy Minister Dung was quoted as saying.

The Vietnamese government has shared part of its resources with the said countries in hopes that they will get over the current challanges, he said.

No country can deal with this global health crisis alone, the Vietnamese diplomat remarked, adding that unity and cooperation are integral to protecting the health and safety of the people and helping cushion the immense impacts caused by the virus.

Vietnam stands ready to cooperate with the international community to contain the pandemic, the deputy minister underlined.

The ambassadors appreciated the assistance and thanked the Vietnamese government for it, expressing their gratitude to Vietnam, a country that is battling COVID-19 itself.

They underscored that their countries would continue cooperating with Vietnam in ensuring healthcare and safety for citizens as well as in trade and information sharing in order to overcome difficulties.

Vietnam has confirmed 249 COVID-19 cases, 122 of them having made a full recovery.

No fatality traced to the disease has been recorded in the Southeast Asian country to date.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are the country's epicenters, accounting for more than half of the number of patients. 

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