United States President Donald Trump posted a tweet on Thursday in which he thanked Vietnam for its coordination with two U.S. firms to ship 450,000 protective suits to U.S. health workers to protect against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

“This morning, 450,000 protective suits landed in Dallas, Texas. This was made possible because of the partnership of two great American companies – DuPont and FedEx – and our friends in Vietnam. Thank you!” President Trump tweeted.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the Vietnamese government played an integral role in expediting the transport of the support package.

The 450,000 protective suits were manufactured by DuPont in Vietnam and transported by a FedEx-operated aircraft from Hanoi on April 7.

The suits will be added to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile and distributed to front-line health workers in the country’s fight against COVID-19.

According to U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink, the shipment is proof of the strong ties between Hanoi and Washington, and will be helpful for front-line health workers in the U.S.

The two governments have been cooperating extensively in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, Kritenbrink said, adding that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Agency for International Development have been collaborating with Vietnam to monitor and promptly respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation.

The two countries’ investments in each other have proven fruitful during this crucial time, the diplomat stated, adding that the relationship between Vietnamese and U.S. health experts has played an important part in the fight against COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 1.5 million people and killed more than 88,500 globally as of Thursday afternoon, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnam has announced 251 COVID-19 patients so far, with 128 having recovered. No fatality related to the disease has been reported in the country to date.

The U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the world, with over 435,000 cases. More than 14,700 people have been killed by the disease in the country.

USAID previously provided US$2.9 million in health assistance to help the Vietnamese government prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and event-based surveillance, as well as support technical experts for response and preparedness, risk communication, and infection prevention and control.

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