The government of Vietnam has decided to purchase 20 million Vero Cell vaccine jabs developed by China’s Sinopharm, according to a resolution issued on Wednesday.

The government will select qualified bidders to sign deals with the Chinese side as per the Law on Bidding, the resolution said.

It has accepted a disclaimer for claims related to the use of the Vero Cell vaccine as part of the deals with the vaccine developer, China National Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. (Sinopharm). 

The signing, validity, interpretation, performance, and dispute settlement of the vaccine contract shall be governed by the laws of China.

In case of failure to resolve any dispute, it will be resolved by China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission in Beijing.

The Vietnamese government has also accepted the payment method set for the purchase.

The Ministry of Health is required to promptly proceed with the procurement and to ensure the effective use of the vaccine in the fight against COVID-19.

The ministry has approved eight COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in the country, namely the UK’s AstraZeneca, China’s Sinopharm, Russia’s Sputnik V, the UAE’s Hayat-Vax, Cuba’s Abdala, and three U.S. products including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

The government has so far approved the purchase of more than 51 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, over 30 million AstraZeneca jabs, 10 million Cuban-made shots, among others.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Nano Covax vaccine is undergoing the procedures to be authorized for emergency use as the first made-in-Vietnam COVID-19 vaccine, having gone through successful trials.

Vietnam has targeted to secure 150 million coronavirus doses to inoculate two-thirds of its 98-million population, and it has received around 50 million jabs from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contractual purchases, and donations.

The country has administered some nearly 28.3 million first shots and almost 6.9 million second doses since the immunization commenced on March 8, the health ministry reported on Wednesday.

Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the Southeast Asian country has registered 718,963 infection cases, including 487,262 recoveries and 17,781 fatalities, in 62 out of the country’s 63 cities and provinces, the ministry said.

Cao Bang Province, where strict measures for COVID-19 prevention have been applied, is the only locality staying free from COVID-19 in Vietnam.

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