Vietnam helping out India overwhelmed by the pandemic
Vietnam has sent two shipments of aid with ventilators, oxygen generators, cylinders and protective masks worth US$ 1.5 million. The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has led the way in raising funds and collecting material. India’s ambassador to Vietnam is grateful.
Hanoi (AsiaNews) – Vietnam is facing its fourth COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, but appears again able to contain the spread of the virus and prevent a surge of infections and deaths.
As a result, the Vietnamese government and Vietnamese Buddhist associations have come to India's aid, which is struggling to cope with a full scale emergency and a healthcare system on the verge of collapse.
The Vietnamese Embassy in India donated 109 ventilators and 50 oxygen generators for the most serious cases, delivered last Friday at Indira Gandhi International Airport to local authorities.
In the coming days, a second shipment should arrive with 100 ventilators, 275 oxygen generators, 1,300 oxygen cylinders and 50,000 protective masks. In this case, the Indian Navy is set to deliver the material from Hồ Chí Minh City to Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The total value of the aid is .5 million and is entrusted to the Indian Red Cross through the Vietnamese Buddhist Church and the India-Vietnam Friendship Association.
The Buddhist Church is one of the most active organisations. It donated medical supplies in a ceremony held on 12 May to support India in its fight against COVID-19.
Venerable Thích Thanh Nhiễu, permanent vice chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), said that the material was collected thanks to the generosity of “Buddhist monks, nuns, and lay people, including Vietnamese students and former students to India.”
He also noted that he was confident that “soon” India and Vietnam will be able to put the health emergency behind them, which he bluntly calls “the disaster of the century”.
Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma stressed that his country “is facing a huge domestic challenge” and is grateful to the Buddhist Sangha for donating “medical supplies to meet immediate needs”.
This, he added, is a sign “of humanity and friendship” that confirms the “strategic relationship” between the two countries.
For his part, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng confirmed that “The COVID-19 pandemic is breaking out for the fourth time in Vietnam.”
With respect to India, he said that he was confident that with the “great capacity of its pharmaceutical and medical industry, with persistent efforts, the country and the Indian people will soon overcome current challenges” and “restore its socio-economic development.”
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28/09/2021 12:56
07/07/2021 10:07
