EU vaccine, equipment donations arrive in Hanoi

These AstraZeneca doses and medical equipment were pledged during a European trip by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

The vaccine doses were handed over to Health Minister Pham Thanh Long, together with medical equipment donated by various organizations and the overseas Vietnamese community in Europe.

Vaccines and medical equipment donated by European countries and the overseas Vietnamese community in Europe arrive in Hanoi, September 12, 2021. Photo by VnExpess/Giang Huy

During Hue’s trip, several deals related to Covid-19 test kits and vaccine production were signed, said Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for External Relations.

One of these was between a Vietnamese firm and a Spanish partner to conduct clinical trials, produce and purchase 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Another firm inked a deal with French biotech company Xenothera SAS to conduct clinical trials for a Covid-19 treatment method.

Hue led a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on a week-long (September 5-11) EU visit to attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5) in Austria, work with the European Parliament (EP), and pay official visits to Belgium and Finland.

Vietnam aims to raise 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to inoculate 70 percent of its 96-million population in order to achieve herd immunity by April next year.

So far, almost 22.4 million people have been vaccinated, with over 4.7 million getting two doses.