Pope sends $117,400 to Vietnam in Covid aid

By Phan Anh August 25, 2021 | 12:59 am PT

Pope Francis is seen during the weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square, at the Vatican, February 27, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Yara Nardi

Pope Francis has sent €100,000 ($117,406) to Vietnam in an emergency aid amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vatican stated in a Tuesday press release.

The money was sent to the people of Vietnam who are "in a state of grave peril due to the socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic," according to the press release.

The funds were said to be part of an "initial aid package," the Vatican News reported. It would be administered through the embassy, according to Reuters.

Besides Vietnam, aid would also be sent to Haiti and Bangladesh, which are suffering from the aftermath of a recent earthquake and a tropical cyclone called Yaas, respectively. The earthquake struck Haiti on Aug. 14 and has killed over 2,000 people, while cyclone Yaas left tens of thousands of people homeless in Bangladesh last May.

Vietnam has recorded more than 365,000 local Covid-19 cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit the country in late April. A total 9,014 deaths have been recorded so far.