UK thanks Vietnam for treating British Covid-19 patients

In a phone call to Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Dominic Raab expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the dedication of the Vietnamese authorities and doctors who treated British Covid-19 patients.

He also feted Vietnam on its impressive success in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that the UK had placed Vietnamese citizens on the non-quarantine list of people entering the country.

Vietnam has treated 20 British Covid-19 patients, including "Patient 91", a Scottish pilot, according to its Health Ministry.

"Patient 91", the country's most critically ill Covid-19 patient, was declared fully recovered from the disease on July 6. After spending nearly four months in treatment, 43-year-old Stephen Cameron returned home Sunday.

Vietnam has recorded 372 cases as of Monday, with 350 recoveries and not a single death.

Deputy PM Minh said the two countries should increase exchanges and maintain cooperation mechanisms, including strategic dialogue at the deputy-ministerial level towards signing the U.K.-Vietnam free trade agreement.

Raab said the U.K. considers Vietnam an important partner in Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia and wished to deepen the UK - Vietnam Strategic Partnership in all areas and bilateral cooperation to maintain momentum as the U.K. departs from the E.U.

Appreciating Vietnam's efforts as the ASEAN Chair and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council this year, Raab said the U.K. would continue cooperating closely with Vietnam at multilateral frameworks and international forums.

He also affirmed that the U.K. supported the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, as well as compliance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.