Vietnam offers $200,000 in aid to Cambodia's Covid fight

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung ceremonially gave the money to Cambodian ambassador in Vietnam Chay Navuth, saying Vietnam hopes the support would help Cambodia curb the pandemic, stabilize the situation and recover economically.

He said Vietnam highly values the fact that Cambodia has begun its Covid-19 vaccination program for diplomats, including employees of Vietnam's representative entities in Cambodia.

Chay Navuth thanked Vietnam for its help, stressing that the aid is an important asset for the country’s fight against current local Covid-19 outbreaks.

In April last year, Vietnam has provided medical equipment, including protective suits, masks and Covid-19 test kits worth over VND7 billion ($303,574) to Cambodia.

Cambodia has so far recorded over 2,400 Covid-19 cases, with 14 deaths. While it is one of the few countries in Asia to not suffer severely from the pandemic, the number of new cases in Cambodia has risen quickly since the end of February, when outbreaks involving Chinese groups in Phnom Penh were detected.