Vietnam to receive one million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Japan today

Japan is supporting the COVID-19 fight in Vietnam with one million vaccine doses

At a news conference yesterday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said: "After a thorough consideration of the infection situation in Vietnam, the shortage of vaccines, and relationship with Japan, we have come to donate one million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the country."

The provision of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and produced under licence in Japan came in response to a request from Vietnam. It follows Japan's donation of 1.24 million shots to Taiwan earlier in the month.

Vietnam has been facing a resurgence of infections since April, with its health authorities reporting a hybrid coronavirus variant that combines characteristics of strains first detected in Britain and India.

In Vietnam yesterday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Japanese Ambassador Yamada Takio. Following phone calls of State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and PM Pham Minh Chinh with Japanese PM Suga Yoshihide, the Japanese ambassador has sent the message of PM Suga Yoshihide to his Vietnamese counterpart that the Japanese government decided to donate one million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Vietnam today (June 16, 2021).

At the meeting, Ambassador Yamada highlighted that the donation proves the deep friendship of the two countries. Tokyo is looking to support other countries, including Vietnam, and then Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand to overcome the health crisis.

The ambassador also announced that Japanese associations and 36 enterprises have collected VND39.2 billion ($1.7 million) for the COVID-19 vaccine fund of the Vietnamese government, and the amount will rise.

PM Chinh thanked PM Suga, the government and people of Japan for the donation, calling it a precious and timely gift, a beautiful gesture, reflecting sympathy and friendship by the governments and peoples of the two countries.

The PM also thanked foreign associations and enterprises in Vietnam, including Japanese ones, and proposed the Japanese government and authorities to transfer vaccine production technologies to Vietnam.

The PM asked to promote bilateral trade activities, especially exporting Vietnamese goods like agricultural produce, seafood, and fruits to Japan, even in e-commerce; as well as called more Japanese investors into Vietnam, especially in infrastructure and other sectors that are a particular strength of Japan.