Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung thanked the French and Italian governments and people for supporting Vietnam in the COVID-19 fight.

This is evidence of the dynamic development of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the two European countries as well as their friendship and solidarity to overcome the pandemic, he stated.

Dung spoke highly of the initiative to set up the COVAX mechanism to ensure fair and equal access to COVID-19 vaccines in the globe, with France and Italy being among leading EU donors.

On behalf of the COVAX mechanism, Dr. Kidong Park, World Health Oganisation Representative in Vietnam, thanked France and Italy for providing the vaccine to Vietnam through COVAX, noting that so far, Vietnam has received 11.7 million of COVID-19 vaccine doses via the mechanism.

So far, France and Italy have been the leading providers of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam among EU countries./.

VNA