Vietnam envoy thanks India for delivering COVID relief aid; 'We will never forget this'

Vietnam’s Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau on September 1 expressed gratitude to New Delhi for delivering COVID-19 relief aid to Hanoi amid the pandemic. While speaking to ANI in New Delhi, the Vietnamese envoy said, “We are grateful that the Indian government delivered oxygen and oxygen concentrators just in time to save thousands of lives. It was delivered by an Indian Navy ship. We will never forget this. A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

Earlier, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also thanked India for sending 300 oxygen concentrators and 100 MT of liquid medical oxygen amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday welcomed the “warm message” from his Vietnamese counterpart. Jaishankar said that he is confident regarding the India-Vietnam partnership growing “from strength to strength”

Earlier on August 30, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release that its INS Airavat had reached Ho Chi Minh City Port in Vietnam with COVID-19 relief materials as part of the ongoing 'Mission SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region). At the request of the Vietnamese government, the Ministry said on Monday, the ship carried 100 Metric Tons of Liquid Medical Oxygen in 05 ISO Containers. Apart from this, it also carried 300 Oxygen Concentrators of 10 LPM capacity to help the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On Monday, Jaishankar had also informed about the development, and said, "INS Airavat reaches Vietnam with oxygen supplies. Indo-Pacific approach in practice [sic]." Before heading to Vietnam, the ship had gone to Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta on August 24 at the request of the Government of Indonesia. The ship delivered 10 Liquid Medical Oxygen containers to the country, according to the Defence Ministry's release.

Indian Navy engaged in ‘Mission SAGAR’

As per the ongoing ‘Mission SAGAR’ program of the government, the Indian Navy has carried out several humanitarian aids to help other nations in their fight against the health crisis that originated in China in December 2019. These missions span the entire extent of the Indian Ocean, including South East Asia and East Africa. Sharing a strong traditional bond of friendship, India and Vietnam have been proactively engaged together towards a safer maritime domain.

Apart from India providing aid to Vietnam on Monday, the Navies of both nations have been involved in several joint exercises. As per news agency ANI, India and Vietnam’s areas of cooperation include training programmes in the fields of the submarine, aviation and technical training. 

With inputs from ANI

IMAGE: ANI/Twitter