Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan pose for a photo. Australia will donate AUD40 million, or some US$30 million, and 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam - PHOTO: VGP

HCMC - Australia has said it will donate AUD40 million, or some US$30 million, and 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Vietnam to help it stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking at a meeting with Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan at the Government’s headquarters in Hanoi on July 13, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh expressed his gratitude to Australia for its donation to Vietnam amid the raging Covid-19 outbreak.

Minister Dan Tehan said that Australia’s donation reflected the close relationship between the two countries. Australia pledges to continue accompanying Vietnam in the fight against Covid-19, the local media reported.

The strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia has been developing strongly, with two-way trade rising an impressive 40% in the first five months of 2021, said the deputy prime minister.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Minh also expected the two countries to soon complete the signing of 2021 strategic cooperation agreements to move toward sustainable development after the pandemic.

Besides, the deputy prime minister proposed Australia open its door wider to Vietnamese farm produce and encourage Australian firms to do business in Vietnam and offer support in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture and human resources.

In April, Australia and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund donated AUD13.5 million, or VND241 billion, to Vietnam for the country’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

Vietnam targets to vaccinate 70% of its population to reach herd immunity against Covid-19 by April 2022, so it will need 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine. This year, the country expects to receive 105 million doses.