London authorities receive the face masks from Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

LONDON — The Embassy of Việt Nam in the UK handed over 135,000 antimicrobial face masks to authorities of London and Wales on Thursday (local time) to support the fight against COVID-19.

This is the first batch of a total of 500,000 masks from Việt Nam which will be sent to over 30 localities and organisations of the UK and Ireland.

At the handover ceremony, Ambassador Trần Ngọc An underlined the thriving and close-knit cooperation between Việt Nam and the UK, as the two countries are marking the 10th year of their bilateral strategic partnership this year.

The 500,000 masks from budget carrier Vietjet Air to the UK demonstrate the sound bilateral relations with proactive engagement of firms, organisations and people, he noted.

London is among the first UK localities to make wearing masks mandatory when using public transport, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Cheryl Dennis, head of Wales’ London Office, thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for the support and vowed to distribute the masks to the people in need. — VNS