Giving face masks for free in the northern province of Hà Giang. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Tâm

HÀ NỘI - Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Tuesday called on every Vietnamese citizen, especially businesspeople and overseas Vietnamese, to make donations to help fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Việt Nam Fatherland Front on Tuesday launched a ceremony to call on all citizens to make donations for COVID-19 prevention and control.

At the ceremony, PM Phúc encouraged all Vietnamese to make all-out efforts and take more drastic measures to contain the pandemic and also maintain socio-economic development.

He praised individuals and enterprises for donating money, contributing their time, efforts, experience and practical initiatives, saying such donations help promote unity, safety and humane actions among the community.

“No matter how old the donors are or what they do, these meaningful actions all start from their hearts… I believe that Việt Nam will be able to push back the pandemic, bring lives back to normal and recover production,” he said.

Enterprises and individuals have recently donated cash, face masks and medical equipment to join hands with the Government in fighting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

According to the Việt Nam Fatherland Front, as of Tuesday morning, enterprises and banks nationwide had donated VNĐ230.2 billion (US$10 million).

President of the Vietnamese Young Entrepreneur Association Đặng Hồng Anh said on March 13, the association mobilised VNĐ5 billion ($217,400) from its members to help produce 10,000 quick testing kits made by Vietnamese scientists.

Big corporations like FLC and Vingroup have donated billions of đồng to the health ministry.

TH True Milk last week donated 1 million cups of milk to people under quarantine, while Vinamilk donated VNĐ10 billion ($435,000) to buy equipment for quick testing.

Grab Vietnam gave 100,000 face masks for free to 33 healthcare centres in seven provinces bordering with China - Điện Biên, Cao Bằng, Hà Giang, Lạng Sơn, Lai Châu, Lào Cai and Quảng Ninh.

Vietlott granted electronic thermometers and hand sanitiser worth VNĐ100 million in total to the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc ($4,400).

Businesspeople and celebrities have also made donations.

A businesswoman of a company specialising in import-export activities in northern Bắc Giang Province donated 50 tonnes of rice for epidemic prevention centres and quarantine areas.

A young manager of a hotel in the central province of Hà Tĩnh stopped his hotel operation and made his hotel rooms free quarantine zones for those returning from epidemic-hit areas.

The Women’s Union of Đại Hiệp Commune, Đại Lộc District, central Quảng Nam Province called on its members to make more than 1,000 fabric face masks and gave them for free to locals.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc assigned the Ministry of Health to receive and manage the donations.

Vietnamese singer Hà Anh Tuấn was one of the first celebrities in Việt Nam to show kindness to community amid the pandemic.

He and his team donated three negative pressure airborne isolation rooms worth VNĐ650 million ($28,300) each, with one each in Hà Nội, HCM City and Quảng Ninh for quarantining COVID-19 patients or those suspected of infection.

Other celebrities like Chi Pu, Hồ Ngọc Hà, Tùng Dương, Tóc Tiên, Min, Hoàng Thùy Linh and Linh Nga have donated cash, protective clothes, face masks and hand sanitiser.

Overseas Vietnamese wishing to donate should get in touch with their local embassies or overseas Vietnamese associations in the country. Those in Việt Nam can contact the health ministry or Việt Nam Fatherland Front to pitch in. VNS