Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Nguyen Thi Bich Hue (right) presents face masks to a representative of Dante Center (Photo: Ngu Binh/VNA)

Ambassador Hue said the Vietnamese government has presented Italy more than 100,000 face masks. Another 23,000 face masks, 500 protective suits, and 400 mica face shields have been donated by businesses, organizations, and individuals in Vietnam. The Vietnam-Italy Friendship Association has given Italy 8,500 face masks.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio expressed their thanks to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the Vietnamese government and people for standing side by side with Italy in the fight against COVID-19.

Italy is currently the world's third most infected country with the coronavirus virus, following the US and Spain. It has recorded 218,268 infection cases and 30,395 deaths.