Hanoi, Jun 21 (IANS): Vietnam has received a fresh batch of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines as part of the country's efforts to fight the worst wave of the pandemic.

A brief handover ceremony was held at the Noi Bai International Airport here on Sunday, which was attended by Vietnam's Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Chinese Ambassador to Hanoi Xiong Bo, reports Xinhua news agency.

Vietnam pledges to quickly and safely administer the vaccines to those in need, Long said.

In his speech, Xiong said: "I believe this batch of vaccines will help both Vietnam's epidemic prevention and control and its socioeconomic development."

The handover of the vaccine came after Vietnam's Ministry of Health announced the approval of the jab for emergency use in the country on June 4.

The new wave began in Vietnam in late April.

The country has so far registered a total of 12,978 Covid-19 cases, including 9,943 detected since the start of the latest outbreak, according to the Ministry of Health.

The death toll stood at 64.