The tense Middle East war has led to a series of consequences, tourism and aviation activities around the world have been affected. Among the tens of thousands of stranded tourists in Middle Eastern countries, there are many Vietnamese tourists waiting to return home.
Mr. Nguyen Duy An (23 years old, Hanoi) had a business trip to Barcelona (Spain) but was stranded in Dubai (UAE) for more than three days since February 28. According to the initial schedule, Duy An transited Dubai for 22 hours before flying further to Spain.
He spent time exploring the magnificent city, taking check-in photos with the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa. But unfortunately, the male tourist received news that the airspace was closed due to the war. He was forced to extend his stay at the hotel and wait for information from the airline. All luggage was checked in.
On the first day of being stuck in Dubai, Duy An had to move continuously according to the emergency warning on his phone. Sensing very clearly the explosion from afar hitting the glass door in the hotel room, he almost couldn't sleep for the first 2 days.
He said: "On Tuesday, I still heard loud noises and airplane noises, but in my observation, no explosions occurred. This morning, I received a notice from the UAE sent to everyone's phone that the situation has stabilized.
The hotel does not have a shelter, so every time we receive an emergency notice, we will go down to the 1st floor lobby. I don't dare to go anywhere, just move around in the hotel. The hotel where I currently stay still supports room and food costs according to the airline," Duy An added.
Sharing the same situation as Duy An, Trinh Duc's initial schedule (26 years old, Hanoi) was a transit in Doha (Qatar) on the way to Spain. However, the plane had to make an emergency landing in Muscat (Oman) because war broke out in the Middle East on February 28.
He shared: "In Oman, we were informed that this is a safe area. However, I only moved around the hotel area within a radius of less than 1km to go shopping for necessary items because currently my suitcase is still deposited at the airline. The airline still supports room and hotel meal costs up to 5.3 - my flight back day".
In addition, Mr. Duc booked a flight back to Vietnam on March 6. Many other foreign colleagues who were stranded on this flight with him have booked tickets to return to their homeland early.
During my stay here for a few days, I learned that Muslims in Oman are performing fasting rituals during Ramanda month. Perhaps that's why the streets are quite deserted," the male tourist expressed.
Both tourists continuously receive greetings from family and friends these days, so they do not feel lonely in a foreign land. Therefore, the two boys always want to receive good information from the local authorities so that they can return to their homeland soon.
Nearly 13,000 flights have been canceled across the GCC countries and the Middle East since the military conflict between the US, Israel and Iran broke out on February 28, according to the Khaleej Times.
The Dubai Ministry of Economy and Tourism said that from March 1 to now, about 17,980 passengers have been transported by air. More than 80 additional flights are expected to transport more than 27,000 passengers.
The government affirmed that in the UAE, the security and safety situation is still stable and daily life is still normal. Public services, transportation networks, accommodation facilities and essential infrastructure are operating without interruption.
The Dubai Ministry of Economy and Tourism said that sometimes, people and tourists may hear noises in certain areas - sounds "related to defense measures taken by the national security system".
Visitors are advised to regularly check flight status directly on the airline's website, ensuring that personal contact information is updated accurately and only arrive at the airport after receiving flight confirmation.
Implementing the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism requests international travel service businesses to proactively and regularly monitor and update the developments in conflict areas; Iran, Israel and the nearby Middle East region; seriously implement the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Request international travel service businesses to stop and not organize tourism programs to dangerous war zones.
In case there are still delegations of tourists in affected areas, maintain regular contact with partners and Vietnamese diplomatic missions in the host country to ensure the safety of tourists and implement necessary citizen protection measures.
In necessary cases, it is necessary to promptly report to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism to coordinate in resolving incidents.
