Regarding the protection of Vietnamese citizens in Syria amid the complicated political and security situation in this Middle Eastern country, the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran and Syria said on the morning of December 8 that the Embassy has asked the Syrian side to provide information about Vietnamese citizens who may be living, working and studying in Syria, and at the same time requested local authorities to take measures to support the protection of Vietnamese citizens (if any).
However, according to the Embassy, the Syrian side announced that they have not yet received specific information about Vietnamese people living in Syria.
Previously, the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran, which is also in Syria, provided the Embassy's citizen protection phone numbers to Syrian authorities and made public the phone numbers for Vietnamese citizens to contact in case of emergency protection.
The Embassy is also in close contact with the Philippine Embassies in Iran and Syria to request assistance in protecting citizens in case of emergency.
The Philippines is currently evacuating its citizens from Syria. The embassy has also posted information advising citizens about the situation in Syria on its website.
Due to the complicated situation and the possibility of further escalation between rebel forces and the Syrian Government army, the Embassy warns Vietnamese citizens not to travel to Syria at this time.
In case Vietnamese citizens are in Syria, they need to urgently evacuate people and assets to a third country or return to Vietnam.
In case of emergency, the Embassy recommends that citizens contact the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran and Syria via the citizen protection hotline +98 933 965 8252/+98 991 205 7570 (Whatsapp); or the Citizen Protection Hotline of the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: +84 981 84 84 84.
On December 8, Syrian rebels announced the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, ending his 50-year family dynasty in a lightning attack.
According to two senior Syrian military officers, President Assad boarded a plane leaving Damascus for an unknown location that morning.
