Providing the latest update on citizen protection work in the face of the conflict between Iran and Israel at a press conference on the afternoon of October 17, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said that according to the latest information from Vietnamese representative agencies in the Middle East, Vietnamese citizens are currently safe.
"Vietnamese representative agencies in the region continuously update people with new information and warn them to closely monitor the situation, pay attention to their movements, and proactively move to subway stations for shelter in case of emergency," said Ms. Pham Thu Hang.
Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang informed that there are more than 700 Vietnamese citizens in Israel, 13 Vietnamese citizens in Lebanon and 8 Vietnamese citizens in Iran.
Implementing the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese representative agencies in the Middle East continue to closely coordinate with local authorities and community leaders to update the situation, proactively and regularly visit and encourage the Vietnamese community in conflict areas; and plan to prepare protection and evacuation plans for citizens if necessary.
Also at the press conference, regarding information about two Vietnamese citizens missing while fishing in Japan, Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that on the evening of October 12, four Vietnamese citizens were swept away by waves while fishing in the sea of Kamisu city, Ibaraki province (eastern Japan).
"Japanese authorities have found two people in stable health condition and are working to search for the remaining missing people," said Ms. Hang.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed Vietnamese representative agencies in Japan to urgently coordinate with local authorities to investigate the incident and coordinate to verify the identities and support search and rescue of the victims.
According to Kamisu city police, the search operation will be conducted within a week, mobilizing two helicopters, a local coast guard ship and dozens of rescue workers.
