On the afternoon of September 19, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang stated Vietnam's viewpoint on the series of explosions of communication equipment in Lebanon and updated the situation of Vietnamese citizens in Lebanon and Israel.
Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said: "Vietnam is closely following and deeply concerned about recent developments in the Middle East. Vietnam calls on relevant parties to exercise restraint, end conflicts, increase dialogue to resolve disagreements by peaceful means, in compliance with international law and the United Nations Charter, for the benefit of the people, for peace and stability in the region and the world."
Regarding citizen protection work, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam emphasized that according to the latest information from Vietnamese representative agencies in Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Israel, the situation of Vietnamese citizens in these areas is still safe and stable.
"Following the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnamese representative agencies in Egypt and Lebanon, and the Vietnamese diplomatic representative agencies in Iran and Israel continue to closely coordinate with local agencies to closely monitor the situation, proactively develop and deploy citizen protection plans, including plans to evacuate citizens from dangerous areas," said Ms. Pham Thu Hang.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recommends that Vietnamese citizens in these countries regularly monitor information from local authorities, warnings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative agencies in the localities to respond promptly.
In case Vietnamese citizens need assistance, they can contact the citizen protection hotline of Vietnamese representative agencies in the above countries as well as the citizen protection hotline of the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also at the press conference, providing information on citizen protection work in the fishing boat capsize off the coast of Gunsan, South Korea on the morning of September 17, Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang informed that in the fishing boat capsize, South Korean police rescued 8 people, including 3 Vietnamese.
"Immediately after receiving information from Korean authorities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea requested Korean authorities to treat the Vietnamese crew members and at the same time coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure the prescribed regime for the Vietnamese crew members. Up to now, it has been determined that there are no other crew members besides these three crew members. Currently, all three crew members are being treated in the hospital and are in stable health," said Ms. Hang.
