The Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines has got in touch with about 100 Vietnamese citizens stranded in Tacloban city, Leyte province, the Philippines due to the recent devastating super typhoon Haiyan.

Through a hotline in the country, the embassy has asked them to stay together in the city’s downtown area so that rescue staff can reach them more easily.

The Vietnamese Embassy has also proposed the Philippine army – the major storm rescue force – to allow the embassy staff to directly reach the site to support the Vietnamese citizens.

The Philippine army said it will create all favourable conditions for the embassy to carry relief stuff to Tacloban by special airplane C-130.

All necessary relief like medicines, clothes and food have been readied to send to the site, the embassy said.

According to Ambassador Truong Trieu Duong, all communication systems of the Philippines have not yet been recovered, while all airports have been seriously damaged. The relief aid will be carried to an airport near Tacloban before reaching the Vietnamese citizens by other means of transport.

The embassy will continue coordinating with authorised agencies in the Philippines to update the situation of the Vietnamese people there to give prompt and timely support, he added.

A working group was also formed to connect with the Vietnamese community to keep track of the situation.

The embassy has not recorded any deaths in the Vietnamese community in the Philippines caused by super typhoon Haiyan, which the country fears could have cost 10,000 livesin the central Philippine province of Leyte after making landfall on November 8.

Earlier, it sent diplomatic notes to the host country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Coast Guards and Naval Force to provide information and help Vietnamese fishing boats shelter from typhoon Haiyan.

Vietnam has sent initial emergency aid worth 100,000 USD to the Philippines to help typhoon victims.-VNA