Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 13 continued to warn Vietnamese citizens not to travel to Lebanon, Iran, and Israel at this time as tensions are escalating in the Middle East.
Authorised by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, who is head of the steering committee for the protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad, the Consular Department, as the standing body of the steering committee, on August 13 chaired a meeting with heads of Vietnamese representative agencies in Israel, Iran and Egypt, which is concurrently in charge of Lebanon, and functional units under the ministry to discuss measures to protect Vietnamese citizens amidst tensions in the Middle East.
At the meeting, Vietnamese representative agencies updated developments, assessed and forecasted developments in the region in the coming time.
Regarding the situation of Vietnamese citizens, the representative agencies said that they have regularly coordinated with local authorities to update citizen warnings, and closely contact Vietnamese associations and groups in the host countries to learn about aspirations and wishes of overseas Vietnamese there and prepare citizen protection plans in case of emergency.
Based on the information provided by the representative agencies, the steering committee will complete citizen protection plans, including citizen evacuation plans, to submit to competent authorities for approval.
The ministry also continued advising Vietnamese citizens in the three countries to follow the security and safety guidelines and regulations set by the local authorities, and regularly check the warnings from the ministry via its Consular Department or the Vietnamese embassies in Egypt, Iran, Israel, and neighbouring countries for timely response.
For assistance, Vietnamese citizens should contact the following emergency hotlines - the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel: 972 50 818 6116; the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran: 98 21 224 11670; the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt, which is in charge of Lebanon: 20 1026 1398 69; or the citizen protection hotline of the Consular Department: 84 981 84 84 84 and its email: baohocongdan@gmail.com./.
