Hanoi (VNA) - In recent days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), relevant ministries and agencies of Vietnam have held discussions and thoroughly studied plans for the safe evacuation of Vietnamese citizens and their assets from Israel and Iran to a third country or back to Vietnam, according to the MoFA’s spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang.

Responding to a reporter’s question at the ministry's regular press briefing on June 19 regarding citizen protection efforts in the two Middle East countries amidst their escalating conflict, Hang said that on June 13, the ministry issued a notice advising Vietnamese citizens living, studying, and working in Israel and Iran to comply with local authorities’ regulations and safety guidelines; and stay in contact and closely follow warnings from the MoFA and Vietnamese representative agencies in the two countries.

She cited statistics from Vietnamese diplomatic missions in Israel and Iran as saying that there are currently over 700 Vietnamese citizens in Israel and 37 Vietnamese nationals along with four people of Vietnamese origin in Iran. So far, no casualties have been reported among the Vietnamese communities in these two nations.

The ministry has instructed Vietnamese representative agencies in Israel, Iran, as well as those in neighbouring countries, to closely monitor the situation and request local authorities to ensure absolute safety for Vietnamese citizens living, studying, and working in high-risk areas.

At the same time, MoFA units, Vietnamese representative offices in the Middle East and neighbouring regions have closely coordinated with domestic authorities, foreign diplomatic missions in Hanoi, the host countries’ authorities, and foreign embassies to develop protection plans, ensure the safety of citizens and diplomatic premises, and formulate evacuation plans for Vietnamese citizens in conflict zones to a third country or back to Vietnam, Hang stated.

According to the spokesperson, as of June 19, the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran, in coordination with those in Russia and relevant countries, has carried out citizen protection efforts to evacuate 18 Vietnamese citizens from Iran to a third country or return home, while keeping a close watch on the situation and being ready to take necessary protection measures for the remaining Vietnamese citizens in Iran.

Currently, the ambassador and four staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran are still in the host country and maintaining close contact with the remaining Vietnamese citizens there to ensure the most effective implementation of citizen protection measures.

At present, all Vietnamese citizens are safe, mentally stable, and in regular contact with the embassy. The embassy has also continued to advise the community to remain vigilant, avoid crowded places, strictly comply with local regulations and safety instructions, and closely follow updates and warnings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the agency.

In Israel, Hang stated that the Vietnamese Embassy is coordinating with Vietnamese representative missions in neighbouring countries to implement emergency response plans and will proceed with the evacuation of Vietnamese citizens to a third country. The embassy also opened an online registration form for Vietnamese citizens wishing to leave Israel for Vietnam or a third country in order to compile a list and assess needs, and is working with relevant authorities to develop appropriate support plans.

The embassy has advised Vietnamese citizens to remain calm, stay proactive, and, if possible, seek to leave Israel via land border crossings when security conditions allow. Citizens are urged to closely follow updates from the M🐠oFA and the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel, as well as alerts from local authorities, said the spokesperson./.