Vietnamese people in Ukraine rest at a shelter. — Photo courtesy of the Voice of Vietnam

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has been working with authorities, domestic airlines, and representative agencies in Ukraine and surrounding areas to make plans to ensure the security, safety, and conditions for evacuating Vietnamese citizens from combat zones in Ukraine and repatriating them.

MoFA Spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng made the remark on Tuesday in response to questions about Việt Nam’s reaction to the conflict in Ukraine and moves to protect its citizens there.

She said Việt Nam paid close attention to and kept a close watch on developments in Ukraine and the situation of Vietnamese people in the country. There are about 7,000 Vietnamese people in Ukraine, and they have not suffered any damage so far.

Prioritising the safety, lives, property, and legitimate interests of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in Ukraine since developments began, the MoFA has moved to protect citizens.

The ministry has directed the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine to keep frequent contact with the Vietnamese community there, operate hotlines around the clock to receive information and provide timely support, ask the host country’s agencies to assist and ensure safety for Vietnamese citizens and coordinate with agencies in Việt Nam to have protection plans ready, Hằng said.

She added that MoFA and the embassy had also issued recommendations and safety guidance for overseas Vietnamese.

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs set up a communication channel with Vietnamese associations in Ukraine to keep updated on their situation and give safety guidance while requesting associations in nearby countries to help Vietnamese people in Ukraine.

Việt Nam’s representative agencies in Poland, Russia, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia have been ordered to keep citizen protection hotlines available and liaise with host countries’ agencies to update information on Vietnamese coming from Ukraine.

The agencies will also ask for the facilitation of Vietnamese people’s entry, transit, and temporary stay; provision of essential goods for Vietnamese; and coordination with Vietnamese associations to aid evacuation.

MoFA has also asked authorities to create a “safe corridor” for Vietnamese people to evacuate, and Việt Nam has called on UN agencies and host countries to help provide citizen safety and evacuation.

As of March 1, about 200 Vietnamese were moved out of combat zones. The Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine continues to help citizens carry out appropriate plans. — VNS