People evacuate from Khan Younis city, southern Gaza Strip, on August 8.  Photo XINHUA/VNA

HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued a renewed warning to Vietnamese citizens, advising against travel to Lebanon, Iran, and Israel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Authorised by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hà Kim Ngọc, who heads the steering committee for the protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad, the Consular Department, acting as the committee's standing body, chaired a meeting on Tuesday. This meeting involved heads of Vietnamese representative agencies in Israel, Iran, and Egypt—which concurrently oversees Lebanon—and functional units within the ministry to discuss measures for safeguarding Vietnamese citizens amidst the tensions in the Middle East.

During the meeting, Vietnamese representative agencies provided updates on developments and assessed and forecasted the regional situation in the coming period.

Concerning the situation of Vietnamese citizens, the representative agencies reported regular coordination with local authorities to update citizen warnings. They are in close contact with Vietnamese associations and groups in host countries to understand the needs and wishes of overseas Vietnamese and prepare citizen protection plans for emergencies.

Based on the information provided by the representative agencies, the steering committee will finalise citizen protection plans, including evacuation plans, for submission to the relevant authorities for approval.

The ministry continues to advise Vietnamese citizens in the three countries to adhere to security and safety guidelines set by local authorities and to regularly check for warnings from the ministry via its Consular Department or the Vietnamese embassies in Egypt, Iran, Israel, and neighbouring countries for timely responses.

For assistance, Vietnamese citizens should contact the following emergency hotlines: the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel at +972 50 818 6116; the Vietnamese Embassy in Iran at +98 21 224 11670; the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt, responsible for Lebanon, at +20 1026 1398 69; or the citizen protection hotline of the Consular Department at +84 981 84 84 84, or email baohocongdan@gmail.com. VNS