The North Korean military conducted detonations at the Donghae road in the border between North Korea and South Korea on October 15, 2024. — YONHAP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Thursday called for relevant parties in the Korean Peninsula to exercise restraints to avoid escalating tensions, amid complicated developments in the area.

Spokeswoman for the foreign ministry Phạm Thu Hằng told the press briefing in Hà Nội that Việt Nam is "closely following the situation in the Korean Peninsula with keen attention".

Việt Nam is calling for both parties to remain "steadfast in the path towards dialogues, taking into account the interests of each side as well as the common interests of the entire region and the world at large," Hằng said.

"This will help contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, in the region and in the world," she said.

According to the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea's military blasted many parts of the road and rail links with South Korea on Tuesday, following an amendment in its Constitution that designated South Korea as a 'hostile state' and unification efforts might now no longer be their goal.

South Korea, which criticised the hostile state designation, says it would remain committed to efforts towards peaceful reunification.

Vietnamese citizens in the Middle East

Regarding the situation in the Middle East - especially in Israel, Lebanon, and Iran - the spokeswoman has confirmed that the Vietnamese citizens in this region remain unharmed.

The Vietnamese representative in the the region has been constantly following the situation, providing updates and information to the Vietnamese people and issuing warnings when necessary, Hằng said.

They have urged overseas Vietnamese to continue to monitor the situation, pay attention when travelling and be proactive in taking shelter in subway stations in cases of emergency as per local authorities' instructions.

At the present time, there are over 700 Vietnamese nationals in Israel, 13 in Lebanon and eight in Iran, according to the foreign ministry.

In line with the order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese representative missions in the Middle East continue to maintain close contact with the Vietnamese local communities, be proactive in the visits and encourage the community in conflict-hit areas and make plans to ensure readiness in enacting citizen protection and evacuation measures in times of necessity.

Missing Vietnamese fishermen in Japan

According to information from Japanese authorities in the evening of October 12, four Vietnamese nationals who were fishing in Ibaraki (on the eastern coast of Japan) were swept away.

Two of these nationals have been rescued by Japanese authorities and they're both in a stable condition in hospital.

The local authorities are actively conducting search and rescue efforts for the remaining two fishermen, who remain unaccounted for.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam has instructed the representative mission in Japan to work with local authorities to look into the matter and engage closely to identify the relatives of these victims and conduct necessary search and rescue efforts. — VNS