A view of damaged buildings in Bat Yam, Israel, following missile attacks from Iran on June 19. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday provided the latest updates regarding citizen protection of Vietnamese nationals in Israel and Iran amid the escalating conflict between the two countries.

Spokesperson for the foreign ministry Phạm Thu Hằng said at the regular press briefing in Hà Nội that in response to the situation in the Middle East, on June 13, the ministry alerted Vietnamese nationals currently residing, studying and working in Israel and Iran to comply with relevant regulations and guidelines on safety measures, security and safety measures of local authorities.

"We have also urged these nationals to maintain close contact and monitor similar alerts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative missions in Israel and Iran and we have come up with relevant scenarios and measures to ensure the safe evacuation of people and their properties to a third country or back to Việt Nam," Hằng stated.

According to the latest information from the Vietnamese national representative and missions in Iran and Israel, there are currently over 700 nationals in Israel, along with 37 citizens bearing Vietnamese nationality and four citizens of Vietnamese origin in Iran.

There have not been any casualties recorded among the Vietnamese communities in these two countries.

"Over the past days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries and agencies have engaged in close discussions and looked into the specific scenarios and measures to instruct Vietnamese representative missions in Israel and Iran and neighbouring countries to closely monitor the situation and urge local authorities to best ensure the safety for Vietnamese nationals currently residing, studying and working in the high-risk areas," Hằng told the media.

At the same time, agencies under the foreign ministry, Vietnamese representative missions in relevant countries in the Middle East and adjacent regions have maintained close collaboration with domestic authorities, with diplomatic representative missions of other countries in the area, and partners in Hà Nội, as well as competent authorities and diplomatic corps on the ground to put in place plans for citizen protection to best ensure the safety of the Vietnamese nationals, of the offices of these representative missions, and to come up with measures to evacuate Vietnamese nationals from these flash points back to Việt Nam or to a third country, according to the spokesperson.

"As of today, June 19, 2025, the Vietnamese embassy in Iran have maintained close coordination with the Vietnamese embassy in the Russian Federation and other relevant countries to ensure citizen protection work and repatriate 18 Vietnamese nationals currently residing and working Iran to a third country, or back to Việt Nam, and they will also be maintaining close monitoring of the situation and have citizen protection measures in place for the remaining citizens in Iran," she noted.

At the Vietnamese embassy in Iran right now, there remains the ambassador and four other officials, who are keeping close contact and making preparations to ensure the citizen protection work for those Vietnamese nationals who are remaining.

Hằng said: "Vietnamese nationals are currently safe and in stable mental conditions, and are keeping in touch with the Vietnamese embassy in Iran.

"The Embassy has provided frequent alerts for our Vietnamese nationals to avoid being in crowded places and strictly complying with relevant security and safety regulations and guidelines of the local authority, while also maintaining close monitoring of the alerts issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese embassy in Iran since the outbreak of conflict in the country."

Talking about the situation in Israel, Hằng said the Vietnamese embassy in the country was also coordinating with other Vietnamese representative missions in adjacent countries to put in place a response plan for this emergency and to conduct evacuation for Vietnamese nationals currently residing and working in Israel to a third country.

The Embassy launched an online registration platform for Vietnamese nationals who wish to leave Israel to return to Việt Nam or to depart to a third country, to compile a list of those with such aspiration and to work with relevant authorities to put in place relevant assistance measures.

The Vietnamese embassy in Israel also alerted Vietnamese nationals, urging them to stay calm and composed, make active preparations and seek ways to depart from Israel through the land border gates, should the security and safety conditions allow.

"We also urge them to closely monitor the situation and the information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnamese embassy in Israel and other alerts from local authorities in the conflict-affected regions," spokesperson Hằng said. — VNS