Spokesperson for the foreign affairs ministry Lê Thị Thu Hằng . Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs say they are ready to support around 300,000 Vietnamese people living in Texas who have been affected by adverse weather conditions as blizzards continue to cause damage and destruction in the US. Four Vietnamese-Americans in one family perished after a fire in their home.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston (Texas) and the Vietnamese diplomatic missions in the US and was told that the last blizzard affected more than 29 million people in Texas, including about 300,000 Vietnamese and Vietnamese people who are living and working there.

Spokes person for the ministry Lê Thị Thu Hằng was responding to reporters’ inquiries on providing information on the damage (if any) of the Vietnamese in Texas following the storms.

According to Hằng, most of these people were severely affected by the winter storm. They suffered cuts to the power and water supply and had difficulty accessing essential goods.

She also quoted official information from the local government that four people in a Vietnamese-American family died in a blaze caused by using fire to keep warm.

Vietnam Consulate General in Houston has contacted Việt Kiều (Overseas Vietnamese) and students to understand their situations, visit and also offer donations as well as financial support.

Under the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Việt Nam and the Vietnamese diplomatic missions in the US are continuing to monitor the situation and are on duty around the clock to coordinate with the host authorities and implementing necessary citizen protection measures.

If people need assistance or have information about the affected person, they can contact the Vietnam Embassy Citizen Protection hotline in the United States: + 1-202-716-8666 or email vanphong@vietnamembassy.us, Citizen Protection Hotline of the Vietnam Consulate General in Houston: + 1-346-775-0555 or the Citizen Protection Hotline at + 84-981-848-484.

Regarding the protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad, Hằng also answered a request from reporters about the information on the situation of Vietnamese people in Cambodia during the latest COVID-19 outbreak in this country.

As of Thursday morning, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health announced 195 new COVID-19 infected cases, including 13 Vietnamese, Hằng said, citing the information from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia.

Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have contacted the local authorities and relevant authorities to verify the information and request humanitarian assistance and treatment.

After they tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the Vietnamese patients were quarantined and treated at Cambodian medical facilities in Phnom Penh and Kandal province. Their health status remains stable.

The Vietnamese representative offices in Cambodia also actively contacted the Vietnamese community and the Khmer-Vietnam Association in Cambodia to grasp the pandemic situation, mobilise and call for people to strictly comply with regulations on disease prevention and control.

Hằng also emphasised that the hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and the citizen protection hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are always ready to receive information about the Vietnamese who are in need. — VNS