As tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula, Vietnam has requested that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) take measures to protect Vietnamese citizens. The request has been replied with promises from both the DPRK and RoK that they will protect Vietnamese people living and working in these countries.  On April 8, a Vietnamese Foreign Ministry representative worked with the Embassy of DPRK in Hanoi on the issue and a DPRK diplomat confirmed that the DPRK is responsible for ensuring the safety of lives and assets of foreign representative agencies and international organizations in the country, including the Vietnamese Embassy. Such responsibilities will be taken under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Ties, the DPRK diplomat said.  One day later, a RoK diplomat at the Embassy of RoK in Hanoi also told the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry that the RoK would take proper measures to safeguard foreigners in the country. During separate meetings with the embassies of the RoK and DPRK, the Vietnamese side expressed concern at the current tension in the Korean peninsula and called on the involved parties to restrain themselves and make efforts to ease the tension. Also yesterday, the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department said the ministry will continue to monitor the situation by maintaining contacts with Vietnamese embassies and agencies in both Seoul in the RoK and Pyongyang in the DPRK.