The steering committee for citizen protection measures under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs chaired a meeting on Monday to discuss ways to safeguard Vietnamese citizens amid the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East.

The meeting was attended by two deputy ministers of foreign affairs and the ministry’s representative bodies in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Palestine.

The Vietnamese representative agencies in these Middle Eastern nations reviewed the developments linked to the conflict in their respective areas, paving the way for the ministry to work out and adopt citizen protection measures in the upcoming time.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, head of the steering committee, affirmed that ensuring the safety and assets of Vietnamese citizens in conflict-hit areas is the Vietnamese government’s top priority.

The ministry underlined the need to assess, forecast possible developments of the conflict, and prepare citizen protection measures in order to adopt the measures in a timely and effective manner.

The ministry asked its representative bodies in these Middle Eastern nations to closely monitor the developments of the conflict and information about Vietnamese citizens in their areas; closely work with authorities and relevant agencies in the host countries to take citizen protection measures, if necessary.

The ministry also called on Vietnamese citizens in conflict-hit areas to register their information via the link http://bit.ly/dangkycongdanVNtaiIsrael to stay updated on citizen protection and support.

Vietnamese citizens in need of assistance can contact the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel via phone numbers 972-50-818-6116, +972-52-727-4248, and +972-50-994-0889, or the embassy’s citizen protection hotline at +84 981 84 84 84 and +84 965 41 11 18, or via baohocongdan@gmail.com.

The ministry on October 15 advised Vietnamese citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Israel due to the conflict.

Vietnamese citizens in Israel should return to Vietnam or travel to a third country soon, the ministry added.

According to official data, the Vietnamese community in Israel numbers around 500, with most of them living in major cities.

The ministry’s Monday meeting took place at a time when the Israel-Hamas conflict was showing no signs of de-escalating since it began on October 7.

Tens of thousands of soldiers, tanks, heavy armour, and artillery from Israel's armed forces have been massed along the Gaza border, provoking concerns that Israel could enter this area and clash with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

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