Vietnam is cooperating with Myanmar and several other countries to repatriate hundreds of Vietnamese citizens at a time when conflicts in the northern states of Myanmar have become increasingly complicated, foreign ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang told a press briefing on Thursday.

Nearly 700 Vietnamese are being sheltered safely, while Vietnamese authorities are in the process of contacting others for further information about their status.

“Many teams managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working all day and night to bring Vietnamese citizens back to their homeland as soon as possible,” Hang underlined.

Immediately after being notified of the conflicts in Myanmar in late October, the ministry promptly assigned the Vietnamese Embassy in the country to team up with relevant agencies to protect the Vietnamese citizens living and working there.

The Vietnamese side also requested support measures from local authorities to ensure security and safety for the Vietnamese citizens and create favorable conditions for them to leave the dangerous areas.

The ministry has been proactively working with authorities in China to ask for assistance in protecting the Vietnamese citizens.

The ministry will continue following the situation and keeping in contact with affected Vietnamese citizens who remain in shelters to take them home after a plan for repatriation is given the go-ahead.

The conflicts between ethnic minority forces and Myanmar's military junta started in October, mainly in the northern states which share borders with China.

Ethnic minority insurgent groups are said to have taken over some key trade routes connecting Myanmar and China since their fight began.

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