Minister at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan Nguyen Duc Minh said that right after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that shook central Japan on January 1, the embassy had promptly and actively updated information and informed the Vietnamese community on the situation.

The embassy set up hotlines for citizen protection, while forming a special working group to closely follow information, especially on the safety of Vietnamese people living, studying and working in localities affected by the earthquake.

The working group has kept a close contact with authorised agencies in affected localities of Japan as well as Vietnamese associations in these localities, thus updating information, guiding and supporting Vietnamese people, Minh said.

The diplomat said that the embassy has asked local authorities and Japanese businesses receiving Vietnamese labourers to make sure that Vietnamese citizens are moved to safe places and provide them with necessities, and give them instructions in Vietnamese when necessary.

The embassy has also sent a working group to the affected areas to meet with and assist Vietnamese citizens, he added.

Regarding the collision of a Japan Airlines plane on the evening of January 2 at Haneda Airport (Tokyo), the embassy also immediately contacted local authorities and to date there has been no Vietnamese people affected in this incident.

Underlining that the consequences of the earthquake were serious with aftershocks forecast to continue in the next few days, Minh recommended that all Vietnamese citizens living, working and studying in Japan to regularly and closely update relevant notifications, comply with the instructions of Japanese authorities, and move to safe shelters designated by local authorities to receive assistance such as food, water, sleeping places, first aid and medical care, while staying calm and continuing to be vigilant with aftershocks in the coming days. In case of emergency, Vietnamese citizens can ask for support by contacting the following citizen protection numbers: