ANNOUNCEMENT

+ Secretary-General of the United Nations pays a visit to Viet Nam (21 to 22 October)

At the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres will pay an official visit to Viet Nam from 21 to 22 October. Also during the visit, the UN Secretary-General will co-chair the ceremony commemorating the 45^th anniversary of Viet Nam’s accession to the UN with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

 The visit takes place as Viet Nam is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its accession to the United Nations (1977 - 2022) and the successful fulfillment of its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020 - 2021 term and its election as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023 - 2025 term. Recently, cooperation between Viet Nam and the UN has been continuously strengthened. Viet Nam is an increasingly active and responsible participant, making meaningful contributions in across all key pillars of the UN. This has contributed to increasing Viet Nam’s stature in the international arena.

During the visit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will pay a courtesy call on General-Secretary Nguyen PhuTrong, hold talks with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and meet with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of the National Assembly VuongDinh Hue, among other activities.

Q&A

1. Thanh Nien Newspaper: Currently, hundreds of Vietnamese laborers who were scammed into illegal labor in Cambodia are being held at Osamch Resort, near the border with Thailand, and are victims of forced labor and human trafficking. Can the Spokesperson and the Embassy of Viet Nam in Cambodia provide more information on the incident, and what are the citizen protection measures being implemented?

This is the consular area of the Consulate General of Viet Nam in Battambang (Cambodia). Immediately upon receiving information about this case, we contacted the Consulate General in Battambang and have received the following information:

Recently, the Consulate General of Viet Nam has worked with competent authorities of OddarMeanchay and BanteayMeanchey provinces and implemented a number of assistance measures to rescue Vietnamese citizens who have been scammed and brokered into illegal labor in the area along the Cambodia - Thailand border. From July to September 2022, the Consulate General worked to rescue and repatriate around 100 Vietnamese citizens.

Since the end of September, through working to grasp the situation, the Consulate General has taken the initiative to work with local authorities to rescue an additional 171 Vietnamese citizens. After removing them from these illegal business establishments, the Consulate General has sent officers to meet with them and implement citizen protection measures such as providing essentials and support in finalizing procedures for repatriation as soon as possible. In Viet Nam, the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also working with domestic competent authorities to identify and receive the Vietnamese citizens from Cambodia.

In the time to come, the Vietnamese side, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia, including the Consulate General of Viet Nam in Battambang will continue to work with Cambodian authorities to request increased monitoring and sweeping of the aforementioned areas to find and rescue additional Vietnamese citizens if there are any, while at the same implementing protection measures to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens.

2. Viet Nam News Agency:Recently, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Angola warned Vietnamese citizens against being persuaded into working abroad in African countries. Can you provide more information on this, as well as the situation of Vietnamese laborers in Africa and the recent citizen protection measures being implemented for them?

We have discussed with the Embassy of Viet Nam in Angola, which is concurrently accredited to the Democratic Republic of Congo and have been informed that recently, the Embassy has received a large number of requests for assistance in repatriation of Vietnamese citizens residing in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to difficulties with their employers with regards to employment placement, living situations, and unpaid and reduced wages.

Faced with this, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Angola has taken the initiative to work with authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide further information and request that Congolese authorities implement measures to ensure the livelihood of Vietnamese laborers. The Embassy also got into contact with the Vietnamese community in Congo to facilitate temporary residence for them as they await the resolution of these issues. At the same time, the Embassy also issued recommendations to the people, advising them to do research before signing employment contracts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. So far, the situation has been stabilized and improved.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the Embassy of Viet Nam in Angola to continue working closely with competent authorities of the host country and employers to resolve emerging issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also directed the Consular Department to work with the Embassy of Viet Nam in Angola, as well as other Vietnamese authorities to implement necessary citizen protection measures in a timely manner.

Once again, we recommend that Vietnamese citizens and workers do their research before signing employment contracts abroad, to avoid being scammed or illegally brokered. When issues emerge, please contact immediately the Vietnamese representative missions abroad either directly or through the citizen protection hotline.

3. Soha: On 18 October, ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said that ASEAN and China have finalized the first reading and are moving toward the second reading of the COC. Can you provide more information on the important items of this discussions and the next steps of the process?

The 37th Meeting of the ASEAN - China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the DOC was convened in Cambodia from 01 to 03 October. During the meeting, ASEAN countries and China exchanged views on the situation in the South China Sea, the implementation of the DOC, and the drafting of the COC. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and underscored the need to exercise self-restraint, avoid actions that may complicate the situation, and settle disputes via peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982.

ASEAN and China also expressed the wish to soon finalize the 2nd reading of the draft document, and adopt at the earliest an effective and substantive COC in line with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982, thereby contributing to maintaining peace, stability and security inthe region, bolstering cooperation, and peacefully settling disputes in the South China Sea.

4.VnExpress: A number of countries, including the United States and China, have advised their citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible. Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have any similar recommendations for Vietnamese citizens residing in Ukraine? What are the citizen protection measures being implemented?

We always follow with keen interest the situation in Ukraine, and pay particular attention to protecting Vietnamese citizens currently residing and working in this area.
As the conflict in Ukraine is experiencing more complex and unpredictable developments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urgently directed the Embassy of Viet Nam in Ukraine to maintain regular contact and discussions with the Vietnamese community in Ukraine to grasp the situation, send operators on standby 24/7 for the hotline, receive information and provide assistance in a timely manner, discuss with local authorities and request for support measures to ensure the lives and property of Vietnamese citizens and businesses in Ukraine. According to the Embassy, there remain around 500 Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine, and no casualties have been recorded since the start of recent complicated developments.

On 18 October, the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a recommendation, asking that all Vietnamese citizens maintain regular contact with the Embassy of Viet Nam in Ukraine and ready options to keep themselves and their families safe, including evacuating from large cities and keeping away from dangerous zones, and to immediately contact competent authorities through the citizen protection hotline of the Consular Department and Vietnamese representative agencies in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

5.Phoenix: Recently, when a vessel carrying Chinese crew members entered the area near Con Dao, 12 were found dead and 9 were transported to a local hospital to seek treatment. The cause was suspected to be food poisoning. Can you provide an update on the health condition of these crew members? Has the police been able to identified the cause of these casualities?

First and foremost, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the families of those affected. While conducting the rescue, it was true that there were 21 crew members, among them 12 deceased. Unfortunately, while bringing them to shore, another crew member had died. We were informed that the People’s Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, upon receiving the information, has directed local authorities to ready support measures to bring the crew members who were in critical condition to the Military Medicine Center of Con Dao District. At the same time, they have contacted medical agencies in Hainan, China, to conduct remote diagnosis. Currently, the health of the remaining crew members are stable and they have been discharged.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also actively working with domestic local authorities, Chinese representative agencies in Viet Nam, and relevant Chinese authorities, to aid in the investigation into the cause of the incident, resolve issues pertaining to the eight crew members, and handle post-mortem arrangements for the deceased crew members in accordance with the law.

6. Embassy of Ukraine: Can you comment on the recent developments in Ukraine?

Viet Nam follows with keen interest the recent developments surrounding the Russia - Ukraine conflict.

Once again, Viet Nam calls upon relevant parties to resume dialogue, resolve the dispute via peaceful means on the basis of respect for basic principles of international law, particularly respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries. We also hope that the lives and properties of the people in this area, including those of Vietnamese citizens, will be ensured.

As an active and responsible member of the international community, Viet Nam stands ready to contribute to the enhancement of dialogue and search for measures to soon stabilize the situation, for peace and stability in the region and the world.