Vietnamese Embassy seeks to protect citizens in Beirut after blasts

As soon as explosions hit Lebanon’s capital of Beirut on August 4, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt, which is concurrently in charge of Lebanon, sought to contact local authorities and the Vietnamese honorary consular office as well as the Vietnamese community to grasp the situation and support those affected.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt and Lebanon Tran Thanh Cong told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s correspondents in Cairo that a Vietnamese citizen was slightly injured in the explosions and is being treated at a hospital in Beirut.

The embassy has contacted the victim, he said, adding that it will work with Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist those affected.

According to the Ambassador, about 50-60 Vietnamese citizens are living and working in Lebanon, mainly in restaurant services in Beirut.

Cong said he will work with the Embassy of Lebanon in Egypt in the coming days and will contact Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be updated on the situation and propose how the Lebanese side can best support Vietnamese citizens.

In case of an emergency, the embassy will dispatch a working delegation to Lebanon to address the difficulties facing Vietnamese citizens, he added.

The explosions killed at least 100 people and injured nearly 4,000 others, according to the latest media reports./.