VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has congratulated Thailand on the successful rescue of all members of the football team trapped in a flooded cave in Chiang Rai province for over two weeks.

All members of the football team were found alive in Tham Luang cave on July 3 (Photo: EPA-EFE/VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on July 3 sent a letter of congratulations to his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-o-cha and the Thai people on finding the 12 boys and their coach alive after being trapped in Tham Luang cave from June 23. 

On July 10, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh cabled a message to Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai to share joy over the successful rescue.

He congratulated Thai relevant forces on the successful conduction of the rescue mission with the effective assistance of international experts and rescuers.

Minh expressed his hope that all members of the football team will recover quickly and soon meet their family members.

The boys – members of the Wild Boars football team, aged between 11 and 16 years – had been exploring the cave network with their football coach on June 23, when heavy seasonal rains flooded the cave's entrance, forcing the group further and further into the labyrinth of tunnels in search of higher ground.

They were found alive on July 2 after 10 days of being trapped in the flooded cave complex.

A team of 90 divers, including 50 from foreign countries, participated in the rescue efforts.

According to Thai Navy Seals rescuers, the last member of the team was brought out safely from the cave on the evening of July 10.

Source: VNA