VietNamNet Bridge – There have been no reports on Vietnamese national casualties in Japan.

On March 15, working groups from the Vietnamese Embassy in Tokyo arrived in the cities of Sendai and Fukushima in the two provinces which were hardest by the March 11 catastrophic quake and tsunami to evacuate Vietnamese citizens to safer areas.

The heavily damaged roads made it difficult for them to reach the destination. They were scheduled to visit Tohoku University Hospital in Sendai city and Fukushima airport in Fukushima city and depart from there later on March 16.

The Vietnamese Embassy had asked organisations and individuals to contact its staff via mobile phone numbers: 0081 80-3001-3193 for the labour management desk and 0081 80-4006-0234 for the student management desk, or via vnembassyjp@gmail.com.

According to the Vietnamese Youth and Students’ Association (VYSA) in Japan, there are about 63 Vietnamese students in Ioate, 70 in Miyagi and 20 in Fukushima. Most  of Vietnamese students in northern Japan have moved to Osaka and Nagoya safely.

The VYSA’s Vice Chairman, Hoang Thanh Duong said over the past few days, the association has provided many Vietnamese students with JPY 200,000 each to help them travel to other provinces and will keep in touch with them for emergencies.

“If the radiation level in southern Japan is increasing, we will help students move to far-away areas.” Duong said.

The Vietnamese community living in Niigata and Aomori far from the epicenter of the quake and tsunami still maintain their normal lives.

Meanwhile, Le Hoang Dung, spokesperson for Vietnam Airlines, has announced an offer of free-of-charge flight ticket refund and change for its passengers scheduled to fly to or from Japan from March 11 to May 10.

The carrier will provide maximum assistance to Vietnamese families which want to buy tickets in Vietnam for their relatives studying, living and working in Japan to return home soon.

Vietnam Airlines operates 46 flights a week on eight direct routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to four major Japanese cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, and it is maintaining normal operations between the countries.

Vietnam Airlines recommends passengers to access its website: www.vietnamairlines.com or contract travel agents for further information.

Assistance mobile contacts: +84-4-38320320 in Hanoi, +84-8-38320320 in Ho Chi Minh City, +84-5113832 320 in Da Nang. +81-335081481 in Tokyo, +81-647080900 in Osaka , +81-924730500 in Fukuoka , +81-525835171 in Nagoya.

VietNamNet/VOV