Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga answers questions from the media regarding Viet-nam's reaction to the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami occurred in Japan on March 11 and the situation of the Vietnamese citizens in Japan:

“With deep sympathies, Viet Nam shares the griefs and losses that Japan and Japanese people are suffering due to the recent earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. We believe that Japan will soon overcome, with wills and determination, difficulties and consequences of the disaster and continues to grow.

Viet Nam is willing to help and support Japan as much as we can. The Vietnamese government has decided on an emergency aid package of $200,000 for Japan. It will also send medical teams to Japan when the Japanese government requests. We are working with the Japanese side on how to address their needs in appropriate ways and means.

There are 31,000 Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Japan. In the wake the earthquake, the Vietnamese missions in Japan has reacted promptly to monitor the situation of Vietnamese citizens, especially those in areas affected by the natural disaster and to coordinate with local authorities to provide necessary and timely assistance to the Vietnamese citizens. Vietnamese students, trainees have been helped by the local governments, agencies and rescue organizations to move to safe places and provided with necessities. As of March 14, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Japan has been able to communicate with most of the contact points of Viet Nam citizens in distressed regions as well as established a hotline for Vietnamese citizens.”

Regarding the incidents occurred in Fukushima nuclear power plant following the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami in Japan, the Spokesperson said:

“In our development plan of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Viet Nam puts nuclear safety-related issues as a top priority. This is particularly important in the context of climate change and natural disasters, particularly the earthquake and tsunami that just happened in Japan.

Viet Nam will cooperate closely with Japan and its partners to have the best plans for building nuclear power plants in Viet Nam and effective use of nuclear energy for sustainable economic development, and at the same time ensuring nuclear safety and environmental protection.”