Han Ni – Translated by Tan Nghia
Việt Nam is ready support Vietnamese citizens affected by storms in US: Foreign Ministry

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs say they are ready to support around 300,000 Vietnamese people living in Texas who have been affected by adverse weather conditions as blizzards continue to cause damage and destruction in the US. Four Vietnamese-Americans in one family perished after a fire in their home.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston (Texas) and the Vietnamese diplomatic missions in the US and was told that the last blizzard affected more than 29 million people in Texas, including about 300,000 Vietnamese and Vietnamese people who are living and working there.
Spokes person for the ministry Lê Thị Thu Hằng was responding to reporters’ inquiries on providing information on the damage (if any) of the Vietnamese in Texas following the storms.
According to Hằng, most of these people were severely affected by the winter storm. They suffered cuts to the power and water supply and had difficulty accessing essential goods.
She also quoted official information from the local government that four people in a Vietnamese-American family died in a blaze caused by using fire to keep warm.
Vietnam Consulate General in Houston has contacted Việt Kiều (Overseas Vietnamese) and students to understand their situations, visit and also offer donations as well as financial support.
Under the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Việt Nam and the Vietnamese diplomatic missions in the US are continuing to monitor the situation and are on duty around the clock to coordinate with the host authorities and implementing necessary citizen protection measures.
If people need assistance or have information about the affected person, they can contact the Vietnam Embassy Citizen Protection hotline in the United States: + 1-202-716-8666 or email [email protected] , Citizen Protection Hotline of the Vietnam Consulate General in Houston: + 1-346-775-0555 or the Citizen Protection Hotline at + 84-981-848-484.
Regarding the protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad, Hằng also answered a request from reporters about the information on the situation of Vietnamese people in Cambodia during the latest COVID-19 outbreak in this country.
As of Thursday morning, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health announced 195 new COVID-19 infected cases, including 13 Vietnamese, Hằng said, citing the information from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia.
Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have contacted the local authorities and relevant authorities to verify the information and request humanitarian assistance and treatment.
After they tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the Vietnamese patients were quarantined and treated at Cambodian medical facilities in Phnom Penh and Kandal province. Their health status remains stable.
The Vietnamese representative offices in Cambodia also actively contacted the Vietnamese community and the Khmer-Vietnam Association in Cambodia to grasp the pandemic situation, mobilise and call for people to strictly comply with regulations on disease prevention and control.
Hằng also emphasised that the hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and the citizen protection hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are always ready to receive information about the Vietnamese who are in need. — VNS
Citizen protection provided to Vietnamese affected by record cold in Texas

Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Consulate General in Texas and Vietnamese representative offices in the US are keeping a close watch on the record cold temperatures in Texas, have appointed staff on-duty around the clock, and are coordinating with host authorities to conduct necessary citizen protection measures, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on February 25.
Hang told reporters that a majority of the 300,000 or so Vietnamese people in Texas have been seriously affected by the record-breaking snow storm and cold spell, which cut power and water supplies.
According to official information from Texas authorities, four Vietnamese Americans were killed in a fire in the state, Hang said, adding that the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston has contacted Vietnamese people and students in the local area to offer support.
People seeking help are advised to contact the citizen protection hotlines of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston, or the Citizen Protection Call Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department./.
Vietnam is doing its utmost for citizen protection in Texas
The Hanoitimes – Hanoi said it has offered financial support and assistance to people in need.
Consulate General of Vietnam in Houston has been keeping a close eye on situation of Vietnamese people in Texas after the state has been hit by freezing weather, a spokesperson from Hanoi said.
Winter snows trouble traffic in Texas. Photo: AP/VNA |
The Vietnamese mission has been available all day night and worked with the local government to take citizen protection solutions when needed, said Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Consulate General has proactively worked with the communities of Vietnamese-Americans and students to make financial support and necessary assistance to people in need, Hang said at a press conference on February 25.
People in need should contact the Vietnamese mission in the US or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ hotline at +84-981-848-484.
According to the Consulate General, most of 300,000 Vietnamese-Americans in Texas have been affected by the winter storms that cause blackout, water shortage, and lack of essential goods for weeks. Even more tragically, four members in a Vietnamese-American family died of fire.
The historic freezing weather has left impact on the lives of 29 million people in the state.
COVID-19: Seven additional local infections recorded in Hai Duong
Seven of the latest patients are in Hai Duong province, the epicentre of the nation’s most recent COVID-19 outbreak. Each of the individuals are F1 contacts that came into close contact with previously-confirmed COVID-19 patients.
The one remaining imported case is a 25-year-old woman who is being isolated to receive treatment at the General Hospital based in Tay Ninh province after her test result came back positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Following the detection of seven new cases, the number of locally-transmitted cases in Hai Duong, the nation’s largest COVID-19 hotspot, reached 643 since the virus was first detected in the country late last month.
Among the patients currently undergoing treatment, a total of 196 cases have since tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at least once, with the majority recording negative results either two or three times.
Furthermore, both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s two major cities, are poised to allow schools to reopen from early March after recording no fresh COVID-19 cases in recent days.
Elsewhere, the northern province of Thanh Hoa recorded as many as 2,146 cases returning from Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, and other pandemic-hit localities, all of which are under health observation after testing negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
At present, the country has registered a total of 2,400 positive COVID-19 cases, including 1,520 community cases of the virus, 900 imported ones alongside 1,804 recoveries.
Workers in high demand as factories expand production
In some industrial parks in the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong, hundreds of companies have put up hiring notices this week.
South Korean textile firm Taekwang Vina in Dong Nai is looking for 3,000 workers as it plans to establish four more production chains this year.
The company offers a minimum monthly salary of minimum VND7 million ($304). Anyone with basic literacy can apply.
Another South Korean textile firm in the province, the Chang Shin Vietnam Company, which has 35,000 workers, is also recruiting an unspecified number of new workers as the number of orders received by the end of this year has already exceeded capacity, prompting it to build two new workshops.
In Binh Duong, official data shows local companies are looking for nearly 40,000 workers in several sectors including textiles, wood processing and household products manufacturing.
Companies are sending recruiters to sit near main roads to increase chances of contacting candidates.
“Businesses are struggling to find workers even though they are offering high salaries of VND7-13 million a month plus benefits,” Nguyen Kim Loan, chairwoman of the Binh Duong Labor Federation, told local media.
In the northern province of Bac Ninh, where many multinational manufacturers have set up plants, the demand for workers is estimated at 15,000.
Foxconn, a major supplier for Apple, is hiring 1,000 workers in Bac Ninh and the neighboring province of Bac Giang. It received a license in January to build a $270-million plant produce laptops and tablets in Bac Giang.
Nguyen The Quyet, chairman of the union of workers at industrial parks in Bac Ninh, said that many companies were unable to complete orders last year due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and were seeking to make up now.
Another reason is a surge in new orders this year from many countries, pushing factories to expand production and employ more people, he added.
Recruitment demand was highest among electronics and vehicle parts producers, he said.
Vietnam’s industrial production index rose over 22 percent year-on-year in January as the economy recovered from Covid-19 impacts, according to the General Statistics Office.
The country’s GDP growth could hit 7.5 percent this year, compared to 2.9 percent last year, according to credit rating company Fitch Ratings.