About 700 Vietnamese in temporary safe zone in northern Myanmar

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that about 700 Vietnamese citizens are in a temporary safe zone in northern Myanmar, amid fighting in the area.

"The security situation in some northern states of Myanmar continues to be complicated. So far, about 700 Vietnamese citizens are in temporarily safe areas, many other cases are waiting for information verification," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said today at a regular press conference.

According to the spokesperson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the embassy in Myanmar to work with local authorities, requesting that they ensure safety and basic living conditions for Vietnamese citizens, and create conditions for Vietnamese people to leave the conflict area.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese representative agencies in Myanmar and China have closely coordinated and shared information with foreign representative agencies with citizens in the area, and worked with Chinese authorities to request support for Vietnam in citizen protection.

"In the coming time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to closely monitor the situation, maintain contact with contacts in the evacuation areas, and prepare necessary citizen protection work to bring citizens back to the country after agreeing on a relocation plan," the spokesperson added. Ms. Hang emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to coordinate with domestic and foreign authorities to deploy measures to ensure safety and evacuate citizens as soon as possible.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. Photo: Giang Huy — Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. Photo: *Giang Huy*

Northern Myanmar is an area with a large number of Vietnamese citizens living and working. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously advised Vietnamese citizens not to or avoid traveling to Shan, Kayin and Rakhine states of Myanmar unless absolutely necessary. Citizens in these states need to quickly develop a proactive plan to safely evacuate people and property to a third country or to Vietnam, and regularly monitor information from local authorities and warnings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Brotherhood Alliance, comprising the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) rebel groups, launched Operation 1027 on October 27, attacking a series of Myanmar army bases in Shan State, an area near the border with China.

This is considered the largest attack by rebel groups against the Myanmar military government since the 2021 coup.

Fighting between the Brotherhood and the Myanmar military has prompted other rebel groups to join the attack on the government. The conflict in Myanmar has entered its fourth week and spread to both the east and west of the country. The United Nations estimated on November 22 that more than 286,000 people in Myanmar have been displaced by the fighting.