Vietnamese in Lebanon: “In a few days there will be an attack 200 meters from my house”

Electricity only 1-2 hours/day, life is still normal

At 6 p.m. on September 23, night fell in the capital Beirut. When the houses lit up, Dang Cong Trang, a Vietnamese who has lived in Lebanon for 20 years, began preparing dinner.

Beirut city with buildings located close together, the scene and pace of life are still normal in recent days despite the escalating war in southern Lebanon (Photo: Character provided).

The surrounding scenery is undisturbed, the traffic jams at rush hour are no different from many cities around the world .

Looking at these images, few people know that, just 100km away in southern Lebanon, fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah Islamic force is taking place very intensely.

The Dan Tri reporter’s conversation with Mr. Trang was constantly interrupted because of the unstable Internet connection. Mixed in was the “humming” sound of a diesel generator engine.

“In recent years, the area where I live has only had electricity for about 1-2 hours a day. At other times, if people want electricity, they have to buy oil to run the generator,” said Mr. Trang.

This man is a chef at a catering company in Beirut. In 20 years of living in the Middle East, Mr. Trang has witnessed countless times of unrest.

“According to the warning information, in a few days there will be an Israeli attack on a hotel 200 meters from where I live. That area is suspected of containing Hezbollah weapons. They have announced to evacuate the people in that building. Knowing this information, I will not move from that area.

The evacuation of all residents also helps ensure safety. The precision attack technology does not affect surrounding areas," said Mr. Trang.

Daily life in Lebanon continues to move along without much disruption. For many, the evacuations and reports of fighting are no longer new.

After receiving information from the diplomatic agency advising Vietnamese citizens to leave Lebanon, his relatives from home continuously texted and called to ask about the situation and expressed their concern.

Near the area where Mr. Trang lives, there is a woman from Bac Giang who works as a maid. Other Vietnamese people live scattered in many places. These are all safe places, without conflict or war.

Lebanese people evacuated from south to north (Photo: Reuters).

According to Mr. Trang, Hezbollah is an organization of Shiite Muslims who have conflicts with Israel and live in the Dahie district (Beirut), not near the center. The instability will be concentrated in this area, while other places will not be affected much.

Mentioning Lebanon at this time, many people will probably imagine scenes of bombs falling, houses being flattened… but that is not the case everywhere. According to Mr. Trang, the most instability is concentrated in the border area between Lebanon and Israel.

Mr. Trang said: “The situation in Beirut is still normal. People here seem to be used to the atmosphere of war, even used to the falling missiles and bullets. A few days ago, in the southern border area, there was fierce bombing and rocket launching.”

The unstable situation has led to economic consequences, difficult lives for people and concerns within Lebanon.

In particular, after the explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon killed 40 people and injured more than 3,000, many customers decided to cancel their booked parties to ensure safety.

Mr. Trang's work has been affected, his income has decreased significantly compared to before. According to the schedule on September 24 and 25, Mr. Trang will have a party for guests, after that this man does not know how the situation will develop.

Mr. Trang shared: “The lives of Lebanese people are more difficult than before. Prices are more expensive, the currency is devalued, there is an economic crisis… Electricity is only available for a few hours a day, the Internet is unstable…”.

After work, this man limits going out, often returning home to stay safe and avoid risks.

A highway is still crowded with cars during rush hour in Beirut (Photo: Character provided).

Talking about the current situation in Lebanon, Mr. Trang commented: "Normal compared to an unstable country like Lebanon, it is more unstable than peaceful countries in the world."

The concept of digging tunnels and going to shelters never crossed Mr. Trang's mind. Because the way Israel attacked Hezbollah's weapons depots was to use high technology, precise positioning, and advance notice to evacuate people.

It is expected that on September 24, he will discuss with the company owner: If many guests cancel their party reservations, this man will arrange to return to Vietnam so that his relatives will worry less.

It is known that the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and Lebanon are still in contact with Mr. Trang to update the situation. The number of Vietnamese citizens in Lebanon is not large, because when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, many people returned home.

There is no sign of fighting.

Located about 20 minutes drive from the center of Beirut, the spa - where Ms. Phung Thi Hong Tinh (from Phu Tho) is the manager - is still welcoming customers. Local people maintain their daily routine, without fear or anxiety disrupting everything.

While Ms. Tinh was working, the area outside, the Dbaye Highway, was still bustling with traffic, especially during the evening rush hour. There were no signs that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah had spread.

The scene where Ms. Hong Tinh lives is peaceful, with full electricity supply (Photo: Provided by the character).

The scene outside the spa is peaceful, people leisurely walking. In the small alleys, the quiet atmosphere is completely isolated from the tension of the border area. The power grid is stable all day long, goods are abundant with no shortages.

The number of customers coming to the spa has decreased by about 30% compared to before due to the difficult economic situation, but the income of the shop where Ms. Tinh works is still enough to support the employees.

Ms. Hong Tinh still maintains her normal job at the spa (Photo: Character provided).

“The area I live in is far from the border, there is no fighting so life is normal. Vietnamese people still get information through communication channels with the embassy. In the near future, if there is a big war, we don’t know what will happen,” Ms. Tinh shared.

In 2006, the Israel-Hezbollah war broke out in Lebanon. The war lasted 34 days in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, and did not reach Ms. Tinh’s area or other areas where Vietnamese people live.

Dbaye – where Ms. Tinh lives, the residents’ lifestyle is Western-style, so everyone is friendly and comfortable from the way they eat, dress to communicate. Vietnamese people are gentle and hard-working, so the local residents love them.

Every day that passes, the Vietnamese community in Lebanon hopes that the unrest will soon end and that peaceful life will soon return to the people in the conflict areas.

On September 23, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and Lebanon issued an urgent notice advising Vietnamese citizens living and working in Lebanon to leave the country while commercial flights are still operating.

In an urgent notice, the Embassy also advised Vietnamese citizens planning to travel to Lebanon to postpone/cancel their trips until the situation stabilizes.

Earlier, Israel called on residents in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate buildings where Hezbollah is believed to be storing weapons. It announced a “wide-scale attack” on Hezbollah.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/nguoi-viet-o-li-bang-vai-ngay-nua-se-co-tan-cong-cach-nha-toi-200m-20240924092329711.htm