>> Vietnam safe from radioactive release from Japan

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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called for a speedy excavation of Vietnamese nationals from areas in Japan affected by natural disaster and nuclear meltdown.

Earthquake and tsunami wreak havoc in Japan

The PM made the request after hearing reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vietnamese embassy in Japan on these issues in Hanoi, on March 16.

The embassy will collaborate with other Vietnamese and Japanese agencies to quickly move Vietnamese citizens out of affected areas and facilitate their return to Vietnam, PM said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with Vietnamese agencies in Japan were told to keep a close watch on developments in the country and to prepare for carrying out response methods.

Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission (VAEC) is responsible for providing up to date information about developments of nuclear power meltdown in Japan to reassure the public, Dung noted.

He asked that the Ministry of Finance, together with Vietnam Red Cross Society, quickly send the aid totalling in USD200,000 to Japan, in addition to whatever private donations can be collected.

The Ministry of Health stands ready to provide relief services in Japan as well as radiation tests to Vietnamese citizens who return home.

According to the Department for Overseas Labour Management, all Vietnamese trainees in Fukushima province have been taken out of areas affected by radiation from nuclear power plants.

On March 15, the Vietnamese embassy in Japan picked up citizens who worked near the nuclear power plant and brought them to Tokyo.

At present, some Vietnamese people are still trapped in Fukushima province. Hoang Tuan My, a Vietnamese citizen in Japan, told DiTNews that his family is still in Iwakishi, located only 50 kilometres south of the nuclear power plant disaster.