Hotline protecting citizens abroad launched

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on February 2nd inaugurated a hotline to protect Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in foreign countries. The number is 0084-4-62844844.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh delivering speech at the event .

The hotline, powered by the Vietnam Military-run Telecommunications Group (Viettel), will be available 24 hours a day seven days a week. Operators will be able to handle requests for assistance from Vietnamese citizens and legal entities abroad relating to the host country’s laws and visa regulations.

All of the requests will be dealt with, enabling Vietnamese to exercise their legal rights abroad. The hotline will be able to handle more than 1,500 calls a day and can be expanded to meet demand.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said that protecting Vietnamese and the Vietnamese legal entities abroad was an top priority for the Government.

The hotline has been built, managed and operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department and Viettel.

Currently, Vietnam has relations with about 200 countries and territories. The number of Vietnamese citizens living abroad amounts to more than 4.5 million, of whom about 100,000 students and more than 200,000 brides.

(Source: CPV)