Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam confirmed on November 4 morning that the ministry’s mission had arrived in London the previous day.

The minister said that the Government would implement citizen protection measures as soon as Vietnamese nationals were confirmed as being involved in the case.

Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam.

“If a Vietnamese national is identified, we will try to bring them home in the fastest way possible,” Lam said.

He added that the mission could only send their first working report back to Vietnam at 3pm on November 4 at the earliest due to the time difference.

The authorities so far are yet to confirm how many missing persons reported by Vietnamese families were connected to the Essex lorry case, the minister said.

“Families who lost contact with their children all assumed they could be among the 39 victims. But after a few days, some families found out that their children were still in Vietnam or had gone to another country,” Lam said.

Police in the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh received 34 reports of missing persons between October 24 and November 1. Three families in Nghe An, however, on November 2 announced that they managed to contact their thought-to-be-missing members who were abroad.

In a statement late on November 2 (UK time), Essex police said they believed the victims in the Essex lorry case were Vietnamese, adding that they have identified some of the victims and have contacted the Vietnamese Government and some families in the UK and Vietnam.

The confirmatory evidence needed to formally present cases to HM Senior Coroner for consideration has not yet been obtained, they said.

"This evidence is being gathered across a number of jurisdictions worldwide. As a result, we cannot at this time announce the identity of any of the victims,” said the statement.

Essex police will continue to cooperate closely with the Vietnamese Government and others to identify the victims and offer support to all those affected by this tragedy.

Hanoi looks to boost educational cooperation with UK

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has highly evaluated the UK’s education and training environment and hoped to expand cooperation with the European country in the field.

Vietnam Airlines to launch routes to Bali, Phuket

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced that it will launch direct air routes linking Ho Chi Minh City with Indonesia’s Bali and Thailand’s Phuket on October 27.

Vietnam, UK hold second defence policy dialogue

The second defence policy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level between Vietnam and the UK took place in Hanoi on September 30 under the co-chair of Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh and British Minister of State for Defence Baroness Goldie.

Vietnam Airlines to fly non-stop to Bali, Phuket

Two direct flights of Vietnam Airlines connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Thailand’s Phuket and Indonesia’s Bali will make their debut on October 27.

Vietnamese youth camp held in Ukraine

The Vietnamese youth camp took place in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, on July 8-9 with an aim to enhance exchanges between youth unions in major cities. 

Source: VNA