A Citizen with Dual Vietnamese and Australian Nationality Rescued

According to information from a VNA correspondent in Cairo, thanks to the close coordination and high responsibility of diplomatic missions, the Vietnamese Embassies in Egypt and Saudi Arabia successfully rescued and brought home safely a citizen holding dual Vietnamese and Australian nationality from the conflict zone in Sudan.

Given the complex conflict situation in Sudan, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt quickly assessed the situation, verified the information, and reported to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs about a citizen with dual Vietnamese and Australian nationality, along with 16 Vietnamese crew members, who were in the conflict zone. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed relevant agencies to provide urgent support and ensure the safety of these citizens.

Successful Rescue and Challenges Due to Lack of Personal Documents

The group of Vietnamese crew members was safely brought back to Vietnam on May 13. However, the case of Mr. Pham Van Khoe (born in 1957, from Tien Giang), a dual Vietnamese and Australian citizen, faced more difficulties as he had lost all his personal documents and had no cash. The Vietnamese Embassy made efforts to maintain contact, encourage Mr. Khoe, and find a way to get him out of the conflict zone while assisting in the process of reissuing his documents.

International Coordination to Evacuate Citizens from the Conflict Zone

The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt contacted diplomatic missions of ASEAN countries and the Australian Embassy in Cairo to explore options for evacuating Mr. Khoe by land to Egypt or to Port Sudan. However, Australia did not have a policy of financial support for citizen evacuation in this situation.

Upon learning that Saudi Arabia was assisting with the evacuation of citizens from Sudan, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt quickly contacted the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Cairo to request assistance for Mr. Khoe. With approval from Saudi Arabia, on May 23, the Embassy coordinated with the Citizen Protection Fund and Mr. Khoe's family in Vietnam to purchase a plane ticket and fly him from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Passport Assistance and Bringing Citizens Back Home

The Vietnamese Embassies in Egypt and Saudi Arabia worked closely together to quickly issue a regular passport for Mr. Khoe through an expedited procedure. On May 26, a staff member from the Vietnamese Embassy in Saudi Arabia personally went to Jeddah Airport to hand over the passport to Mr. Khoe and assist with the necessary procedures to ensure he would not be deported back to Sudan.

The Embassy representatives also provided essential supplies and helped Mr. Khoe complete the exit procedures. Thanks to the dedicated support of the diplomatic agencies, on the evening of May 27, Mr. Pham Van Khoe safely returned to Vietnam and expressed his deep gratitude to the authorities for their protection and successful assistance throughout the rescue process.