Vietnam deeply sympathises with Japan over losses caused by the recent
earthquake and tsunami and offers assistance to the country, a foreign ministry
spokesperson said.

“Vietnam
shares with Japan and the
Japanese people the agonies and losses they are suffering from the earthquake
and tsunami,” spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga said on March 14 in reply to a
reporter’s query on Vietnam’s
reaction to disasters that hit Japan
on March 11.

She said she believes that with its will and determination, Japan will
avert difficulties and soon overcome catastrophic consequences to continue to
grow.

“Vietnam
is ready to help and assist Japan
in its capacity,” spokesperson Nga noted.

She said the Vietnamese Government decided to provide Japan with US$200,000 in emergency aid and would
send a medical team to Japan
if requested by the Japanese government.

“We are working with the Japanese side on what it needs so
we can supply them promptly,” spokesperson Nga concluded.

The earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale rocked
northeastern Japan
on March 11, and along with a devastating tsunami, claimed almost 1,900 lives
and left 20,000 missing, according to the latest reports released on March 14.

Deputy Foreign
Minister pledges aid to Japan

The Vietnamese government is willing to send medical staff
to Japan
to help the country overcome the consequences of the recent earthquake and
tsunami, besides an aid package worth US$200,000.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son made the statement at a
reception for Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yasuaki Tanizaki in Hanoi on March 14.

Ambassador Tanizaki said that Japan
is working with Vietnamese agencies in Japan to protect Vietnamese
residents, adding that so far, there have been no reported casualties of
Vietnamese nationals.

He also said that despites the explosions at the Fukushima
Number One Nuclear Plant, the situation is under control and no major leak of
radiation has occurred.

Vietnam
offers aid to Japanese quake victims

The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) on March 14 decided to offer
US$50,000 in initial aid to Japanese victims of the massive earthquake and
tsunami.

Earlier, on March 11, VRC Chairman Tran Ngoc Tang cabled
message of sympathy to the Chairman of the Japanese Red Cross (JRC), who is
also Chairman of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society.

Currently, VRC is working with the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC) and JRC to launch a system searching information on
Vietnamese people who lose contact and helping families of Vietnamese residents
in Japan
get information on their relatives.

JRC is one of first associations at national level offering
largest support for VRC for a long time, especially in dealing with natural
disasters.

In a mangrove forest plantation programme carried out in
eight central coastal provinces, JRC funded nearly US$10 million in the
1996-2015 period to help the provinces cope with and mitigate adverse impacts
of natural disasters.

Source: TTXVN