The Vietnamese rescue and relief team has been awarded the First-Class Hero of Venezuela Medal, while its members individually received the second-class medal of the same honour, from the Venezuelan government in recognition of their contribution to earthquake relief efforts in the South American country.

The Vietnamese rescue and recovery team on July 3 (local time) continued to dispatch multiple search units to locate victims still trapped following the twin earthquakes in the Playa Grande area of La Guaira State, Venezuela.

Under a decision by the Ministry of National Defence, Viet Nam is dispatching 82 personnel, along with equipment and supplies, to support search-and-rescue efforts and post-earthquake recovery in Venezuela. The Border Guard force contributes a unit comprising 10 personnel and eight search dogs.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines said it has not received any information about Vietnamese casualties in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Mindanao.

A 3.9-magnitude earthquake struck Mang But commune in Quang Ngai province at noon on March 9, posing a level-0 natural disaster risk.

A series of mild earthquakes were recorded in the northern, central and central highland regions of Viet Nam over the past two days, rattling residents in Son La, Hue and Quang Ngai but causing no damage.

In recent days, several localities in Cebu City, the Philippines, have suffered severe damage by Super Typhoon Bualoi and a 6.9-magnitude earthquake, which killed 69 people, injured more than 150, and destroyed over 3,500 houses. The total damage is estimated at more than 1.7 billion Philippine peso (PHP).

The Vietnamese communities in areas affected by the recent earthquake with tsunami warnings in eastern Russia are currently safe, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang stated at a regular press briefing on July 31.

Search and rescue force from the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) on February 17 located another two victims buried by the recent earthquake in Hatay province of Turkey .

In response to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and under the consent of the Prime Minister, the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society has called for all committees, ministries, branches, organisations, agencies, units, enterprises, individuals, benefactors, people of all classes, and all officers, members and volunteers of Red Cross Societies at all levels to give donations to people in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria.