Vietnamese people in the epicenter of the Japanese earthquake received a lot of support

Vietnamese trainees in Anamizu city, near the epicenter of the earthquake in Noto peninsula, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, are moving to their new residence and receiving support from their union to stabilize their jobs.

On January 6, 2024, a delegation of more than 20 people from the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka, along with businesses, visited the Vietnamese community in Ishikawa Prefecture - Photo: Vietnamese Group in Ishikawa

Five days have passed since a 7.6-magnitude earthquake rocked the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture and surrounding areas in central Japan, causing severe damage. Tuoi Tre Online spoke on January 6 with Nguyen Thi Huong (20 years old) and Bui Thi Ai Nhan (30 years old) - two of six Vietnamese people living and working in Anamizu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, about 50km from the epicenter of the earthquake in the Noto Peninsula.

Many difficulties at the epicenter of the earthquake

When the earthquake struck at around 4pm on January 1 (local time), two Vietnamese female interns said they initially felt only slight shaking. It was only when the shaking became more intense that they realized it was a big earthquake and rushed to hide under the kitchen table. "When the earthquake stopped, we went outside. We wanted to ask the people around us what we should do so we could learn from them. At that time, there was no electricity, no water, it was dark, and there were few neighbors around.

The Vietnamese community organizes campaigns to provide necessities to compatriots in Ishikawa province - Photo: Vietnamese group in Ishikawa

A while later, we saw a Japanese person. We asked them, but they didn't know what to do because they had never experienced such a strong earthquake before," Huong said. "The roads were eroded and all the wooden houses collapsed. We had to move to a shelter in the city. That night, no one dared to sleep." Vu Tien Dung, 28, who works at the Hokuriku Taigai union (in charge of Vietnamese trainees in many areas of central Japan), updated the situation from the epicenter. "The epicenter is still experiencing water shortages, some people have not had a bath for 5 days. Factories were severely damaged, leading to mass unemployment among Vietnamese trainees. Those who have relatives (in other areas of Japan) left, while the rest are still stuck at the epicenter," he said.

Will soon have stable job

During her temporary stay at the refugee center, Ms. Ai Nhan was moved to receive help from Japanese people in the area.

"We evacuated to an elementary school. Knowing that we were foreigners, they cared, asked about us, and encouraged us a lot. Food and drinks were provided, the only inconvenience was that there was no running water," she said. From Kanazawa city, Mr. Dung traveled down to Anamizu city to meet and take two Vietnamese interns to a safer place. "For Vietnamese people who suffered heavy damage to their homes and could no longer live in the area, were cut off from water and lacked food, the union supported them to go to the union's community center, where they could eat and stay for free. For those who lost their jobs, to the extent possible, the union will introduce them to other companies in the same industry," he shared.

Previously, on January 5, Mr. Vu Tien Dung (working at Hokuriku Taigai union) went to Nakanoto city, Ishikawa province to give necessities to Vietnamese people and those affected by the earthquake in the area - Photo: NVCC

Previously, Ms. Huong and Ms. Ai Nhan both worked as electronic component assemblers at a company in Anamizu City. They were somewhat relieved to know that the union would help stabilize their jobs in the near future. "At first, I was also worried that because the company was damaged, we could not continue working there. The union also had a solution to move us to another place to work. I also hope that when things gradually stabilize and the company is repaired, we can still come back here to work," Ms. Ai Nhan confided.

No Vietnamese casualties in Ishikawa

According to VNA, information provided to the Vietnamese Embassy by representatives of Ishikawa prefecture's leadership said that as of January 4, no information about Vietnamese people was recorded in the statistics of casualties caused by the earthquake. On January 4, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan sent a working delegation led by Ambassador Nguyen Duc Minh to Ishikawa prefecture to learn about the situation and support Vietnamese people in difficulty there. Information from the Vietnamese group in Ishikiwa also said that on the morning of January 6, 2024, a delegation of more than 20 people from the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka, along with businesses, visited the Vietnamese community in Ishikawa prefecture. The Vietnamese community in Japan is also establishing groups to provide necessities to compatriots in difficulty in areas severely affected by natural disasters.

Tuoitre.vn

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