Vietnam evacuates 338 nationals from war-torn Myanmar

They are among more than 800 Vietnamese nationals in Myanmar that will be helped out of conflict zones and repatriated.

The government is covering all costs of bringing them home to safety.

Most of them are people of working age who were tricked into captivity and working against their will in illegal casinos in northern Myanmar. When armed conflicts in the country developed and became more complicated, casino owners abandoned such workers.

Late last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Vietnamese Embassy in Myanmar to collaborate with local authorities to ensure the safety and basic living conditions for Vietnamese citizens, as well as allowing them opportunities to escape areas of conflicts in northern Myanmar, near the China border.

The ministry also warned people against following human smugglers into other countries for uncertified, undocumented, unsafe work.

Conflicts between the Three Brotherhood Alliance and the Myanmar army followed the military takeover in February 2021 and have sparked series of attacks by rebels on authorities.

Fights have entered their fifth week, spreading to the country's western and eastern areas.

Over 286,000 Myanmar citizens have had to be relocated due to the conflicts, according to November statistics by the U.N.