Vietnam launches disaster emergency hotline 

THE HANOI TIMES — An emergency hotline of 112 has been put into operation to receive information about incidents, natural disasters, risks, catastrophes and requests for assistance nationwide.

According to a directive signed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 15, the hotline will connect with existing emergency numbers — 113 for police, 114 for fire and rescue, and 115 for medical emergencies.

The hotline 112 is based at the Military Commands of provinces and centrally-run cities, the Hanoi Capital Command, and the Ho Chi Minh City Command.

Via the hotline, citizens can report accidents, floods, or other hazards by providing details such as time, location, scope of damage, and specific requests for help. All reports will be quickly transferred to local military commands and, when necessary, to the Office of the Steering Committee for the National Civil Defense for immediate response.

The Ministry of National Defense has been tasked with managing and operating the hotline. Telecom providers are required to connect their networks to the system, ensure personal data security, and guarantee that all calls, texts and multimedia messages to 112 are free of charge.

Civil defense forces are asked to remain on round-the-clock standby to respond to emergencies. Any failure to handle information in line with regulations could result in legal responsibility.

In the context of increasingly severe climate change, natural disasters, and unusual risks, the 112 Call Center will be an important tool to help the Government and people improve warning and rescue capacity, thereby minimizing damage and protecting people's lives and property.