More than 6,000 people, including soldiers and local residents, took part in a tsunami drill held by Danang City and Military Zone 5 on October 18.
The circumstance of the exercise, directed by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, was the announcement of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake to the west of Luzon Island in the Philippines, 2.5-3 hours after which a tsunami about 6m high would hit Da Nang city.
At the same time 6,500 international and domestic tourists were enjoying themselves on the beach, about 75 fishing boats with 950 workers on board were operating out to sea, and 450 boats were anchored in the port and nearby areas.
When the tsunami hit, there were also 27,000 families with a total of 133,000 people in 20 communes and wards that needed to be evacuated urgently.
As soon as they were warned of the tsunamis, related agencies quickly dealt with the situation using the mass media to inform boats and people about evacuation.
The armed forces were also sent to tsunami-hit areas to help rescue people.
Lieutenant General Tran Quang Khue, Vice Chairman of Vietnam National Committee for Search and Rescue and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, said that although this was the first-ever tsunami drill, it was successful and the relevant agencies coordinated well.
(VOV)
