Vietnam to Merge 3 Emergency Phone Numbers Into 1

Vietnamese authorities are moving forward on a plan to merge the nation's three emergency hotline numbers into one.

According to Thanh Nien, a new 112 hotline number will open up within the next five years, linking civilians to all three emergency departments – medical, police and fire – at once.

Currently, civilians must dial 113 for police assistance, 114 for firefighters and 115 for an ambulance in the event of an emergency. However, officials argue that people are often too stressed out in such situations to realize they've dialed the wrong number.

Senior HCMC police officer Nguyen Tran Ngoc Hoa supports the new hotline plan. “The transfer takes time, while in a situation like that one or two minutes can save a life,” Hoa told Thanh Nien.

Representatives from the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group are expected to meet with the National Committee for Search and Rescue to discuss the new system soon.

[Photo via Leo Reynolds]

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