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Kidnapped Vietnamese diplomat in good health - Brazil
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-18 10:11

BRASILIA -- Brazil's government said Sunday it was delighted to hear that a Vietnamese diplomat who had escaped kidnappers the day before was in good health.

In a statement, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said Sunday afternoon that it had been informed that Vu Thanh Nam, an official from the Vietnamese Embassy to Brazil, had returned to his hotel without injuries.

The statement said "when being informed on Saturday of the kidnapping, the Ministry asked the federal authorities and the state of Rio de Janeiro to rescue (the diplomat) as soon as possible."

The Vietnamese diplomat was kidnapped Saturday by a group of armed men while in a taxi heading to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

Vu reappeared Sunday afternoon after he escaped from the house where he was being held in the slum Complexo do Alemao.

Rio de Janeiro is the most popular tourist destination in Brazil, but it is also a city with a high crime rate. Rio's governor has requested federal troops to patrol the streets of the city to prevent violence.