Police help overseas Chinese tourists via Sina Weibo

Police in Central China's Hunan province have been praised on social media for their response to online requests for help from Chinese tourists, whose travel documents were stolen in Vietnam.

A Chinese tourist surnamed Zhang contacted Hunan Provincial Public Security Department via its official account on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, on the evening of Feb 5.

Zhang from Hunan province said he was robbed while traveling in Vietnam on Feb 1, and his passport and visa were lost. He said he was stranded in Ho Chi Minh City after providing his personal information to Chinese Embassy in the country.

In his message, Zhang asked the police to confirm his personal information as soon as possible so that he could get a temporary travel permit to return home.

The editor of the Weibo account kept in contact with Zhang while asking Hunan province's exit-entry administration bureau to check Zhang's personal information as soon as possible, which had been sent by the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

An hour later, Zhang received a message from the Hunan police's Weibo account advising him the problem had been solved.

Zhang is not the first person that Hunan police has helped through its Sina Weibo account.

On Feb 3, a man surnamed Yan from Hunan province also managed to return home with his family after seeking similar help from Hunan police through Sina Weibo after their travel documents were lost when they traveled in Vietnam on Jan 30.

Many social media users thanked their mother country and the police for their strong support.