At Duc's restaurant, dozens of diners frantically paid their bills before rushing out. Duc also urged his staff to flee. The group headed towards the subway station, which they considered the safest place near their workplace.

"After a few minutes, the streets were almost deserted. Everyone hoped there wouldn't be another explosion," said Duc, manager of the Royal China restaurant in Dubai, UAE.

Nearly an hour later, major roads saw scattered vehicles, but side streets remained empty. Only then did Duc and his staff dare to return to the restaurant.

At noon on 28/2, Dubai experienced its first waves of attacks. Air raid sirens blared continuously. Black smoke rose from several military facilities. Duc's workplace was close to famous iconic structures, intensifying his anxiety.

"We live in extreme fear, especially since Dubai's iconic structures such as the Burj Al Arab, Fairmont The Palm, and the famous The Ritz-Carlton hotel have all been attacked," Duc stated.

Deserted scene outside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in the UAE, at 5 p.m. on 1/3. Photo: Vu Hai Duc

About 500 km from Dubai, the Juffair area of Manama, Bahrain's capital, was also becoming a focal point of firepower. Here, Nguyen Ba Thai, 26, and six other Vietnamese workers were enduring life-or-death moments.

At 11:55 a.m. on 28/2, a loud explosion jolted Thai's group from their afternoon nap. Missiles rained down on a military base about 100 meters from their apartment building. Shockwaves from the explosions made the 30-story building shake violently, feeling as if it was lifted and then slammed back down. "It was more terrifying than any earthquake," Thai recalled.

They grabbed their passports and rushed down hundreds of emergency stairs. On the street below, sirens wailed, and smoke billowed into large columns. Although the warning system had sounded five minutes earlier, months of drill alarms had made everyone complacent.

Escaping the building, the Vietnamese workers ran towards the beach to avoid debris from the tall buildings. In the sky, missiles whistled. "The more we ran, the more the missiles seemed to chase us overhead," Thai recounted.

By afternoon, the attacks spread to civilian areas. A luxury hotel in Manama collapsed. Thai described the intensity of airstrikes as "countless." Police appeared everywhere, using loudspeakers to urge residents to evacuate.

Thai's group ran about one kilometer away from the conflict zone, but the shockwaves still felt like they were hitting their eardrums directly. On the night of 28/2, Manama's sky was lit up by suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). By 1/3, the firepower lessened but shifted to ballistic missiles.

Thai's group barricaded themselves in a shelter, holding their breath and monitoring the situation. "The oldest person in the group panicked, repeatedly putting on his shoes and insisting on going to the airport to return to Vietnam. We had to restrain him because the airspace was closed, and martial law prohibited going out," Thai shared.

Missiles hitting the US 5th Fleet in Juffair, Bahrain, at noon on 28/2. Photo: Nguyen Ba Thai

The conflict in the Middle East erupted on the morning of 28/2. The US launched "Epic Fury" in conjunction with Israel's "Lion's Roar" operation, targeting Iran.

Iran retaliated with large-scale ballistic missiles and suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Israel and nations hosting US allied bases, such as Jordan, the UAE, and Bahrain, became targets. Dubai International Airport, oil depots in Abu Dhabi (UAE), and the US 5th Fleet base in Bahrain continuously faced firepower.

Vu Hai Duc has worked in Dubai since 2018, and Nguyen Ba Thai has been in Bahrain for three years. For them, this region once signified a peaceful life and high income. However, the conflict upended their settlement plans. Duc is considering abandoning his career to return to Vietnam for good. "For me, the most important thing right now is to find a place free from the sound of bombs," he said.

In Bahrain, when his landlord knocked on the door demanding rent while missiles flew overhead, Thai said, "When the war stops, we will pay. Otherwise, no." He was prepared to ask the police to intervene because martial law did not allow people to be forced onto the streets.

Thai's group of Vietnamese workers planned to evacuate. They were waiting until the end of 3/3, when the US announced the conclusion of its first phase of full-scale attacks. If the situation did not de-escalate, everyone would wait until 10/3 to make a final decision.

A residential area in Hora, Manama, Bahrain, attacked on the evening of 28/2. Photo: Nguyen Ba Thai

The shockwaves of the conflict also froze daily life and the aviation system of many neighboring countries. In Jordan, Vu Hoai, 40, pulled her suitcase to the airport to return home, but her flight was canceled at the last minute. Jordan was not attacked, but the airspace closure trapped Hoai in the waiting lounge.

Meanwhile, in Sderot province, southern Israel, Tran Lam Que Huong, 22, from An Giang, along with six Vietnamese interns, gradually became accustomed to surviving under fire. Whenever the air raid siren sounded, they rushed into underground shelters. When the siren stopped, they returned to the agricultural product packaging line.

"The farm has four shelters, capable of holding hundreds of people. The boarding house also has an underground room large enough for 20 people," Huong stated.

Phan Duong