Three Vietnamese and 21 other Asian sailors, who were held hostage by pirates in Somalia for more than five months, were freed on November 4 off the Somali coast.

They are Nguyen Tien An (24), Ho Van Cuong (36) and Nguyen Nam Ky (30).

The 24 sailors were from two Republic of Korea fishing boats hijacked on May 15. World media have quoted the RoK’s Foreign Ministry as saying that the sailors are safe and on the way to Yemen.