nCoV: Vietnam repatriates citizens from China

Vietnam will repatriate its citizens from China on fears of worse situation of novel coronavirus (nCoV)-caused epidemic that has killed 426 people and caused 20,626 infections in China.

On February 2, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with the Chinese side to bring Vietnamese nationals back to the country through border gates and airports.

Some airlines are allowed to resume flights to China to bring Vietnamese citizens back to the country. Photo: VNA

They will return to the home country through border gates in the northern provinces namely Huu Nghi in Lang Son province, Lao Cai in Lao Cai province, Mong Cai in Quang Ninh province, Tay Trang in Dien Bien, and Thanh Thuy in Ha Giang.

A number of others will fly to airports across the country, including Van Don in Quang Ninh and some small aviation terminals in the central and southern regions, except international ones.

Since February 1, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA) has halted all flights between Vietnam and China. However, some domestic airlines need to resume several flights to bring Vietnamese citizens back to the country. All flights after the government ban must get approval from different agencies.

In another move, the Ministry of Transport has worked with Chinese agencies to halt the operations of transnational railway route Gia Lam – Nanning – Beijing in the next few days.

So far, Vietnam Railway Corporation has stopped selling tickets of the daily railway route which carries average 130 passengers per day.

Railway stations of the transnational route have been sterilized while railway stewards, porters, and passengers are all required medical quarantine before entering Vietnam.

Two Chinese nationals who were infected nCoV (the first coronavirus infections found in Vietnam) was passengers of SE5 railway route from Nha Trang to Saigon on January 19. The railway steward serving two Chinese passengers has been quarantined.