Vietnam brings home 1,500 citizens past week

Vietnam brought home roughly 1,500 nationals in the week ended July 18 on repatriation flights to help them either avoid catching the coronavirus, or be treated of Covid-19 and reunite with their family.

Vietnamese citizens at San Fransisco International Airport waiting to fly home. Photo: MOFA

Passengers are those stranded in different parts of the world including the US, Russia, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is the main airlines in charge of transporting Vietnamese people home, who top the priority list including children under 18, the sick, the elderly, pregnant women, students with closed dormitories, laborers with expired employment contracts, stranded tourists, and those of special cases.

Notably, the number of returnees from Australia is the largest (350) compared to those in other countries as Australia is spreading lockdown on its states.

Meanwhile, there was also a flight from the US where a large number of Vietnamese citizens were queuing to fly home.

All passengers have been quarantined upon arrival in Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, and Can Tho airport in the southern city of Can Tho.

Since operating repatriation flights from April 10, Vietnam has repatriated 15,000 nationals so far.

The repatriation has been one of frequent humane activities at the request by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transport, National Defense, Public Security, and Health have made the flights possible on the back of the pandemic evolution in both Vietnam and the world, and depending of the quarantine capacity in the country.

Vietnamese missions abroad are in charge of making the list of people in need and contacting them for the flights. Citizens need to follow instructions by the Vietnamese authorized agencies to make the registration for the repatriation.