HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport late Monday sent an urgent dispatch to the Civil Aviation Administration of Việt Nam (CAAV) requesting the suspension of the transport of Vietnamese from foreign countries to Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City, starting from 0:00am on March 25.

The suspension will run until the end of the month.

Earlier, many flights destined for Tân Sơn Nhất Airport were diverted to Cần Thơ International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ instead.

The dispatch, signed by Deputy Minister Lê Anh Tuấn, said the Government Office on March 21 issued Announcement No 118/TB-VPCP, in which Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered continued restrictions on international flights amid the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid overloading quarantine areas.

The ministry also asked the aviation sector to create favourable conditions for flights carrying foreigners to leave Việt Nam.

Earlier, the ministry directed the CAAV to inform all airlines that they must seek permission from Vietnamese diplomatic agencies abroad regarding the transportation of Vietnamese citizens to the homeland, starting from 0:00am on March 23.

The CAAV was also asked to work with Vietnamese representative offices abroad to verify the number of Vietnamese citizens in need of returning home and report to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Also on Monday, the foreign ministry sent out a notice recommending Vietnamese citizens avoid travel between countries or travelling back to Việt Nam as more and more countries are shutting their borders and restricting international flights, which could easily lead to being stranded. — VNS