Passengers wear protective clothing on the flight from India on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Lê

HÀ NỘI — A total of 340 Vietnamese citizens stranded in India returned home to Việt Nam on Wednesday morning on board a specially arranged flight.

All passengers were given medical checks and immediately quarantined after the flight touched down at Cần Thơ International Airport in the Mekong Delta.

On board from India were a number of Buddhist nuns and monks who had been taking part in a retreat before the country was locked down preventing them from leaving.

Many others, including women, pregnant women, children and students had to make long journeys across India to reach New Delhi to board the flight.

The repatriation was organised by authorities in Việt Nam as well as the Vietnamese Embassy in India and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

This is the second repatriation flight to land in Việt Nam this week. On Monday, a flight arrived at Nội Bài Airport in Hà Nội, bringing home 300 Vietnamese citizens from Thailand.

Those passengers, along with the crew, were also given medical checks and taken into quarantine.

Authorities and airlines of Việt Nam will continue to deploy commercial flights to bring Vietnamese citizens back to the country following the direction of the Prime Minister and based on the wishes of citizens, the capacity of quarantine in localities in the country and the developments of the pandemic.

In the past month alone, flights have brought home Vietnamese citizens living in Europe, the UAE, Russia, Canada and the US. — VNS