Vietnamese citizens living in Russia wait for repatriation flight middle last month. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Hiếu

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese authorities, representative agencies and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines partnered with Russia and Belarus’ authorities to carry nearly 280 Vietnamese citizens home on July 16 and 17.

This is the third repatriation flight that brought Vietnamese citizens home from Russia.

The passengers included children aged below 18, the elderly, pregnant women, the sick, workers whose visas and labour contracts expired, students without residences due to dormitory closure as a result of the pandemic and other especially disadvantaged cases.

As many countries have imposed travel restrictions for fear of COVID-19, the embassies had actively worked with the host countries’ authorities to prepare necessary procedures and instruct the citizens to move to airports in Moscow and Minsk. They had also sent staff to the airports to coordinate with the airlines and local authorities to assist the citizens in handling relevant procedures.
The airline implemented stringent security, safety and quarantine measures during the flight.
After landing at Vân Đồn International Airport in the northern province of Quảng Ninh, the passengers were put under quarantine in line with the country's COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular press conference on Thursday, the ministry’s spokewoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng said that by July 16, Việt Nam had organised 55 flights bringing 13,323 citizens home from abroad since April 10.

She said that under the direction of the country’s leaders, in particular the Prime Minister, relevant agencies and Việt Nam’s overseas representative bodies have been working closely with authorities in host countries to bring more Vietnamese citizens home, taking into account local quarantine capacity. — VNS