Vietnamese citizens complete boarding procedures at Sydney International Airport, Australia, on Thursday before flying home to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — More than 340 Vietnamese citizens in Australia were brought home safely on a flight operated by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on Thursday.
The flight was the joint efforts of Vietnamese authorities, representative offices in Australia and Vietnam Airlines, and competent Australian agencies.
The passengers included children under 18 years old, the elderly, sick people, students without accommodations due to university dormitory closures, and those in extremely difficult circumstances.
Given Australia’s travel restrictions and border closures between states in response to COVID-19, Vietnamese representative agencies worked with local authorities of Sydney and Melbourne to help the citizens travel to the airports. They also sent staff to assist the citizens with boarding procedures. 
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, disease prevention measures were carried out during the flight. Upon landing at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City, the flight crew and all passengers were given heath examinations and quarantined in line with regulations.
Vietnamese authorities and overseas missions plan to arrange more flights to bring more Vietnamese citizens home, depending on their need and quarantine capacity at home. — VNS