Passengers flying from South Korea wait for medical screening at Noi Bai
International Airport, Hanoi, February 27, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Kim Bui. 

Two hundred eighteen South Korean students who got special permission to enter the country arrived in Hanoi by a special flight on Sunday. 

The Asiana Airlines flight landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at midnight, Yonhap News Agency reported citing an airline source.

The students, who are studying in international schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, would be placed under self-quarantine for two weeks and monitored by local health authorities, KBS reported.

Since March 22 Vietnam has not allowed entry for foreign nationals except those with diplomatic and official passports and business managers, experts and high-skilled workers. All are quarantined for 14 days upon arrival.

Other special cases seeking entry have to be approved by the government.

Asiana said the flight was a one-off, but hoped it would help soon normalize flights between the two countries.

South Korea is considering resuming limited international air services, including to Vietnam, thanks to its robust outbreak control.

Vietnam, with a population of over 96 million and despite sharing a land border with China, has had only 331 infections and no deaths.

South Korea, which has reported more than 11,800 Covid-19 infections, including 273 deaths, is one of Vietnam's biggest trade and investment partners and the second largest tourism market after China. Around 100,000 South Koreans live and work in Vietnam, according to official statistics.