National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on Dec. 20-21 conducted two flights to bring home nearly 700 Vietnamese citizens left stranded in Japan and the Republic of Korea due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

More Vietnamese citizens stranded overseas due to COVID-19 will be brought home.
(Illustrative image).

On board the repatriation flights were minors under 18, pregnant women, the elderly, students who had finished their training courses, guestworkers whose labour contracts had expired, and other special cases.

The Vietnamese Embassies in Japan and the RoK sent staff to assist the citizens with necessary procedures before their departure.

Vietnam Airlines strictly implemented security, safety, and epidemiological measures during the flights to ensure the passengers’ health and prevent the possible spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

As soon as the planes landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, all crew members and passengers underwent medical supervision and were transferred to quarantine facilities in line with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Vietnamese agencies are arranging similar repatriation flights in the near future to bring home Vietnamese citizens stranded overseas according to their wishes as well as the epidemic situation and quarantine capacity in the country.