A plane operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines has transported face mask supplies from Vietnam to Japan and brought back 340 Vietnamese citizens who were stranded in the East Asian country because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The flight departed from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Monday, carrying face masks provided by the Vietnamese government to Japanese people.

Japan has recorded more than 16,600 COVID-19 cases and 839 deaths from the disease, according to NHK.

After unloading the cargo, the same plane was in charge of bringing about 340 Vietnamese citizens back to their home country on the same day.

The repatriation was the result of coordination between Vietnamese and Japanese authorities, and the Embassy of Vietnam in Tokyo.

The Vietnamese passengers included children under the age of 18, the elderly, people with medical issues, pregnant women, university students, stranded tourists, and people whose visas had expired but could not leave the country.

All of them had had their body temperature checked before boarding and were brought to quarantine camps after their arrival in Hanoi.

More flights are expected to bring home Vietnamese citizens from South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and New Zealand until June 1.

Vietnam has recorded 326 COVID-19 patients so far, with 272 having recovered. No deaths associated with the disease have been reported in the country to date.

No new community infections have been documented in the Southeast Asian country for 40 days.

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