More than 500 Vietnamese citizens from Thailand and 24 countries in Europe and Africa arrived in Vietnam on Sunday on two special flights organized to repatriate citizens stranded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the two flights carrying nearly 280 people from 24 European and African countries landed at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The flight was arranged by Vietnamese and French authorities and national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Passengers included children under 18, the elderly, pregnant women, people with illnesses, students without accommodation, stranded tourists, and workers with expired contracts and visas.

Right after landing at the airport, all the passengers were given health checks and sent to COVID-19 quarantine areas in accordance with current regulations.

The other flight, organized by Vietnamese and Thai authorities and budget carrier Vietjet Air, carried more than 230 Vietnamese citizens from Thailand to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.

Vietnam pledges to bring home more Vietnamese nationals stranded abroad based on their needs and the nation’s current quarantine capacity.

The Southeast Asian country remains closed to international arrivals except for people brought home on repatriation flights or foreign experts and highly skilled workers individually approved to enter.

Vietnam has logged 621 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, since the pandemic first hit in January.

Six patients have died while 373 have recovered from the disease in the country.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!