Approximately 300 Vietnamese citizens stranded in Canada and South Korea due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic were repatriated on Monday evening.

Flight VN417 operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines departed from Canada, connected through South Korea, and landed at Can Tho City in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta at around 7:00 pm on Monday.

The passengers included children under 18 years old, the elderly, pregnant women, those with illnesses, workers with expired visas and labor contracts, students without accommodation, stranded tourists, and those in extremely disadvantaged circumstances.

Staff from the Consulate General of Vietnam in Vancouver and the Embassy of Vietnam in South Korea were present to assist the citizens in completing all the required procedures before boarding the flight.

Strict security, safety, and hygiene measures were enforced by the carrier during the flight to protect the passengers’ health and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Following their arrival, 160 passengers were brought to a quarantine center in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, while the others were transported to a facility in Soc Trang Province, also in the delta.

All of them will be tested for COVID-19.

Vietnamese authorities will continue arranging more flights to repatriate stranded citizens in the coming time.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 tally stood at 652, with 374 having recovered and eight deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.

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