Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet began evacuating more than 800 tourists stranded in the central city of Da Nang on Thursday and will continue the operation throughout the day on Friday.

The first of the company’s four planned evacuation flights, flight VJ2737, departed Da Nang for Hanoi at 9:00 am on Thursday with 230 passengers on board.

According to a Vietjet representative, over 800 passengers, including children and the elderly, will be evacuated from the central city on four flights bound for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

These are the first domestic flights that Vietjet is operating to aid tourists who were trapped when Vietnam’s latest wave of COVID-19 took hold in Da Nang and the city implemented enhanced social distancing measures to control the virus’ spread. 

Each of the four flights is implementing safety procedures to prevent the spread of the virus and all passengers will be quarantined in centralized facilities immediately upon landing at the destination. 

“All Vietjet flights meet the highest standards of safety in order to protect both passengers and the flight crew,” said To Viet Thang, Vietjet vice-president and the overseer of flight safety, ground operations, and the implementation and maintenance of the company’s safety and quality programs.

Given the unique circumstances of the evacuation, passengers will have to follow procedures that might seem out of the ordinary to frequent flights.

“All passengers have been provided with personal protective equipment for free. They have also had their body temperatures taken, been requested to wear face masks, and complied with guidelines from health regulators and the airline in order to ensure safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Thang added.

Vietjet has operated several flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens stranded in foreign countries.

The carrier has flown nearly 10,000 Vietnamese home from countries and territories including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, and Myanmar since July.

Vietjet has also taken part in transporting thousands of shipments of essential freight and medical equipment, as well as providing free flights for doctors and medical workers.

As of Friday morning, Vietnam had reported a total of 911 COVID-19 cases, including 327 imported patients who were quarantined upon arrival since the pandemic first hit the Southeast Asian country in January.

A total of 444 local infections have been documented in Vietnam since July 25, when Da Nang recorded the country’s first community transmission after 99 days.

Enhanced social distancing guidelines were implemented in Da Nang City from July 28 until August 11 to curb the spread of the virus. The period was extended on Wednesday due to continued community transmission.

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