Authorities in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An recently fined and deported 53 Chinese citizens, who had made illegal entry into Vietnam.

Border guard officers in Nghe An, in collaboration with relevant agencies, stopped a passenger bus traveling in the direction from north to south on the section of National Highway 1 passing through Hoang Mai Town on March 9.

There were 57 people, including 53 of Chinese nationality and four Vietnamese, on the bus at the time.

The 53 Chinese passengers were determined to enter Vietnam illegally and were then sent to a centralized quarantine facility meant to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the province’s Hung Nguyen District.

Four of them managed to escape from the quarantine center on the night of March 17, but all four were captured again later on the same night.

Police in Nghe An said on Thursday that they had fined the Chinese a combined VND210 million (US$9,120) for crossing the border without going through required immigration procedures.

As the Chinese group had completed their quarantine and tested negative for the coronavirus twice, the provincial police handed them over to Chinese authorities.

Meanwhile, the border guard command of Nghe An also proposed the provincial police start legal proceedings against the driver and the owner of the passenger bus that had transported the 53 Chinese people for organizing and assisting the illegal entry.

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