As many as 685 Vietnamese people were brought to their home country on June 24 in Hanoi’s tireless efforts over the past months to keep its citizens safe amid the worsening global health crisis.

Vietnamese citizens in Japan wait to fly home. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The returnees included 343 people from Taiwan and 342 from Japan. They came home on two flights operated by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Vietnamese diplomatic missions in Taiwan and Japan, Vietnam Airlines, and relevant agencies made the repatriation possible.

Passengers are the elderly, people under 18, pregnant women, people with pre-existing diseases, students who finished studies, laborers with terminated contracts, and stranded visitors.

Vietnamese citizens in Taiwan before a flight going home. Photo: MOFA

Passengers were required to strictly follow safety rules during the flights and after landing. People coming from Taiwan and Japan were quarantined in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City and the central city of Danang, respectively.

On May 29, Vietnam repatriated 343 citizens from Taiwan, including 243 pregnant women. Taiwan is one of the major markets of Vietnamese workers and home to thousands of Vietnamese brides.

Earlier on June 5, more than 340 Vietnamese citizens were brought home from Japan. On May 25, the same number of nationals were repatriated. On route from Vietnam to Japan, Vietnam Airlines transported a batch of surgical masks as Vietnam’s pandemic relief to Japan.

With the latest repatriation flights, some 9,000 Vietnamese nationals have been brought home.

Taiwan has confirmed 446 coronavirus infections while Japan has reported 17,963 cases so far.