Vietnam repatriated more than 680 citizens from the Netherlands, France, and Japan on May 24 and 25.

Vietnamese passengers in Japan check in to fly home. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On May 25, more than 340 citizens from Japan were brought home on a flight by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

On way from Vietnam to Japan, Vietnam Airlines transported surgical masks as pandemic relief to Japanese people.

This is the second repatriation flight from Japan after the first one on April 22 that repatriated nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens and transported pandemic aid to Japan.

In mid-April, Japan declared a nationwide state of emergency due to the country’s worsening coronavirus outbreak. The country has lifted the state of emergency as coronavirus infections tail off. So far, Japan has confirmed 16,500 infected cases and more than 800 deaths.

Vietnamese citizens from European countries on way to return home. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

On May 24, Vietnam Airlines finished operating a flight going through three European countries to bring more than 340 Vietnamese citizens home from the Netherlands and France.

The route from Hanoi through Frankfurt to Amsterdam and France and back to Ho Chi Minh City took 32 hours, the longest return flight to Europe by Vietnam Airlines. Vietnam Airlines does not have a regular service to the Netherlands.

The passengers are Vietnamese nationals from Germany, the UK, France, Poland, Czech, Hungary, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Algeria, and Nigeria, according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Departing Hanoi, Vietnam Airlines flew more than 330 passengers to Germany and the Netherlands.

The carrier also transported face masks as pandemic relief by Vietnam's National Assembly to the States General of the Netherlands.

Vietnam will continue operating commercial flights to repatriate its citizens in dependence of the passengers’ demand, the country’s quarantine capacity, and the disease evolution.