As many as 1,294 Vietnamese guest workers from riot-stricken Libya were reported to land home on March 5 on 13 flights, with the last flight scheduled to arrive at 23:15 hs, according to a labour official.

The March 5 figure will bring the total number of Vietnamese guest workers going home to 6,300, said Nguyen Xuan Tao, Deputy Head of the Labour Management sub-department of the Vietnamese Overseas Workers Management Department, Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Tao reported that only 175 Vietnamese workers still remain in Libya , with 61 moving toward the border shared with Egypt and the remaining 114 others getting contacted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). They are expected to get out of Libya in the next two days.

In the meantime, 2,690 Vietnamese workers in Libya’s nearby countries, including 650 in Turkey, 1,600 in Tunisia, 292 in Algeria, nearly 100 in Malta, and 48 in Egypt, are undergoing necessary procedures for returning home.

Nguyen Quoc Nam , Vietnam IOM representative, said Vietnam was among the countries being quickest in evacuating their guest workers from Libya .

IOM supported the transport of 1,000 Vietnamese workers in transit in Egypt and helped them board planes. It funded all transport cost for 144 workers moving from Salloum border gate to Vietnam and bought air tickets for 48 others to go home as soon as possible.

In Turkey , the organisation plans to cover the entire cost of a flight carrying 250 Vietnamese workers in Istanbul and arrange two more flights for those in Tunisia to return home.

It has also worked closely with the Vietnamese government’s working team in Malta and bought air tickets for 85 Vietnamese workers./.