Support for citizens stuck at Thailand, Singapore airports due to COVID-19

Hanoi (VNA) – About 100 Vietnamese citizens, who had been stranded while making a transit in international airports of Thailand and Singapore due to these countries’ COVID-19-related movement control orders, were supported to come back home on March 24.

Right after grasping the citizens’ situation, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed Vietnam’s representative diplomatic offices in Thailand and Singapore to contact with the citizens for further information and work with local relevant offices and airlines to seek suitable flights.

The Vietnamese offices patiently discussed with representatives from Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines to bring the citizens back home on the day.

Amid complicated development of the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide, many countries and territories have restricted or closed international routes, and refused passengers' transit, while many airlines have stopped carrying passengers, cancelled flights and changed regulations on freight transportation.

To ensure the safety and health of citizens and to avoid difficulties in travel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended Vietnamese citizens avoid non-essential travel between countries and returning to Vietnam at this time, comply with the host countries' pandemic countermeasures, regularly update regulations of the host countries and airlines, and sufficient documents, especially those on health status, as required.

To get support, citizens are advised to contact citizen protection hotlines posted on official websites of overseas Vietnamese representative offices and the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department, or the department’s citizen protection call centre 84.981.84.84.84./.