Vietnam Airlines, Sun Group join hands to repatriate Vietnamese from war-torn Ukraine

Passengers on board the first repatriation flight from Ukraine arrive in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and Sun Group signed an agreement on March 10 to jointly support the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens and their families from war-ravaged Ukraine.

The signing was witnessed by leaders of the Government Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV).

Responding to the Prime Minister's appeal, the two corporations agreed to together arrange repatriation flights for Vietnamese people and their families from Ukraine’s war-torn areas and those fleeing to Poland and Romania under the authorities' guidance.

Sun Group will fully cover the expenses of the flights, provided at the most preferential rates by Vietnam Airlines. Meanwhile, Vietnamese returnees will be transported free of charge.

The first flight conducted under the pact is scheduled to depart from Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport for Warsaw (Poland) on March 12 to pick up the Vietnamese expats and return the next day.

Pham Quang Hieu, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, said the Party and State have paid attention to protecting the legitimate rights and benefits of Vietnamese people living abroad. The Vietnamese expats are inseparable from the domestic community.

The business community coordinating with the Government to support overseas Vietnamese reflects national solidarity and provides major resources for timely and effectively protection of those affected by the crisis in Ukraine, according to Hieu.

Dang Ngoc Hoa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines, said the signing of the agreement demonstrates the business community’s commitment to engaging in this mission and their sense of responsibility towards the compatriots and the nation.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries to give the highest priority to protecting Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine amidst the escalating conflict there. The Government has also established a special working group to deal with issues related to the Ukraine crisis, led by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

So far, more than 4,500 Vietnamese people had been evacuated to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Russia, of whom nearly 600 were flown home on March 7 and March 9.

As many as 610 Vietnamese citizens in Romania and some 500 others in Poland have registered for repatriation flights.

The Vietnamese missions have been helping the Vietnamese returnees complete legal steps to enter a third country and cooperated with authorities and Vietnamese communities in the host country to provide them with temporary accommodations, food and other necessities.

The Hanoi Department of Health has agreed to waive the requirement of negative COVID-19 tests or certification of COVID-19 vaccination for Vietnamese leaving Ukraine prior to the departure of their flight home.

However, the returnees are required to strictly observe the 5K and other COVID-19 preventive rules set by the Ministry of Health during their travel. They must also contact a medical station nearest to their residence to go into medical monitoring and test for COVID-19 in accordance with current regulations.

Vietnam Airlines has plenty of experience in operating evacuation flights. Over the last two years, it repatriated hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese citizens from more than 30 countries, regions and territories amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also evacuated Vietnamese workers in Libya in 2011 and 2014, and carried home Vietnamese citizens in Japan amid the powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011, among others.

To receive assistance in case of need, Vietnamese people in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries can contact the following phone numbers and email addresses:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: +84-965 411 118, +84-981 848 484; Email: baohocongdan@gmail.com

Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine: 380 (63) 8638 999

Vietnamese Embassy in Russia: 79 916 821 617

Vietnamese Embassy in Poland: 0048 782 257 359

Vietnamese Embassy in Romania: 0040 744 645 037

Vietnamese Embassy in Slovakia; 421 2 5245 1263, 421 915 044 329, 421 915 419 568

Vietnamese Embassy in Hungary: 36 308 385 699./.