Vietnam citizens in Bangladesh, other South Asian countries return home

Some 200 Vietnamese citizens stranded in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives during the coronavirus pandemic were repatriated to Vietnam early today.

Vietnamese Embassy in Bangladesh, in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka, the local authorities and VietJet Air organised the repatriation flight, said a statement issued by the Vietnam embassy.

Flight VJ5967 of VietJet Air left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 2:30am, reports our correspondent quoting sources.

Citizens on the flight included children, students who completed their courses but were facing trouble with accommodation, the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions, businessmen and workers with expired contracts and stranded travelers, the statement reads.

The flight had started from Ha Noi and landed in Sri Lanka and then Bangladesh to repatriate their citizens in South Asia.

Vietnamese citizens in Bhutan and Nepal chartered a transit flight to Dhaka, while those in the Maldives flew to Sri Lanka to join the repatriation flight to Vietnam.

A group of 14 Vietnamese students of the Asian University of Women in Chattogram traveled by road to Dhaka for the flight.

The flight also brought some Bangladeshi citizens stuck in Vietnam back to Bangladesh.