Vietnam repatriates 350 citizens from Japan

The flight arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi with children, old people, pregnant women, sick people, workers whose employment contracts had expired, students who had no accommodation due to closure of dormitories and others facing difficult situations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

Safety and hygiene protocols were in place on the flight, and immediately on landing the passengers were placed under medical supervision and quarantined.

This is the sixth repatriation flight from Japan, following the first in April, one in May and three in June, according to Vietnam's Foreign Ministry.

Thousands have also returned from the U.S., South Korea, Africa and South Asia due to the pandemic, and more are set to be brought back.

The Transport Ministry recently proposed that commercial flights to some Asian destinations, including Japan, should recommence in August, with passengers quarantined on arrival.

Vietnam has recorded 381 cases of Covid-19 so far, including eight Russian experts who arrived on July 11. The country has not had any community transmission for three months.

Japan has had over 22,000 cases and 984 deaths. The global death toll is over 580,000.