Nearly 600 more Vietnamese brought home after fleeing from Ukraine

A repatriate reunited with their loved ones after evacuating from Ukraine. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo Tuấn Đức

HÀ NỘI — Two more repatriation flights for Vietnamese nationals fleeing from war-torn Ukraine landed in Nội Bài International Airport on Sunday, bringing home nearly 600 people.

Flight No VN58 from Warsaw, Poland carrying 288 repatriates touched down at Nội Bài International Airport at 9.30am on Sunday, with 63 children under 18 years old and 51 senior citizens onboard. 

Flight No VN68 from Bucharest, Romania also landed in Hà Nội at 11am on the same day. Among its 291 passengers were 15 children under two years old, 60 children under 12 years old, 19 senior citizens, along with 12 pregnant women and other patients. 

The flights were funded by Sun Group in collaboration with Vietnam Airlines, following their cooperation agreement to support the transportation of Vietnamese citizens and their families to return home from the war zone in Ukraine.

A repatriate reunited loved ones who had evacuated from Ukraine. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo Tuấn Đức

The Vietnamese embassies in Poland and Romania have coordinated with the Vietnamese community to help the evacuees travel to the airport. Officers were also assigned to work with the local authorities and handle the exit procedures. 

As of March 12 afternoon, agencies abroad had received more than 4,500 Vietnamese fleeing Ukraine, including more than 2,800 to Poland, 950 to Romania, 660 to Hungary, nearly 130 to Slovakia, and over 40 to Russia. 

Of these, 287 people were brought home from Romania on March 7, and 291 on March 12. 

From Poland, 300 people returned to the homeland on March 9, and 288 on March 12. 

After these two flights, there remains about 300 Vietnamese people in Romania and 200 in Poland registered to fly home.

Joint efforts

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOV) on March 11 sent an open letter asking Vietnamese people’s associations in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany to help the Vietnamese leaving Ukraine register for repatriation flights and make contact when necessary.

The committee asked the associations to instruct the evacuees to stay updated with the announcements published on the official websites of the Vietnamese embassies in Romania and Poland.

When official information is released, the evacuees need to liaise and register with the embassies directly or via the registration links.

As some Vietnamese people have continued moving to other countries like the Czech Republic and Germany, the embassies and associations of Việt Nam have been working to disseminate the host countries’ policies for people evacuating from Ukraine, according to the SCOV.

Vietnamese children return home with their parents on the repatriation flight after fleeing from Ukraine. — VNA/VnExpress News Photo Tuấn Đức

On March 11, Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh assigned the Ministry of Transport to coordinate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and relevant agencies to quickly arrange flights funded by businesses to bring home Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine.

The flights must be carried out in an open and transparent manner and in line with regulations.

The Ministry of Finance was also asked to work with the MoFA, the Ministry of Public Security, and agencies in the implementation of the Deputy Prime Minister’s document on the conduct of such repatriation flights, issued on March 9.

Any matter that comes beyond their power should be reported to the Prime Minister, according to the March 11 document.

Vietnamese representative agencies in Poland and Romania remain open to receive registration for seats on the next flights through this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQqfqeq3QTxl8CKLqbAwkQnOpHiRu8wj8hiN2lqhnqp4j-OA/viewform  

Vietnamese people in Ukraine and surrounding countries who need support or want to flee from war areas or return to Việt Nam can contact and place their registrations through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Vietnamese representative agencies through the following phone numbers:

+ Ministry of Foreign Affairs: +84-965411118, +84-981848484; Email: [email protected]

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine: +380 (63) 8638999

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Russia: +79916821617

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Poland: 0048782257359

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Romania: 0040744645037

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

+ Vietnamese Embassy in Hungary: +36 308 385 699. — VnExpress News