Special flights to repatriate over 550 Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine

The first flight carrying 283 passengers, operated by Vietnam Airlines, is scheduled to depart from Bucharest in Romania Monday and land in Hanoi a day later, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The second flight, operated by Bamboo Airways, will bring home 270 people from Warsaw in Poland Thursday.

Upon landing, all returnees will be tested and isolated based on Covid-19 safety protocols.

The ministry also said more than 2,000 Vietnamese have been evacuated from war-torn Ukraine to neighboring countries.

More than 1,000 people have gone to Poland, 370 to Romania, 190 to Hungary and more than 40 to Slovakia. In addition, 200 Vietnamese citizens are being transported from Moldova to Romania.

Vietnamese authorities will continue the evacuation of Vietnamese citizens and family members from dangerous areas in Ukraine to neighboring countries and repatriate those in need depending on the situation, the ministry said.

According to official statistics, there are around 7,000 Vietnamese in Ukraine, mainly in Kharkiv, Odessa and Kiev.

Russian forces have pounded Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv with artillery and cruise missiles for over a week now, and many parts of Ukraine are now in danger.