Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Dang Minh Khoi

He said amid the complicated developments of the pandemic, the Vietnamese government has carried out policies to bring home Vietnamese people who are studying, living or working abroad, prioritising children, elderly people, those going abroad for treatment, and travellers trapped overseas.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working closely with relevant ministries, especially the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Transport, to help Vietnamese citizens return home.

Khoi said the biggest goal is bringing Vietnamese citizens home safely, especially those in difficult situations, while implementing quarantine measures to prevent a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreaks. This requires the efforts of domestic and foreign agencies, as well as public sharing and cooperation.

The diplomat went on that overseas Vietnamese communities have actively contributed to the country’s fight against COVID-19 in response to the call of the Party, State, Government, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee.

Since the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Vietnam in January, the Vietnamese communities in Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia have donated nearly 80,000 medical face masks, hundreds of bottles of antiseptic solution, protective gear and medical gloves to support Son Loi commune – a hotbed of COVID-19 in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, and a number of hospitals in Hanoi.

According to preliminary statistics from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, nearly 25 collectives and individuals overseas from 14 localities have raised about 33 billion VND (1.4 million USD) and donated medical supplies which have been sent to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the Vietnam Red Cross Society and hospitals to prevent the pandemic.

The foreign ministry and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad have also actively implemented measures to support and protect citizens, particularly those stranded at airports in Thailand, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and some European countries./.VNA