Vietnam Airlines Flight VN6 brings 219 Vietnamese citizens home from Equatorial Guinea (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - After days of anxious waiting,Bui Dang Khoa finally made it back to Vietnam on a special flight that brought 219Vietnamese workers home from Equatorial Guinea.
On the road to airport in Bata, the largest city inthe African country, the 23-year-old cook reunited with workmates he had not seensince entering quarantine several weeks ago due to COVID-19. They workedtogether at the Sendje hydropower project.
Placed in an area for workers who have tested negativefor COVID-19, Khoa and other workers of this group fell into a deep, peaceful slumberafter long days of concern.
Onboard the Vietnam Airlines Airbus 350, flightattendants and healthcare staff went about their business with special care.
In early July, after learning about the spread of thecoronavirus among Vietnamese workers at the Sendje hydropower project, theMinistry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs asked the Foreign Ministry andthe Vietnamese Embassy in Angola and Equatorial Guinea as well as the National Steering Committee for COVID-19Prevention and Control to support businesses to bring the workers home.
It also directed three companies managing Vietnamese workersto coordinate with the major contractor of the project to suspend work at thesite.
The ministry asked that guidelines on preventivemeasures against the pandemic be given to the workers, along with solutions toensure hygiene in their accommodation, nutritious meals, and that their rightsand interest be protected.
Recognising that the pandemic was spreading seriouslywith a high rate of infection and getting beyond the control of companies, theministry proposed to the Prime Minister the organisation of a flight to bringall the workers home.
The flight was to protect the legitimate rights andinterest of the workers and manifest the humanitarian policy of the Party andState.
Shortly afterward, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requestedan immediate flight to evacuate the Vietnamese citizens from Equatorial Guinea and asked the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, ambassadors, and Vietnamese representative offices abroad to dotheir best to care for all Vietnamese citizens abroad.
His direction received a prompt response from sectorsand agencies. Various meetings were convened to identify how to arrange theflight, along with measures to ensure flight safety, epidemiological hygiene, flight procedures, and support for thepassengers throughout the flight.
Though dozens of flights have been conducted bringingVietnamese citizens home from different points around the globe, this is thefirst time Vietnam has had to deal with a large number of infections itself atthe same time, requiring particularly thorough preparations.
It was less than three weeks since the Prime Ministerrequested the flight when it landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi,arranged at a lightning speed in a spirit of “no one left behind”. The“miracle” flight manifested the country’s collective strength being mobilisedthrough difficulties and challenges. Leaving no one behind and putting life atthe top priority have become key in the Vietnamese Government’s diseaseprevention and control efforts.
For Khoa and more than 200 other workers from the Sendje hydropower project, the past month has been an unforgettable roller coaster of emotions:anxiety, hope, and then joy and happiness.
Talking over the phone with a Vietnam News Agency(VNA) correspondent in Africa, the young man from Huong Son commune in Hanoi’sMy Duc district recalled that many workers who had been quarantined inEquatorial Guinea could not hold back their tears when they heard that the Governmentof their Motherland was arranging a flight to bring them home. Many workers inEquatorial Guinea have updated VNA correspondents in the region on thesituation.
Before boarding, on behalf of the workers and throughVNA, Khoa said he wants to send his thanks to the Vietnamese Government andrelevant agencies for arranging the flight. He and the workers chanted “I am Vietnamese”at the airport.
When the announcement came that the plane was about toland, through a window Khoa saw green patchwork fields with rivers and smallvillages. Such emotional images have stayed with him over the last few days.
He understood that he and his workmates could not bewelcomed with hugs and flowers from parents and relatives, due to quarantineregulations. But there was one thing he knew for sure: his homeland is warmly welcominghis workmates and him back to Vietnam./.
VNA
