📝 OP-ED: Repatriation flights reflect compatriotship in trying times

Hanoi (VNA) – The first flight repatriating 287Vietnamese people evacuated from war zones in Ukraine landed at Hanoi-based Noi BaiInternational Airport at noon on March 8.

The flight, departing from Bucharest capital city of Romania, had itscosts completely covered by the State.

Unable to hold back his emotions after a myriad ofdifficulties, Phung Van Suu, one of the 287 passengers, said they are deeplymoved by the Party and State’s assistance and arrangement of the repatriationflight, and that they are extremely grateful to the Party and State.

Vietnamese citizens, including children, repatriated from Ukraine (Photo: VNA)

Phi Van Tien, who moved from Odessa city, described theflights organised by the Government in these trying times as greatly touchingto overseas Vietnamese like them. He thanked the Government for supporting thecommunity, and that he will never forget this for the rest of his life.

The opinions of the two passengers on this special flightare also the common thought of thousands of Vietnamese escaping from the war zonesin Ukraine as the compatriotship has once again shone in the times of misfortune.

The first Vietnamese people returning from Ukraine arrive at Noi Bai International Airport at noon of March 8. (Photo: VNA)

Not leaving Vietnamese people in the war zones killed orinjured and not leaving anyone hungry or cold during the evacuation processhave become the motto of Vietnam’s representative agencies in the neighbouringcountries of Ukraine throughout the arrangement of repatriation flights.

As of March 7 evening, the representative agencies of Vietnamin some Eastern European countries like Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, andMoldova received about 3,500 Vietnamese people moving out of the war zones inUkraine.

After the first flight from Romania, the second isscheduled to depart from Poland on March 9 to bring about 270 citizens back to Vietnam.

Giving the top priority to citizen protection and themaximum safety of lives, property, and legal and legitimate interests ofVietnamese citizens and legal entities is a consistent policy of the Party andState. That policy has been clearly demonstrated in the repatriation ofcitizens from war zones in Ukraine.

This was also the spirit of the flights bringing homeVietnamese workers in Libya over 10 years ago. Under the Government’s order, 10flights were conducted from March 1 to 13, 2011 to safely evacuate more than3,000 Vietnamese citizens from the war-hit Libya.

Another flight of this type was the one carrying Vietnamesenationals from Wuhan city of China’s Hubei province in February 2020, whenWuhan was the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was lockdowned, and cut all transport linkswith other regions.

In the places far away from the homeland, thecompatriotship, with the Party and State’s attention and the overseas community’ssupport, has become greater than ever in trying times./.

VNA