Vietnam's citizen protection work bolstered amid COVID-19

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and relevant ministries and localities arranged over 300 flights in 2020 to bring nearly 85,000 citizens home from 59 countries and territories, according to Deputy Minister To Anh Dung.

In an article about citizen protection tasks over the recent past, Dung said efforts in the field, against the backdrop of the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic, have been made in a constant and continuous manner regardless of time and distance, despite limited domestic resources and stringent requirements on COVID-19 prevention and control.

With the spirit of “Leaving no one behind” as stated by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnamese authorities and representative offices abroad have closely joined hands with domestic and foreign airlines to organise safe repatriation flights, in keeping with the country’s quarantine capacity, he said.

The repatriation of stranded citizens will continue in the coming time, in an effort to best meet the citizens’ rightful wishes, based on the developments of the pandemic at home and abroad and in tandem with preventive measures, as well as domestic quarantine capacity.

For those who remain abroad, the Foreign Ministry and representative offices abroad have maintained close cooperation with local agencies to ensure the best conditions for their daily activities, health care, learning and jobs.

The number of overseas Vietnamese has been on the rise in the recent past. Statistics of the Consular Department at the MOFA showed that the number of protected citizens rose to 21,384 last year from just 8,024 in 2017.

In addition, the number of calls made by Vietnamese citizens seeking consultations on citizen protection via the hotline on the field has surged ten-fold since its launch in 2016.

Citizen protection work has strengthened overseas Vietnamese’s trust in policies of the Party and State, thereby putting their mind at ease and enhancing their patriotism, Dung affirmed./.