The flight crew and medical staff are equipped with special protective clothing before leaving for Bata city of Equatorial Guinea to bring stranded Vietnamese citizens home. (Photo: VOV)

The Ministry of Health dispatched two doctors and two nurses from Hanoi’s National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on board the aircraft alongside ventilators, protective clothing and specialized N95 masks to support the infected Vietnamese.

In early July, over 200 Vietnamese workers in Equatorial Guinea sent a letter to Vietnamese representative agencies in Angola, asking for help. Many were confirmed to be carrying the virus.

The flight is expected to land at Noi Bai International Airport at noon on Wednesday, with all to be quarantined and treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases upon arrival. This will be the highest number of Covid-19 patients the hospital has to treat at once. 

The repatriation flight can be considered unprecedented, as Vietnam has no direct flights to Equatorial Guinea.