Minister of Public Security, To Lam speaks at the meeting.
Speaking at an online government meeting held on December 29, Minister of Public Security, To Lam, said that as Tet nears more Vietnamese have been found illegally returning to the country.
"Hundreds of people are being caught while crossing the borders illegally every day," he said.
The minister asked provincial authorities to tighten measures to curb the problems to prevent the spreading of coronavirus from foreign countries.
According to the official, more than 70,000 Vietnamese people have been brought home from abroad for Covid-19 prevention on repatriation flights organised by the government so far this year. And hundreds of thousands of other people have registered to return home at the end of the year.
"The life of many Vietnamese people in virus-hit areas abroad is currently very difficult," Lam said. "Many people want to return home, especially during the Tet Holiday. The number of people living and working in some neighbouring countries including Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and China are big. Many of them are managing to return illegally across the border."
Minister Lam said that so far this year Vietnamese police have dealt with some 14,000 people who were found entering the country illegally."
