Our top priority remains the safety of our employees, customers and partners. Adhering to government COVID-19 advice, the whole Wiser Environment team has been working remotely and practicing social distancing. For the majority of our team, working remotely means working from the comfort of the home. This has not been the case for one of our key Vietnam consultants – Ngan Tran.
In early 2020, Ngan travelled to the UK from Vietnam. Here, she was trained and mentored in our St Ives office by the UK team. This collaboration has enabled us to share best practice, open new channels of communication and become a more efficient team. Specifically, Ngan has done an amazing job in bringing our team up to speed with the environmental challenges faced in Vietnam.
Ngan’s first flight back home was due for the 28th March. But, the impending lockdown in Vietnam and the UK meant a short notice change of plan to find a flight for the 23rd March. Unfortunately, a change of travel and transfer rules whilst at the airport meant Ngan was not allowed to get a connecting flight to join up with a European based flight to Ho Chi Minh.
All other incoming passenger flights to Vietnam were subsequently cancelled to avoid overloading Vietnamese quarantine facilities. As a result, this meant that Ngan had to prolong her stay in the UK. We were, fortunately, able to extend the stay at the same accommodation for Ngan.
Ngan was able to work remotely within the UK for 3 weeks along with the rest of the team. Eventually, the Vietnamese Embassy was able to establish a repatriation flight for those stranded in the UK. On 14th April, Ngan flew with Vietnam Airways on a direct flight to Hanoi. After touching down in Vietnam safely, Ngan was placed into a specific COVID-19 quarantine unit. This quarantine will last for 14 days. After which, the Vietnamese government will repatriate Ngan back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Ngan, and the rest of the team, will certainly remember her first visit to the United Kingdom!
