File photo: CGTN

GUANGZHOU, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- A charter flight has brought back 131 stranded Hubei residents from Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City following the novel coronavirus epidemic in China.

The 131 travelers arrived in Wuhan, the capital of epidemic-hit Hubei Province, at 6:23 p.m. Monday via the charter flight operated by China Eastern Airlines, the airline said.

Chinese medical personnel also boarded the plane departing the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to help with the preventative anti-epidemic measures.

Due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, some Chinese citizens from Hubei, especially those from Wuhan, have encountered difficulties returning home from overseas.

The Chinese government has announced that it would send charter flights to bring these residents back home as soon as possible.