The newly detected cases are among 297 Vietnamese passengers boarding a Vietnam Airlines flight from the UAE to Vietnam on May 3, according to health officials.

The remaining 280 passengers tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

All the passengers and crew members were placed in quarantine as soon as they landed in Vietnam, therefore there is no possibility that the deadly virus would be spread among the community, said the officials.   

Currently, the 17 patients are receiving treatment at the General Hospital of the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu. They are in stable health condition.

The 297 passengers are among many Vietnamese citizens who are left stranded in epidemic-hit countries and wish to return to the homeland. The Prime Minister has requested relevant Vietnamese agencies to work closely with Vietnamese representative missions in foreign countries to arrange flights to bring home the expatriates on request.

Upon their arriving in Vietnam, all passengers are required to fill out a health declaration form and have body temperature checked. They will be then transferred to concentrated quarantine centres for 14 days according to regulations to ensure there is no COVID-19 infection to the community.

As of Thursday, Vietnam had recorded a total of 288 coronavirus cases, with 148 cases entering the country from epidemic-hit areas globally. It has not detected any new locally transmitted cases since April 16.