The new patients include a US citizen, a Canadian citizen, some Vietnamese people returning from abroad, and a doctor at the Dong Anh district branch of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, who has been treating Covid-19 sufferers since January.

Of the 123 confirmed cases, 17 individuals have already been discharged from hospital, and a dozen more have now tested negative either once or twice and will probably be discharged soon.

Starting Sunday, in an unprecedented move, Vietnam suspended entry for all foreign nationals, including those of Vietnamese origin and family members with visa waivers.