Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Vietnam reopened its borders to foreign tourists on March 15, allows quarantine-free entry and has reinstated its pre-pandemic visa policies, including waivers for the nationals of 24 countries.
• Vietnam has yet to discover the emergence of BA.4 and BA.5 — two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain of the coronavirus — following genome sequencing, the General Department of Preventive Medicine said.
• The first shipment of 921,600 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by the Australian government for Vietnamese children aged 5 to under 12 arrived in Vietnam on Friday. “Australia has committed to share more than 7.2 million COVID-19 paediatric doses with Vietnam and the rest will be delivered over the next few weeks”, according to the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.
• Vietnam has so far received over 230 million doses of vaccine and administered about 208 million shots, according to the Ministry of Health. The country is among the highest COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates in the world, with both first and second vaccine doses reaching 100 percent the adult population, and third shot coverage topping 50.8 percent, the Health Ministry reported.
• Thousands of people rushed to leave the major cities for their three-day holiday starting Saturday, marking the Hung Kings Commemoration Day.
• Vietnam has reached agreements on mutual recognition of full COVID-19 vaccination certificates, also known as ‘vaccine passports,’ with 19 countries in the world. These countries include Japan, the U.S., the UK, Australia, India, Belarus, Cambodia, the Philippines, Palestine, Maldives, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey, Singapore, Saint Lucia, South Korea, Iran and Malaysia.

Ho Chi Minh City

• The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has requested students of all grades, except those under quarantine for COVID 19 infection, return to schools for in-person attendance from Tuesday on a mandatory basis.
• HCMC is running a tourism program called ‘Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City’. To last from March to September, it has businesses in the tourism and services sectors offering discounts and new products to visitors.

Hanoi

• Deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi Chu Xuan Dung signed on Friday afternoon an official decision to allow kindergarten students in all of the capital’s 30 districts to resume direct class attendance from April 13.
• Authorities in Hanoi have announced the reopening of local bars, karaoke parlors, and online game centers following a ban that lasted for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• Khanh Hoa recorded 83 new cases (up 41 cases compared to yesterday). Accordingly, in the city. Nha Trang 31 cases, Ninh Hoa town 26 cases, Van Ninh district 5 cases, Dien Khanh district 8 cases, City Cam Ranh 3 cases, Khanh Son district 4 cases, Cam Lam district 6 cases.
• Up to now, the number of people aged 18 and over in the province who have received the first and second doses of Covid-19 vaccine has reached more than 100%, and the third dose has reached nearly 84%. The province has organized the first vaccination for children from 12 to 17 years old, reaching more than 100%, the second dose reaching nearly 97%.
• Khanh Hoa Province has 206 seafood processing establishments, 149 of which produce and process seafood products for domestic consumption and 57 of which produce and process seafood for export, which meet the standards of seafood industry. The seafood processing establishments have created jobs for more than 21,000 people.

Da Nang

• Da Nang received two international flights Sunday. The resumption of international flights isn’t just about their return, but also a milestone for a new age of development to recover all international flight routes to Da Nang. Besides the flights from Singapore, there was another flight from Thailand’s Bangkok. The flight from Singapore would arrive once a day, and the one from Bangkok three times a week.
• Da Nang welcomed nearly 78,000 visitors during the holiday weekend marking the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• From March 15, Vietnam will fully reopen inbound tourism, with foreign tourists allowed to visit the country without booking tour packages. the health ministry required all visitors aged 12 and above to produce a negative PCR test result obtained within 72 hours besides vaccination or recovery certificates. Foreign tourists should remain in their place of accommodation 72 hours after arriving in Vietnam with the first 24 hours mandatory.
• Vietnam’s Ministry of Health confirmed 151,852 Covid-19 patients throughout the nation on March 3, in addition to 36,902 hospital discharges and 114 virus-related deaths.
• The United States sent another batch of 1.6 million Covid-19 vaccine doses of Pfizer-BioNTech to Vietnam on March 1, raising the total donation to over 26 million doses.
• Children aged between 5 and 11 in Vietnam will be injected with Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine with a dosage of 0.2 milliliters, according to the Ministry of Health.
• The number of international flights has been on the rise since Vietnam restored all international routes since mid-February with no frequency restrictions, and it will continue increasing as the country will fully reopen international tourism on March 15.
• Over 178 million doses have been administered to the adult demographic of the country’s 98 million people, including 70,744,790 first shots, 67,456,673 second doses, 13,979,774 additional primary jabs, and 24,564,359 boosters.

Ho Chi Minh City

• HCMC on March 3 ordered tightened coronavirus restrictions in high-risk areas, suspending bars and clubs as also limiting certain non-essential activities. “We’re seeing a high number of Covid-19 cases everywhere: from schools to businesses to families. It’s a worrying sign,” said Duong Anh Duc, deputy chairman of the HCMC, adding that the number of people being treated at home has also rise significantly.
• The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has decided to dissolve Covid-19 treatment facilities at Phu Nhuan District Hospital and Children’s Hospital 1, as well as concentrated quarantine centers for coronavirus patients set up at a number of establishments under the management of the municipal Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs.
• A considerable number of people in Ho Chi Minh City have tested positive for Covid-19 just a few months after recovering from the respiratory disease, with many of these patients having already received their booster shots.

Hanoi

• Hanoi recorded an average daily jump of 10,000 plus this week, a sharp rise compared to only 5,000 cases last week. 
• Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh warned the capital city would see the peak of the current Covid-19 surge in the middle of March, which may also lead to an increase in hospitalizations and pressure on the healthcare system.
• Students from the 1st to 6th grades in the 18 suburban districts of Hanoi will return to online learning as part of local efforts to curb Covid-19 transmission.
• Authorities in Hanoi are mobilizing private hospitals and retired medical staff to aid the efforts of Covid-19 prevention and control amid the current surge of infections.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• On March 2, Khanh Hoa province recorded 2,076 new Covid-19 cases (an increase of 196 cases compared to yesterday), which Nha Trang city has 863 cases. Up to now, the number of people aged 18 and over in the province has been covered with the 1st and 2nd dose of Covid-19 vaccine, reaching more than 100%, and the 3rd dose is more than 81%.
• Cam Ranh and Nha Trang city accelerate the progress of vaccination against Covid-19 with the 3rd dose, in which the 3rd injection is given to adults who are 18 years old and the 1st dose is for students who are full 12 years old.

Da Nang

• Da Nang healthcare system is acting to relieve “very high pressure” on its workforce as a result of rising Covid-19 cases and large numbers of staff having to self-isolate. The focus is on taking drastic measures to provide effective treatment for Covid-19 patients, especially those with severe symptoms.
• Da Nang documented 7,398 recoveries from Covid-19 in Da Nang on March 3, of which 7,181 were documented during home-based treatment and the remaining 217 ones were reported at healthcare facilities citywide.
• Data published by the Da Nang Department of Health shows that a total of 1,900 patients are being treated for Covid-19 at 15 healthcare facilities across the city, of whom, 270 have severe symptoms. Many healthcare facilities in the city are reporting critical staffing shortages with decreasing staff levels as nurses and doctors themselves fall sick or have to quarantine after being exposed to infected people.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has just proposed that the central government fully reopen international tourism on March 15, instead of March 31 as previously suggested, after nearly two years of closure due to COVID-19 impacts.
• In its latest proposition, the Health ministry suggested that international visitors be required to have health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment at a minimum of US$20,000. They must get fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with the second dose administered at least 14 days and no longer than 12 months before their entry date, or have certificates of recovery from COVID-19 within six months prior to their time of entry. In addition, they would be required to have a negative RT-PCR/RT-LAMP test certificate within 72 hours of departure.
• Vietnam, with its population is around 98 million people, has given 79,216,176 first COVID-19 vaccine doses to people nationwide, while the numbers of second and third shots were 74,742,958 and 32,041,993, respectively, the Ministry of Health reported.
• Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla was committed to speeding up the supply of COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 in Vietnam during his phone talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
• There were about 153,000 foreign passengers flew from/to Vietnam from the time the country launched a pilot program to resume international flights in January to February 14, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday, quoting the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City

• The number of new COVID-19 infections in Ho Chi Minh City bounced back as the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday ended and is expected to continue rising in the coming days, but the number of seriously ill patients and deaths will decline thanks to gradual improvements to the treatment capacity.
• More than one million kindergarteners, elementary students, and sixth graders in Ho Chi Minh City started returning to in-person classes on February 14 morning after nine months of remote learning.
• Ho Chi Minh City authorities will disband the largest COVID-19 resuscitation center established last year at the second branch of the Oncology Hospital in Thu Duc City as the number of critically-ill coronavirus patients has neared zero.

Hanoi

• The Hanoi government is requesting all districts to collect records of local residents at high risk of contracting Covid-19 and give them vaccine booster shots as soon as possible. The Covid19 cases in the capital city still remains high, with nearly 3,000 infections per day, the highest in the country.
• Authorities in Hanoi have decided to resume the operation of 121 bus routes without any limitations to their capacity as all locales in the capital are now at either low or medium risk of COVID-19 transmission.
• Relic sites in Hanoi have been allowed to welcome back visitors following a long period of temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• After being affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, currently, the recruitment demand of enterprises in Khanh Hoa province has increased. Therefore, the province authority strengthens solutions to connect workers with businesses.
• On February 17, Khanh Hoa province recorded 484 new cases in the province. Accordingly, Nha Trang has 201 cases, Ninh Hoa town 72 cases, Van Ninh district 27 cases, Dien Khanh district 56 cases, Cam Ranh city 51 cases, Khanh Vinh district 5 cases, Khanh Son district 7 cases, Cam Lam district 62 cases. Of the new cases, 100 were recorded in the community.
• On February 16, the whole province injected 9,542 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Up to now, the number of people aged 18 and over in the province who have received the first and second doses of Covid-19 vaccine has reached more than 100%, and the third dose has reached nearly 77%.

Da Nang

• Many highly practical policies to support businesses have been timely issued and effectively implemented by the national and municipal/ provincial administration, thereby helping restore production and business activities amidst the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Under the guiding document of the Da Nang Department of Education, schools are allowed to resume in-person teaching from February 21. The schools are urgently cleaning up after a long pause of operation owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The resumption of international flights, the reopening of tourist attractions and the development of new products are key measures designed to help Da Nang’s tourism sector recover from two years of pandemic misery.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• The newest cases, including 8 imported and 21,901 domestic transmissions, were recorded in all 63 provinces and cities, the Health Ministry said, elaborating that 14,982 contracted the virus in the community. This is the sharpest daily rise of coronavirus infections since January 15, when Vietnam confirmed 16,378 cases.
• Vietnam reported nearly 24,000 new cases per day compared to about 15,000 per day in the week before the New Year holiday, when millions of people travelled to their rural homes and to tourist hotspots.
• People returned to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on Feb 5 – 6 as the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet) vacation, which began on January 29 and concludes on February 6, comes to an end, causing traffic jams on multiple key national highways.
• Vietnam warned that its healthcare system could become overloaded, after seeing a surge in new daily coronavirus infections following its long Lunar New Year holiday.
• Factories need thousands of workers to resume and expand operations with many employees yet to return after the nine-day Tet holiday. The shortage occurs as factories resume operations this week, but workers residing in their hometowns are yet to return as they want to spend more time with their families.
• The Government of Vietnam has agreed to buy 21.9 million doses of Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine for children of 5-11 years of age. The purchase is subject to the form of contractor selection.
• Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense has received an additional 300,000 Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses gifted by its Chinese counterpart on February 8.
• Foreign visitors to Vietnam are required to furnish negative PCR Covid-19 test results, and rapid tests are no longer required on arrival. People who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 have to self-isolate at home or hotel for three days. A seven-day isolation period is applicable for those who have not got two vaccine doses. Tourists are also required to have medical insurance cover for Covid treatment worth at least $50,000.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Health workers at 36 vaccination sites in Ho Chi Minh City administered COVID-19 vaccine to about 13,000 people during the Lunar New Year holiday from January 29 to February 6, according to the municipal Department of Health.
• Ho Chi Minh City is currently a green zone locality at low COVID-19 risk with about 200 plus cases per day, which makes visitors feel safer during their stay and spend more on dine-in and entertainment services.

Hanoi

• Hanoi authorities have allowed ride-hailing service to resume operations from Feb 8, after more than six months of suspension for COVID-19 prevention, while cinemas, cultural and art performance venues will reopen.
• Students from grades 7 to 12 in Hanoi returned to schools from Feb 8, after ten months at home studying online with safety measures strictly enforced and all teachers fully vaccinated.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• The Covid-19 had a negative impact on the production and business activities of industrial enterprises in Khanh Hoa. Up to now, they have basically resumed operations in conditions of safe adaption, effective epidemic prevention and control.
• Up to now, the number of people aged 18 and over in Khanh Hoa has been covered with the 1st and 2nd dose of Covid-19 vaccine, reaching more than 100%, and the 3rd dose is 70%. The province has organized the 1st and 2nd dose vaccination for children from 12 to 17 years old, reaching more than 95%.

Da Nang

• Residents in Da Nang spent Thursday, Feb 10, rushing to vaccination sites as fears over COVID-19 transmissions during last week’s Lunar New Year holiday took hold of the city.
• Authorities in Da Nang City plan to resume all flight routes and tourism activities in March to boost economic recovery. On Jan 1, Vietnam allowed regular return flights to the U.S. and eight Asian destinations to resume in the first phase of a program to revive international travelers. Currently, Da Nang is not connected to the U.S. and has not yet resumed commercial flights to the Asian destinations.
• Chairman of Da Nang City Le Trung Chinh approved a plan for students in all grades to begin resuming offline study between February 14 and 21.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Foreign visitors who do not have a visa will be allowed to enter Vietnam to work, attend conferences, seminars, study, and more, as Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has recently agreed to relax the entry procedure for foreigners as well as Vietnamese and their relatives who reside in other countries.
• Can Tho City in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has been classified as level 2, or an area at medium risk of Covid-19 transmission, according to the municipal People’s Committee.
• The spring vaccination campaign will be implemented from February 1 to 28 with a view to significantly increasing the Covid-19 vaccination rate.
• By the end of December 2021, around 48 percent of deaths were aged above 65 and those with underlying conditions, while 36 percent were aged 50-56, 15 percent aged 18-49 and 0.5 percent, below 18. While the number of deaths per day have dropped from 300-350 to around 200, such a figure is still high, according to the Health Ministry. Several provinces and medical facilities lack sufficient personnel and medical capabilities to deal with the rising number of cases.
• After the Vietnamese Government approved a two-week first phase of resumption of flights to nine destinations starting January 1, the CAAV has granted flight slots for domestic carriers to Bangkok, Phnom Penh, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo. Fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from Covid-19 arriving in Vietnam only need to self-isolate for three days.
• The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on January 21 announced its plan to resume more regular international flights between Vietnam and European countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Accordingly, the first flights will depart right next week, on January 24.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Ho Chi Minh City has received an additional 300,720 Moderna Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by COVAX to administer booster shots to residents, according to the local health department.
• From January 19 until further notice, Ho Chi Minh City will suspend operations of Covid-19 field hospitals No. 3, 5, and 10 and Cu Chi Field Hospital. Patients in these infirmaries who need further treatment will be transferred to other facilities.
• Manufacturing companies in HCMC are doing all they can to ensure their workers will return to work after Tet. Absenteeism after the New Year is an annual problem, but most factories cannot afford at a time when Covid-19 has already depleted the workforce.
• Ho Chi Minh City will not hold fireworks displays to usher in the Lunar New Year, said Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

Hanoi

• The Covid-19 outbreaks remain unpredictable in Hanoi as around 2,800 to 3,000 new cases have been detected daily over the past week. The capital city has logged more than 94,300 infections since the fourth wave of the pandemic hit Vietnam on April 27, 2021. About 95% the people in Hanoi have received two vaccine doses, according to the national Covid-19 vaccination portal.
• The Hanoi administration has decided to cancel a firework show meant to ring in the 2022 Lunar New Year (Tet), explaining that the coronavirus is still raging in the capital city.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• According to Khanh Hoa province, from 5:00 p.m. on January 20 to 5:00 p.m. on January 21, Khanh Hoa province recorded 347 new cases, of which 11 were foreign entry. Accordingly, in the city. Nha Trang has 104 cases, Ninh Hoa 40 cases, Van Ninh 31 cases, Dien Khanh 55 cases, Cam Ranh 14 cases, Khanh Vinh 25 cases, Khanh Son 17 cases, Cam Lam 50 cases.
• Serious cases of Covid-19 are eligible for hospital admissions while patients with mild symptoms and asymptomatic patients remain in their home with an intensive monitoring protocol.
• Khanh Hoa Province is administering Covid-19 additional vaccine and booster doses to adults aged 18 or older. Khanh Hoa People’s Committee has been implementing a plan on the third dose vaccination. As of December 27, 2021 under the Direction of the Ministry of Health, more than 224,000 people have received the third doses so far, accounting for 23.5%.

Da Nang

• Da Nang is stepping up its program to allow at-home treatment for patients with mild Covid-19 symptoms as its healthcare system is at risk of being “overwhelmed” by surging coronavirus infections.
• Da Nang’s daily Covid-19 caseload rose to 964 on January 20, of which 611 were acquired in the community, four in centralized quarantine facilities, 333 during at-home quarantine and the 16 remaining ones in locked-down residential sites.
• Da Nang has witnessed an upward trend in the number of daily Covid-19 cases with the daily count of nearly 1,000 cases, thereby urging authorities at local level to continue to follow the city’s Covid-19 guidelines and take all precautions to tackle the pandemic.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Foreign visitors who do not have a visa will be allowed to enter Vietnam to work, attend conferences, seminars, study, and more, as Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has recently agreed to relax the entry procedure for foreigners as well as Vietnamese and their relatives who reside in other countries.
• Can Tho City in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has been classified as level 2, or an area at medium risk of Covid-19 transmission, according to the municipal People’s Committee.
• The spring vaccination campaign will be implemented from February 1 to 28 with a view to significantly increasing the Covid-19 vaccination rate.
• By the end of December 2021, around 48 percent of deaths were aged above 65 and those with underlying conditions, while 36 percent were aged 50-56, 15 percent aged 18-49 and 0.5 percent, below 18. While the number of deaths per day have dropped from 300-350 to around 200, such a figure is still high, according to the Health Ministry. Several provinces and medical facilities lack sufficient personnel and medical capabilities to deal with the rising number of cases.
• After the Vietnamese Government approved a two-week first phase of resumption of flights to nine destinations starting January 1, the CAAV has granted flight slots for domestic carriers to Bangkok, Phnom Penh, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo. Fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from Covid-19 arriving in Vietnam only need to self-isolate for three days.
• The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on January 21 announced its plan to resume more regular international flights between Vietnam and European countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Accordingly, the first flights will depart right next week, on January 24.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Ho Chi Minh City has received an additional 300,720 Moderna Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by COVAX to administer booster shots to residents, according to the local health department.
• From January 19 until further notice, Ho Chi Minh City will suspend operations of Covid-19 field hospitals No. 3, 5, and 10 and Cu Chi Field Hospital. Patients in these infirmaries who need further treatment will be transferred to other facilities.
• Manufacturing companies in HCMC are doing all they can to ensure their workers will return to work after Tet. Absenteeism after the New Year is an annual problem, but most factories cannot afford at a time when Covid-19 has already depleted the workforce.
• Ho Chi Minh City will not hold fireworks displays to usher in the Lunar New Year, said Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

Hanoi

• The Covid-19 outbreaks remain unpredictable in Hanoi as around 2,800 to 3,000 new cases have been detected daily over the past week. The capital city has logged more than 94,300 infections since the fourth wave of the pandemic hit Vietnam on April 27, 2021. About 95% the people in Hanoi have received two vaccine doses, according to the national Covid-19 vaccination portal.
• The Hanoi administration has decided to cancel a firework show meant to ring in the 2022 Lunar New Year (Tet), explaining that the coronavirus is still raging in the capital city.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• According to Khanh Hoa province, from 5:00 p.m. on January 20 to 5:00 p.m. on January 21, Khanh Hoa province recorded 347 new cases, of which 11 were foreign entry. Accordingly, in the city. Nha Trang has 104 cases, Ninh Hoa 40 cases, Van Ninh 31 cases, Dien Khanh 55 cases, Cam Ranh 14 cases, Khanh Vinh 25 cases, Khanh Son 17 cases, Cam Lam 50 cases.
• Serious cases of Covid-19 are eligible for hospital admissions while patients with mild symptoms and asymptomatic patients remain in their home with an intensive monitoring protocol.
• Khanh Hoa Province is administering Covid-19 additional vaccine and booster doses to adults aged 18 or older. Khanh Hoa People’s Committee has been implementing a plan on the third dose vaccination. As of December 27, 2021 under the Direction of the Ministry of Health, more than 224,000 people have received the third doses so far, accounting for 23.5%.

Da Nang

• Da Nang is stepping up its program to allow at-home treatment for patients with mild Covid-19 symptoms as its healthcare system is at risk of being “overwhelmed” by surging coronavirus infections.
• Da Nang’s daily Covid-19 caseload rose to 964 on January 20, of which 611 were acquired in the community, four in centralized quarantine facilities, 333 during at-home quarantine and the 16 remaining ones in locked-down residential sites.
• Da Nang has witnessed an upward trend in the number of daily Covid-19 cases with the daily count of nearly 1,000 cases, thereby urging authorities at local level to continue to follow the city’s Covid-19 guidelines and take all precautions to tackle the pandemic.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed at a reception for the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai in Hanoi that the WHO continue to support Vietnam in COVID-19 vaccine and treatment drugs, especially the research, production, and recognition of domestically-grown jabs.
• The post-Covid syndrome, which occurs even among young, asymptomatic patients, is a major concern that is likely to affect public health and work performance in 2022, a health official says.
• The entire adult population has received at least one Covid-19 vaccine 10 months after the immunization campaign began. As of January 12, some 163.5 million shots had been administered, with 78.4 million people getting one jab and 71.5 million and 13.6 million getting their second and third, according to the Ministry of Health.
• Vietnam is opening with unclear instructions. Vietnam has resumed some regular international flight routes, but many remain uncertain of how to get the approval to enter.
• Seven regular international flights between Vietnam and the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and Cambodia have been available for bookings, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.
• Vietnam will have 9 days off to celebrate the 2022 Lunar New Year holiday from January 29 to February 6, the Government Office officially announced.
• The Mekong River Commission on January 13 called on China and Southeast Asian to better coordinate management of Mekong hydropower dams and reservoirs after three years of record low flows and extra dry conditions.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Ho Chi Minh City was classified as a locality at low risk of Covid-19 transmission, or a green zone, after having detected only around 3,000 new cases in the past week.
• HCMC will not have its firework displays on Lunar New Year’s Eve this year. It will be the second consecutive year that HCMC eschews the Tet firework displays, with Covid-19 impacts prompting the cancellation last year.

Hanoi

• Hanoi has recorded around 25,000 Covid-19 patients being treated at home and this number is forecast to keep increasing in the coming days. Facing the serious evolution of the pandemic, Hanoi has taken action to improve the capacity of the healthcare system, made efforts to deploy home vaccination and treat Covid-19 patients in the most efficient way.
• Hanoi has designated one single location, Thong Nhat Park, to view fireworks on the first 15 minutes of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1. The capital neither lit any fireworks nor organized entertainment activities or public countdowns to celebrate New Year amid a Covid-19 surge.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• On January 13, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Khanh Hoa province, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the same day, the province recorded an additional 547 positive cases of SARS-CoV-2. Accordingly, Nha Trang 286 cases, Cam Ranh 27 cases, Ninh Hoa 112 cases, Van Ninh 16 cases, Dien Khanh 72 cases, Cam Lam 27 cases, Khanh Son 7 cases.
• Khanh Hoa Province is accelerating Covid-19 vaccine and booster rollout in an effort to cover its population with 2 doses against Covid-19 in January 2022 together with accelerating the third dose vaccination for adults aged 18 or older to increase immunization against Covid 19 infection in safe adaption and response to Covid-19.
• To enhance Covid-19 control and safety measures, especially when Tet is approaching, Khanh Hoa is striving to complete the 2-dose vaccination for 12-17 years old in January 2022 with the third dose expected to be administered in the 1st quarter of 2022.

Da Nang

• Da Nang’s daily Covid-19 count rose to 657 on Thursday, January 13, of which 356 were acquired in the community, 59 in centralised quarantine facilities, 221 during at-home quarantine and the 21 remaining ones in locked-down residential sites.
• The vaccinated number throughout Da Nang is 976,397 people have received the first jabs of Covid-19 vaccines whilst 959,539 have got two doses, and 104,486 have received the third shots against the highly contagious disease.
• Several wet markets in Da Nang have been forced to close down in an attempt to curtail the spread of coronavirus. Specifically, the Con Market, the largest wholesale and retail venue in Central Viet Nam, temporarily suspends its operation from January 12-15. On January 12, 63 active cases of Covid-19 operating at the Con Market were discovered.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Vietnam’s 15th National Assembly opened its first extraordinary session in Hanoi to make several urgent decisions related to socio-economic recovery and pandemic prevention and control.
• Around 2.2 million workers have left Vietnam’s major cities and returned to their hometowns over long-lasting pandemic impacts. As of December 15, 2021, around 524,000 and 447,000 workers left HCMC and Hanoi, respectively; 600,000 left other southern Vietnam provinces; and over 676,000 in other regions. Most of those who returned home were informal workers directly and immediately impacted by social distancing orders under Covid-19.
• Vietnam has become one of the six countries with the highest Covid-19 vaccination coverage in the world. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the Ministry of Health to purchase Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11.
• The Ministry of Health documented more imported Omicron cases in Hai Duong, Hai Phong, and Thanh Hoa, raising the number of Omicron infections in the country to 24.
• The government, in its report on Covid-19 prevention and control submitted to the National Assembly on Tuesday, affirmed that Viet A Technologies JSC, a test kit developer and provider in Vietnam, had taken advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to seek illegal profit, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
• Vietnam might have a more difficult balancing act in the new year since the superpower rivalry between the U.S. and China is expected to become more intense, experts warn.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport will conduct Covid-19 rapid tests on all passengers arriving at the airport starting January 1, 2022, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC).
• Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City handled between 20,000 and 30,000 passengers per day during the recent New Year holiday, according to the airport administration.
• Ho Chi Minh City authorities suspended the local Covid-19 response office after about six months of operation, thanks to the city’s success in keeping the pandemic under control.
• Ho Chi Minh City authorities have allowed discos, bars, karaoke parlors, and massage facilities to reopen on January 10 after months of suspension due to Covid-19, provided they meet the city’s safety requirements.

Hanoi

• Daily Covid-19 cases in Hanoi climbed to 2,000 plus, a record high in the capital city since the start of the pandemic.
• Authorities in Hanoi have ordered the suspension of in-person learning along with multiple other restrictions in ten districts that are currently at high risk of Covid-19 transmission.
• The Hanoi Youth Union and Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association on January 5 handed over 1,200 oxygen tanks and oxygen equipment to support Covid-19 patients who are under home treatment in Hanoi.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• In the context of the complicated epidemic situation, Khanh Hoa province is trying to accelerate the progress of Covid-19 vaccination at all ages in order to achieve basic coverage of 2 doses of the vaccine by January 2022. Along with that, the province has also deployed the 3rd injection for people 18 years and older to strengthen their immunity against Covid-19.
• The number of people aged 18 and over in the Khanh Hoa province who have received the first dose of vaccine is more than 100%, the second dose is more than 96%, and the third dose is 16%; the province organized the first dose vaccination for children from 12 to 17 years old, reaching 98.8%; and 2nd dose reached 87%.
• Khanh Hoa welcomed 37,500 tourist arrivals, including 35,850 domestic and 1,650 international ones, on New Year holiday 2022.

Da Nang

• Da Nang is accelerating its Covid-19 booster shot program to all over 18 who received a second dose three months ago in the context of risk from Omicron variant SARS-CoV-2.
• Da Nang recorded a further 299 cases of Covid-19 on January 6, of which 165 were acquired in the community, 11 in centralized quarantine facilities, 100 during at-home quarantine and the 23 remaining ones in locked-down residential sites.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Authorities in Vietnam have been taking various measures to respond to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the country on December 28. The Ministry of Health plans to finish providing the third dose to local residents at the earliest, with priorities given to people over 50 years old and those with underlying conditions.
• The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) had reached agreement with the aviation authorities of Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, and the U.S. to resume regular international flights from January 1. South Korea, Laos, and China have yet to approve the flight resumption plan while Thailand has proposed more discussion.
• Vietnam requires foreign arrivals under the new guideline effective from January 1, 2022 allows fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from Covid-19 to self-isolate for three days, and the others for seven days.
• Vietnam government issued a fiat demanding that health workers finish administering the third doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the eligible adult population in the first quarter of 2022.
• Income losses and fears about the Covid-19 stigma they could face in their hometowns, migrant workers are opting to stay in major cities instead of returning home for the coming Lunar New Year.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Ho Chi Minh City will not hold fireworks displays to usher in New Year, Mr. Pham Duc Hai, deputy chief of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
• Vice-chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc has advised local residents to refrain from participating in large gatherings on weekends and during the upcoming New Year holiday given the ongoing risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ho Chi Minh City has experienced a decrease in the number of daily Covid-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in the past week. For the past seven days, the number of daily infections in the city has remained below 1,000 compared to an average 1,200-1,400 per day in the past month.
• Air passengers from Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City to other cities/provinces in Vietnam are no longer required to test negative for the novel coronavirus prior to their departure, according to a new regulation announced by the Ministry of Transport.
• Ho Chi Minh City has spent more than VND 9.1 trillion (US$398.7 million) on COVID-19 prevention and control efforts in 2021, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Hanoi

• Three more downtown districts in Hanoi including Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, and Tay Ho will suspend dine-in service as the city is now classified as areas at high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

– Authorities in Hanoi have required all arrivals from countries where the COVID-19 Omicron variant has been detected to undergo concentrated quarantine even if they have been fully vaccinated.

– Hanoi, currently the nation’s coronavirus epicenter, has also instructed laboratories to conduct gene sequencing for detecting the variant while testing. Random testing will be done of people who entered Vietnam in the last 28 days after being to countries with Omicron.

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• Khanh Hoa Provincial has issued a plan on the coronavirus vaccine booster and additional vaccine rollout with 1,370,000 doses expected to be administered.
• Khanh Hoa province, including Nha Trang city, will not hold New Year’s Eve countdown celebration on December 31 night. Some activities such as exhibition, music and art shows will be organized but adjusted in scale and form to ensure safety amid the pandemic.
• 325 Russian tourists with COVID-19 vaccine passports arrived at Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam on December 26 to enjoy a package tour. In 2021, Khanh Hoa served about 643,000 visitors, including nearly 23,000 foreigners, posting a year-on-year drop of 48.55 percent and 94.81 percent.

Da Nang

• The Da Nang People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen on December 29 stated that new COVID-19 cases in Da Nang remain in triple-digit numbers while COVID-19 hotspots are emerging in the city. Mrs Yen remarked that crowded alleys are high-risk areas for spreading the virus.
• During Christmas and New Year holidays, there will be a combined total of 284 domestic flights to Da Nang from Ho Chi Minh, Ha Noi, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Buon Ma Thuot, Hai Phong, and Can Tho. On January 1, 2022, a total of 27 flights operated by Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways are set to land in Da Nang.

Covid-19 situation:

Vietnam Nationwide

• Vietnam’s Ministry of Health issued new regulations on December 17, allowing international arrivals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to self-isolate at home for three days. If they test negative on the third day of entry, they will still have to monitor their health for another 11 days.
• A batch of 321,760 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses donated by the UK arrived in Vietnam on December 16, the British Embassy said.
  
• The Vietnamese health ministry has reduced the waiting time between the second COVID-19 vaccine dose of the primary course and the booster shot. Instead of six months, the latest booster guidelines say the third jab can be administered just three months after people received their second shot.
  
• Thousands of tractor-trailers carrying agricultural products that are to be exported to China have been stuck at several border gates in the northern province of Lang Son over the past 20 days.

Ho Chi Minh City

• Ho Chi Minh City authorities are asking the Ministry of Health to send support forces, including 1,000 doctors and 2,000 nurses, to help the city cope with surging COVID-19 cases and deaths.
• HCMC has counted 24,420 people over 65, suffering underlying diseases, and yet to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Local health authorities are currently trying to reach these individuals to get them jabbed as soon as possible. For a month now, Ho Chi Minh City has reported a high number of Covid-19 deaths, at around 60 per day on average. Most victims are above 50, have underlying health conditions and have not been vaccinated.
  
• A countdown event to mark the 2022 New Year will be organized in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on December 31 if the city is at low or medium risk of COVID-19 transmission, according to a plan unveiled by the municipal People’s Committee.
  

Hanoi

• Hanoi has documented more than 10,500 COVID-19 cases over the past seven days, with the Vietnamese capital’s daily count hitting an all-time high. The districts that registered the most cases include Hoang Mai, Ha Dong, Long Bien, Ba Dinh, and Dong Anh.
•  The surge of new COVID-19 infections in Hanoi in recent days has strained local health units, causing delays in giving support to a certain number of patients who are now struggling to find treatment at home through online advice.
• The Hanoi Department of Education requested 9th and 12th graders in at a medium risk zone of COVID-19 transmission to stop going to offline classes, which were just resumed on December 6 and switch to online learning until further notice.
  

Khanh Hoa (Nha Trang)

• Strong waves caused by Typhoon Rai, combined with high tide, flooded nearly 100 houses in Tuy Hoa City of south-central Phu Yen Province, leading to an overnight evacuation on Sunday. Meanwhile, many lobster farming cages on Binh Hung Island off neighboring Khanh Hoa Province have been severely damaged.
• Khanh Hoa Provincial has issued a plan on the coronavirus vaccine booster and additional vaccine rollout with 1,370,000 doses expected to be administered.
  
• So far in Khanh Hoa, 99.7% adults have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccines with 94.8% fully vaccinated. 96.1% kids aged 12 to 17 have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 53.8% have been fully immunized.
  

Da Nang

• The current COVID-19 wave is showing no signs of subsiding as a further 171 positive cases were confirmed in the city on December 22, of which 50 were acquired in the community and the remainder were logged under managed isolation.
• Da Nang People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen announced that people in Da Nang will receive a third dose of coronavirus vaccines in the first quarter of 2022. Healthcare workers and those at increased risk from the virus due to health conditions will be prioritized for their booster.
  
• Vaccinated people throughout Da Nang, 967,473 have received the first jabs of COVID-19 vaccines whilst 946,040 have got two doses, and 527 have received the third shots against the highly contagious disease.