Authorities in Hanoi are ramping up efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus from Bach Mai Hospital, considered the biggest and most complex hotbed of COVID-19 in Vietnam at present, after more than 10 cases linked with this large hospital have been recorded.

Vietnam saved 436,000kWh of electricity, equivalent to 812.9 million VND (34,928 USD), for one hour from 20:30 to 21:30 on March 28, in response to Earth Hour 2020, according to the National Power Dispatch Centre. ​

Bamboo Airways, Vietnam’s newest airline, has announced it will reduce the frequency of domestic flights amid the critical time of COVID-19 fight as directed by the Government and Ministry of Transport.

Two of the country’s biggest cities, Hanoi and HCM City, on March 27 issued a number of recommendations on social distancing for its citizens to follow amid growing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, effective March 28 until at least April 15.

The HCM City People’s Committee has directed government departments and the administrations of all 24 districts to increase the public services available online to limit the number of people who have to visit government offices amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The number of Vietnamese people residing in Japan reached almost 412,000, making them the third largest foreign community in the East Asian country, just behind China and the Republic of Korea (RoK), reported the Japanese Immigration Bureau on March 27.

German newswire Deutsche Welle on March 26 ran an article hailing Vietnam’s effective and timely measures in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.7 million international tourists in the first three months of 2020, down 18.1 percent from the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The Transport Department of Ho Chi Minh City on March 27 proposed suspending 54 bus routes and cut 60 percent of trips on fixed routes from March 28 to April 5 to curb the spread of the COVD-19 pandemic.

The Embassy of Vietnam in Russia has been working with other Vietnamese agencies in the country and Russian airline Aeroflot to bring about 100 Vietnamese citizens stranded at the Moscow International Airport.

Two tourism products in Vietnam have won at the ASEAN Tourism Awards Japan 2019 – an annual ceremony organised by the ASEAN-Japan Centre.

Pham Minh Nam, an overseas Vietnamese national in the UK on March 26 presented 1 billion VND (over 43,000 USD) to support Vietnam’s fight against the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

Neighbouring provinces around Ho Chi Minh City are rushing to set up concentrated quarantine sites to receive Vietnamese nationals returning from overseas who are subjected to mandatory quarantine amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Daisuke Endo, director of the “Thanks Flower” project of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, on March 26 presented cherry blossoms to Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam.

Vietnamese representative agencies in foreign countries are closely coordinating with international airlines and local authorities to ensure health care as well as essential supplies for Vietnamese stranded at international airports abroad, spokeswoman of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said.

Vietnamese people living abroad have been advised to stay calm, practice social distancing and exercise preventive measures against the COVID-19, an official told the Vietnam News Agency on March 25.

Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City’s Archdiocese Nguyen Nang has asked all churches and oratories to halt religious activities with large numbers of participants from 4pm on March 26.

Multiple enterprises have closed down or reduced production scale due to the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs.

Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has asked relevant agencies to further strengthen COVID-19 prevention and control measures so that the number of cases in the city is contained within 300.

The central province of Khanh Hoa has temporarily closed all establishments providing unnecessary services from 0:00 of March 26 to minimise large gatherings to help curb the spread of COVID-19.