Around 117 had signed up to become either free or paid isolation zones as of Wednesday, it said.

Some have agreed to provide discounts both on rooms and services.

In Saigon, nine have signed up, including a five-star hotel in Tan Binh District and a resort in Can Gio District, with around 641 rooms.

The city is quarantining foreigners for free, but many have asked to stay in hotels instead and pay for it.

Its Department of Tourism said it would try to encourage more lodging establishments to become quarantines.

A major hotel in Da Nang’s Son Tra District has offered 127 of its rooms to the city for free.

As of Thursday morning Vietnam had 122 suspected Covid-19 cases and over 42,000 people returning to the country from outbreak areas who are being closely monitored.

There have been 76 confirmed cases so far, 16 of whom have recovered.

The pandemic has spread to 176 countries and territories, claiming almost 9,000 lives.