The vaccination program started on July 14 and is expected to complete Tuesday. A month later, they would receive their second shots, the Voice of Vietnam reported.

So far, Quang Ninh Province, home to Van Don International Airport and world famous Ha Long Bay, has organized five vaccination campaigns entailing more than 60,000 doses. It strives to administer about 200,000 doses for its residents and tourism staff between July and August.

Last week, Phu Quoc, a popular tourist island off the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, also started vaccinating its 60,000 tourism workers in preparation for international reopening.

The tourism industry in Quang Ninh has been hard hit by the Covid-19 crisis with hundreds of cruise ships remaining at anchor in the absence of visitors.

Since June 8, Quang Ninh reopened tourist destinations, relics, historical sites, and golf courses but still prohibits external visitors. Provincial authorities last month also offered free entry tickets to tourist hotspot Ha Long Bay until the year-end to stimulate domestic tourism.

The number of visitors to Quang Ninh fell by 37 percent last year to 8.8 million as Vietnam closed its borders from March 2020 to keep out Covid.