Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said the vaccines would be provided either through contracts or global vaccine access mechanism Covax.

"Around 19,000 vaccination stations would be deployed nationwide, while the entire medical workforce would be mobilized to maintain the vaccination rate towards the end of the year," he said.

Most incoming vaccine batches would arrive around September and October, Long added.

So far, Vietnam has been promised 105 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from multiple sources. The health ministry is stepping up negotiations to secure another 45 million doses to reach 150 million, enough to cover 70 percent of the population.

Over 3.6 million people have been vaccinated, with more than 204,000 having already received two shots.

Over two months into its fourth wave, the most challenging that Vietnam has encountered, the country has recorded 14,505 cases in 51 of its 63 cities and provinces.

The northern province of Bac Giang leads the case count with 5,709 infections, followed by Ho Chi Minh City with 4,573.