Residents in the country's two largest cities flocked to supermarkets and ATM booths hours before the country entered 15 days of social distancing Wednesday.  

A man drives past a deserted Notre Dame Cathedral in downtown Saigon on the afternoon of March 31. 

Vietnam started a nationwide social distancing campaign from Wednesday, not allowing gatherings of more than two people and asking people not to leave their homes. The campaign will last 15 days.

Pham Van Dong Boulevard leading to Tan Son Nhat Airport is not crowded as it normally is. 

Vietnam has suspended all inbound international flights and reduced domestic flights for 15 days from Wednesday.

Tam Vu Park in Binh Thanh District has few people and kids’ amusement areas have been closed. 

Since March 28 HCMC authorities have closed public parks, kids' playgrounds and sports facilities following the government’s orders banning crowds of more than 20 people and ordering the closure of "non-essential" shops until April 15 as the country enters a "decisive" two-week phase in its Covid-19 fight.

Just hours before the country entered the 15-day social distancing campaign, Saigonese flocked to Co.op supermarket in District 9 to buy up goods. Many supermarkets in the city were flooded with customers hunting for items such as rice, vegetables, noodles, and dried foods.

Nguyen Anh Duc, general director of supermarket chain Saigon Co.op, said 300 stores would operate normally, ensuring people's daily needs are met for at least three months.

The city government has many times called for calm, assuring there is enough food and daily necessities to provide the 13 million residents.

On Pham Van Dong Street, residents queued up at an ATM booth to withdraw money for fear there could soon be a ban on leaving home.

Mien Dong bus station in Binh Thanh District at 6 p.m. on Tuesday only had a few vehicles waiting to leave on their last trips. Passengers had their temperature scanned and had to make health declarations. 

The station has buses going to north and central Vietnam and eastern neighbors such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc. However, city authorities had restricted passenger transport from the city to other provinces from last Friday.

In the downtown area, many urban order teams were divided into small groups to remind residents not to gather in crowds to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic

As of Wednesday HCMC has had 49 Covid-19 cases, and 12 of them recovered and were discharged from hospitals.

Some people exercise at the Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Peace engulfs Hanoi's St. Joseph Cathedral as religious ceremonies have been canceled and shops nearby closed