On June 1 authorities in Hai Phong City, home to industrial parks and giant foreign tech companies, had urged the ministry to suspend flights from HCMC since infections were rising at an alarming rate in the southern metro.

Hai Phong requires everyone arriving from HCMC to be quarantined for 21 days and tested for Covid.

Authorities in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, neighbor to HCMC and home to Con Dao, have also urged the ministry to suspend all flights to the islands, a popular tourist destination famous for its beautiful beaches and wartime prison, from Saturday since the pandemic situation is turning grave in many localities.

Con Dao has a population of 10,000 and faces difficulties in implementing Covid-prevention measures because of its distance from the mainland.

Vietnam Air Services Company, a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines, and Bamboo Airways operate regular flights to the island from HCMC, Hanoi, Can Tho, and Da Nang.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau has closed its public beaches and suspended passenger boat operations to Con Dao since Tuesday.

HCMC has been grappling with a surge in community transmissions over the past week, mainly linked to a cluster at Christian congregation Revival Ekklesia Mission.

The city of 13 million began two weeks of social distancing on Monday.

It has so far recorded 288 infections during the fourth wave.