An opening ceremony for the new school year would be held on September 5 with teachers, school staff and over 20 students in Hoan Kiem District. The ceremony will be televised and broadcast online, according to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.

Pham Xuan Tien, deputy director of the education department, said that even after the capital ends its social distancing order on September 6 and the coronavirus situation is brought under control, students would not be able to return to school immediately.

The department will provide schools with further instructions on coordinating lessons, time frames and getting students more acquainted with online lessons, he added.

Hanoi has recorded 2,843 local Covid-19 cases since the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam in late April.

The capital has undergone a series of social distancing orders, with the latest one extended to September 6.