154 cases were recorded in HCMC, 48 in Binh Duong, 28 in Long An, 10 in Phu Yen, five in Hung Yen, four in Bac Giang, three each in Nghe An and Ha Tinh, and one each in Binh Phuoc, Dong Thap and Bac Ninh.

Of the cases in HCMC, 116 have been contained within quarantine zones and locked down areas while 38 are being contact traced, the Health Ministry said.

26 cases in the city's neighbor Binh Duong are linked to a company in Thu Dau Mot Town, three are linked to another company in Thuan An Town, 11 linked to a residential complex on Nhi Dong Street, four linked to another residential complex on Duc Tan Street, both in Di An Town, and four are being contact traced.

Five cases in Long An, another HCMC neighbor, are close contact cases, 17 others are linked to the Long An General Hospital, one to the Binh Dien market in HCMC's District 8 and four to the Hoc Mon market in HCMCs Hoc Mon District. One case is being contact traced.

Six cases in the south central province of Phu Yen are close contact cases, two are linked to the Mang Mang market in Binh Kien Commune, and two are being contact traced.

All the cases in the northern province of Bac Giang and the north central neighbors Nghe An and Ha Tinh have been contained within quarantine zones and locked down areas.

The case in the Mekong Delta's Dong Thap Province, a 74-year-old man, is a close contact case.

The case in the northern province of Bac Ninh, a 27-year-old woman, is linked to the Khac Niem industrial park in the province's capital town.

The southern province of Binh Phuoc reported its first case in the fourth wave, a 40-year-old man who had returned from Binh Duong.

Over two months into the new Covid wave, the most challenging Vietnam has faced yet, the nation has recorded 13,942 domestic cases in 51 of its 63 cities and provinces. Thursday alone has seen 419 cases recorded.