The move came as the northern province, around two hours from Hanoi, has gone 37 days without new community transmissions while the pandemic situation in many localities, including the capital, remain complicated with new Covid clusters.

Street-side eateries and coffee shops are only allowed to serve takeaways while restaurants and in-door dining establishments can serve customers on the spot but must ensure pandemic prevention measures.

Provincial authorities also banned gathering of more than five people in public at once and ordered all arrivals to furnish negative PCR Covid test results.

Since June 8, Quang Ninh reopened tourist destinations, relics, historical sites, and golf courses but still prohibits external visitors. Provincial authorities also offered free entry tickets to hotspot Ha Long Bay until the year-end to stimulate domestic tourism.

The number of visitors to Quang Ninh fell by 37 percent last year to 8.8 million as Vietnam closed its borders from March 2020 to keep Covid at bay.

Quang Ninh has recorded five cases during the ongoing wave that has infected over 170,000 nationwide since late April.