A boy sells lotteries in Kien Tuong Town, southern Long An Province.
Photoby VnExpress/Hoang Nam. 

Twenty one lottery firms in the south and some branches of the Vietnam Lottery Company (Vietlott) suspended issuance starting Friday, when HCMC imposed a 15-day social distancing order. 

Tran Van An, director of Tien Giang Lottery Company in Tien Giang Province, said only 20 percent of its retailers are in the province, and its key market is HCMC, so it had to suspend issuance when the city imposed the social distancing order, and halted all lottery services, either via retailers or street vendors.

"Our situation is similar to other lottery companies from Binh Thuan Province to Ca Mau Province," he added.

HCMC Lottery Company said it had asked retailers to recover already-sold lotteries set for drawing on July 10 and July 13, and refund them.

Vietlott, which issues lotteries in 62 cities and provinces nationwide, said it would halt the service for 15 days in localities that have placed a social distancing order.

According to HCMC’s social distancing order, its residents are required to stay at home and only go out for basic necessities like buying food or medicines or seek medical treatment, to work at factories or public offices that are allowed to open, or in case of funerals, fire or other disasters.

The city, home to 13 million people, is suffering the worst Covid-19 community outbreak ever. It is now the most infected locality with more than 10,800 local cases recorded so far in the ongoing wave that hit Vietnam on April 27.