Of the new patients, 20 were recorded in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Hanoi and the provinces of Bac Giang and Thai Binh had two cases each and the remaining one was in Thua Thien Hue Province.

In the fourth coronavirus wave that started April 27, Vietnam has recorded 529 domestic cases in 26 cities and provinces.

No new cluster has been detected as of Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, told the press Tuesday morning that under current circumstances, a national social distancing order was not yet necessary.

"We have to make careful considerations for the sake of the dual goals we have been pursuing, that is fighting the pandemic while maintaining socio-economic development," he said after being asked if a nationwide social distancing was needed with 26 of 63 localities recording infections.

Of these, major cities Hanoi and Da Nang have become hotspots.

For now, Dam said, Vietnam will fight the new wave by sticking to the protocols it has applied since the beginning of the pandemic: take steps to prevent possible sources of transmission; detect infections and isolate them; locate infected areas and put out clusters; and treat all Covid-19 patients in dedicated facilities.