The new cases were recorded in Hanoi and its two neighbors of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh.

Epicenter Bac Giang registered 48 patients who are all related to clusters at the province's industrial parks.

Bac Ninh Province got three patients, one of them having had contact with a Covid-19 patient, and the authorities are tracking down the sources for transmission of the other two.

Hanoi reported two cases who have had contact with Covid-19 patients and have been isolated prior to testing.

Five weeks into the new wave, Vietnam has recorded as many as 4,549 local infections in 37 of its 63 cities and provinces.

Bac Giang and Bac Ninh suffer the highest infections, at 2,424 and 879. They are followed by Hanoi with 416 cases (including 93 in a hospital under lockdown) and HCMC with 227 cases.

Since the pandemic broke out, the nation has recorded 6,118 local Covid-19 cases and 1,507 imported ones.