Vietnam has recorded 50 new cases of the coronavirus as it tries to contain its biggest outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic.
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Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam reassured citizens on Friday and said that the outbreak would be contained in eight days.
Vietnam faces a significant spread of Covid-19 linked to a strain of the virus that originated in Britain, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc organised a meeting on Friday to discuss how to control it.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of Vietnam's coronavirus task force, told ministry leaders in Hanoi's National Convention Centre that 50 extra cases had been recorded in the provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh as of Friday afternoon.
Dam added that he believed the outbreak will be contained within about eight days if preventative measures are effectively applied.
The Health Ministry confirmed Hanoi's first coronavirus case in six months on Friday.
An entire apartment block in the city has been locked down after health officials confirmed the positive test result, according to local media reports.
Vietnam's latest outbreak has now grown to 150 new cases, the majority of which have been recorded in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ning, with one each in Hanoi, Hai Phong and Bac Ninh province.
The cases in Hai Duong were found in a factory that employs thousands. The area surrounding the factory has been locked down, while 3,000 people linked to the hotspot are being tested for Covid-19.
On Wednesday, Vietnam's Health Ministry confirmed that a woman who recently worked in Hai Duong province had tested positive for a more contagious strain of the virus from Britain after arriving in Japan.
Dam was quoted by Vietnam Television (VTV) on Thursday as saying that Vietnam should be prepared for a worst-case scenario of 30,000 coronavirus cases.
The positive test results come at a tricky time in the South-East Asian country, which is currently conducting its 13th National Congress, an event that sees the Communist Party pick new leaders and set policy for the next five years.
To date, Vietnam has recorded just 1,701 cases, along with 35 deaths.
Australian Associated Press
