Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam

[5][6][7] The first cluster also appeared in Son Loi Commune, Bình Xuyên District, Vĩnh Phúc after a few workers returned from a training trip in Wuhan and infected other people in close contact with them.

[28][29] The third wave of infection began on 28 January 2021, when Vietnam recorded an additional 84 community transmission cases within a single day in Hải Dương and Quảng Ninh provinces.

When total cases reached a few thousands per day, the Central government decided to lock down the entire Southern Region with 35 million people, along with the capital, Hanoi, to contain the spread.

[74] Noticeably, this case was the first domestic transmission in Vietnam, leading to an epidemic declaration signed by the Vietnamese Prime Minister and calls for border tightening, aviation permits revoked, and visa restriction.

[132][133] On 6 July, a group of doctors who had been overseeing the treatment of “Patient 91”, a British pilot who was Vietnam's most critical COVID-19 case, announced that he “has made substantial progress and his health condition allows him to travel”.

[139] The ministry rolled out extensive countermeasures and immediately sent a group of doctors from Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang to assist with the case.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, urged all competent forces to remain vigilant and stand ready to deal with new developments of the pandemic.

[141][142] After the case was confirmed, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc ordered the Ministry of Public Security to investigate and deal with a crime ring that illegally trafficked foreigners into Da Nang and Quang Nam.

[159] On the same day, the Ministry of Health announced that Ho Chi Minh City had 1 new case of COVID-19, patient 912, a Chinese man who crossed the northern border illegally into Vietnam.

[165] After the central government considered that the COVID-19 outbreak has been brought under control, on 7 September, Da Nang has decided to ease its social distancing restrictions, and all passenger transportation and business enterprises resumed normal operations.

[181] On 9 December, following the instructions of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the HCDC had conducted random COVID-19 testing at Mien Dong Coach Station to ensure that no infections are missed in the community.

Full genome sequencing of the case revealed variant VOC 202012/01 that was reported from the UK, it was also discovered that this strain also had the D614G mutation, which is believed to spread rapidly in Da Nang 4–5 months ago.

The first patient was a 34-year-old woman working for Vietnam Poyun Electronics in Hải Dương, she had come into close contact with another female worker who had been confirmed positive when arriving in Japan on 17 January.

[194][195] In response, all public transportation including flights cannot enter or leave northern Quang Ninh Province from 06:00, 28 January;[196] while Hai Duong commenced province-wide social distancing measures six hours later.

[198] At a meeting on 31 January, Hanoi People's Committee announced the decision to close all bars, karaoke parlors, and discotheques, residents are required to avoid non-essential gatherings from 1 February.

[218] On 2 March, both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were allowed most non-essential services to reopen except bars, dance clubs, karaoke parlors, gyms and pool table.

Expect for the four localities including: Hải Dương City, Kinh Môn town, Cẩm Giàng and Kim Thành District still have to follow social-distancing order until 17 March.

[220] The Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed there will be 13 repatriation flights scheduled from 5 to 14 March to bring back over 3,800 Vietnamese stuck abroad after nearly two months of suspension to prevent new coronavirus variants.

The group also has doctor Tran Thanh Linh - deputy director of emergency resuscitation department at Cho Ray hospital, who has been sent to support in many COVID-19 hotspots such as Da Nang, Gia Lai.

A few days later the reinforcement from the Command of Naval Region 5 of the Vietnam People's Navy has sent more ships to patrol key areas, using radar to detect any boats coming from Cambodia.

During the rapid screening test, the Bắc Ninh Department of Health discovered one positive case of COVID-19 known as patient 3055 in Mão Điền commune (Thuận Thành district).

During first 15 days of lockdown, the city set up 38 checkpoints surrounding Gò Vấp, effectively controlling the infection chain linked to the mission, which had approximately 6 hundred cases.

On 14 June, the disease had spread to hospitals, industrial parks, and residential neighborhoods, with approximately a thousand cases reported; the city therefore had to maintain social distancing for another two weeks.

[276] In July 2021, Trần Đắc Phu, an advisor to the Vietnam Public Health Emergency Operations Center, said that "the outbreak [in Ho Chi Minh City] remains complicated".

The number of new cases is up to hundreds per day, showing that the epidemic has been spreading widely into the community, making the outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces difficult to predict.

These cases came from small clusters, such as the one at the Hóc Môn mechanical workshop, the Ehome apartment building, and the residential area in Thủ Đức, recently discovered in the community.

[292] After studying 62 infected employees of the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Tropical Diseases, the expert team concluded that their SARS-CoV-2 viral load was 251 times higher than Wuhan strain, but much lower than unvaccinated patients.

The study also found that a highly transmissible variant, along with a poorly ventilated atmosphere and the failure to wear a mask in the office made it easier for the virus to spread among these people.

Of which, 42 clusters have not been controlled, including: 20 in the province, 10 directly connected with the outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City and 12 with unknown sources of infection (detected through rapid testing in medical facilities).

[340] In June 2023, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính stated that COVID-19 no longer constituted a severe transmissible disease, leaving the jurisdiction of future COVID-19 prevention and classification to the Ministry of Health.