Illustrative photo.
According to the ministry's report, five of the newly-infected patients returned from France at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on December 16.
They were sent to a quarantine area in Binh Duong Province upon arrival and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in their second testing on December 30.
The patients are now being treated at the Binh Duong Provincial General Hospital.
The other four patients returned from Japan, Canada, the US and Mozambique and were also sent to quarantine areas upon arrival in Hai Duong Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi.
They are now being treated at local hospitals.
As of 6 pm on December 31, a total of 1,325 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital. There have been 35 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.
At present, over 17,000 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.
