1,800 illegal entrants detected in May: defense ministry

Nguyen Xuan Kien, head of the Army Medical Department under the Ministry of National Defense, said border guards have deployed over 1,900 stations along the border with over 12,800 personnel. Over 27 marine vessels along with 448 personnel meanwhile patrol sea areas along the southwestern regions, he added.

In May alone, authorities conducted entrance and exit procedures for around 152,000 people along the border. Over 1,800 illegal entrants were detected, with around 1,150 entering from the Chinese and 590 from the Cambodian borders.

A total 581 houses have been erected to provide accommodation for border guards working in border stations along Cambodian and Laotian frontiers, Kien added. 175 quarantine zones have been established, hosting around 226,000 people. Around 214,000 have finished centralized quarantine.

About 1,045 soldiers have been dispatched to Bac Giang and Bac Ninh, two major coronavirus hotspots, to support the Covid-19 fight.

"The army is finishing procedures to purchase five mobile laboratories for Covid-19 testing," said Kien, adding the army has prepared enough resources to keep up with the Covid-19 fight for up to a month.

As a coronavirus prevention measure, anyone wishing to enter Vietnam must undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine period. Many have tried to circumvent the measure by entering illegally through less-traveled paths and other means.

Over a month into its fourth wave, which is by far the most challenging Vietnam has encountered, the country has recorded 4,407 cases in 36 of its 63 cities and provinces.

Bac Giang is leading the case count with 2,329 infections, followed by neighbor Bac Ninh with 866.