More tourist destinations ban swimming as Covid outbreak builds

Authorities in Binh Dinh Province, home to famous tourist town Quy Nhon, closed public beaches and only allowed takeaway services from Friday. The decision came after its neighbors Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen recorded their first domestic infections during the ongoing wave that hit the country in late April.

Quy Nhon, a rising star on Vietnam’s tourism map for its long, broad sandy beaches, welcomed four million arrivals in 2019, up 19.8 percent from a year earlier.

Phu Yen's capital town, Tuy Hoa, also imposed a swimming ban and closed all tourist destinations to curb the spread of the virus from Friday afternoon while only takeaways are allowed.

The south central province of Binh Thuan, famous for Mui Ne resort town, also banned swimming from Thursday after it recorded its first domestic infection during the ongoing wave.

Tourist city Da Nang also closed public beaches and only allowed eateries to serve takeaways from Sunday following the resurgence of community transmissions after nearly a month.

The country's ongoing Covid-19 wave, the fourth and by far the most challenging, started on April 27 and has seen more than 11,000 infections in 47 of its 63 cities and provinces.