Vietnam commercial hub shuts bars, bans gatherings after virus cases

Vietnam's business hub, Ho Chi Minh City, has ordered bars and nightclubs to shut and banned gatherings of more than 30 people starting midnight on Thursday, to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus after it resurfaced in the country last week.

Ho Chi Minh City has registered two cases of COVID-19 linked to the Danang outbreak, both of which had reported themselves separately to health authorities before undertaking tests, the city's administration said in a statement.

About 18,000 tourists who had been in Danang have returned to Ho Chi Minh City recently, it added. The restrictions follow similar curbs imposed by the capital Hanoi on Wednesday.