
HANOI/TOKYO -- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's southern commercial hub, has a death rate from COVID-19 of 4.95%, well above the national average and that of its peers in Southeast Asia.
As the government struggles to keep a lid on the region's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, citizens and foreign companies in Vietnam's largest city are bracing for an extension of the restrictions they have been living under since May 31. Authorities are set to decide soon whether to extend the harsh lockdown beyond the original Sept. 15 deadline.