
HANOI -- Vietnam has been hailed as a success story for its ability to stay relatively coronavirus-free as the rest of the world struggles with the insidious disease, but a handful of new cases in the country's two largest cities has officials scrambling to prevent a potential new wave.
The country was on high alert Thursday as the capital, Hanoi in the north, and Ho Chi Minh City, the southern commercial hub, both detected locally transmitted COVID-19 patients the day before.