Many public places and attractions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam’s two busiest cities – have become much less crowded following outbreaks of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 338,700 and killed more than 14,600 globally as of Monday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Vietnam’s total number of COVID-19 patients has reached 121, with 17 having been discharged from the hospital.

While no death has been recorded, Vietnamese authorities have taken assertive measures to curb the disease, namely closing schools, shutting down entertainment facilities in major cities and provinces, mandating wearing face masks at crowded public places, and barring entry to foreigners.

As Hanoi has 38 active cases while Ho Chi Minh City has 27 – the country’s two largest clusters of infections to date – local residents have shied away from going to public places or even getting out of their houses.

Many companies have also told their employees to work from home while tourism is hammered by COVID-19, further emptying streets in the two metropolises.

A stark contrast of the cities’ streets before and after the epidemic can be observed in the following photos captured by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s reporters.

In Ho Chi Minh City:

In Hanoi:

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