Vietnam recorded zero cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while announcing 28 recoveries on Tuesday.

This is the second time in over five weeks that the country has reported no new infections, either local or imported.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health confirmed zero cases for the first time on Sunday, after viral transmissions had been reported daily in the preceding five weeks.

The ministry on Tuesday documented 28 patients having beaten the virus, including 13 in Da Nang, three in Hanoi, two in Quang Tri Province, seven in Quang Nam Province, and three in Hai Duong Province.

Vietnam has logged 1,044 COVID-19 cases, including 690 domestic infections, since the virus first struck the country on January 23, according to the health ministry.

A total of 735 patients have recovered from the respiratory disease, whereas 34 have lost their lives.

Most of the fatalities had suffered critical concomitant medical problems.

Two patients died after having tested negative for the pathogen at least three times. 

The health ministry did not include these casualties in the death toll.

Since the virus re-emerged in Da Nang on July 25, Vietnam has recorded 550 local cases, most linked to the beach city.

At the time of writing, the Southeast Asian country is quarantining 55,370 people who had close contact with infected patients or entered the nation from outbreak-hit regions.

The government on Tuesday started charging all international arrivals for their mandatory quarantine upon entry.

Vietnam had offered free collective quarantine to arrivals, with certain people allowed to spend their isolation at local hotels for a fee.

COVID-19 treatment will still be funded by state coffers, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said during a meeting on Sunday.

The country has sealed its borders since March to stall COVID-19, but the government has granted exemptions to foreign experts and skilled workers, all subject to compulsory quarantine upon arrival.

Officials have also arranged for charter flights to bring back Vietnamese citizens stranded in other countries over travel restrictions.

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