Competent authorities at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Ho Chi Minh City have discovered two Chinese and three Bangladeshi nationals who tried to enter the metropolis before completing their quarantine period.

The five foreigners were traveling on a 16-seater van driven by 32-year-old Duong Quoc L. along the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway at around 8:00 pm on Friday, May 28, officers confirmed on Saturday.

After checking their personal documents, authorities at the checkpoint found out that the Chinese and three Bangladeshi nationals had yet to complete their mandatory 21-day quarantine at a hotel in Vung Tau City, located in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

Their quarantine period was set to last from May 7 until the end of May 28.

The foreigners said they hired L. to take them to a hotel in Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

After reaching the destination, they would book flight tickets to return to their home countries.

The driver and five foreign nationals have been taken to local quarantine facilities in accordance with regulations.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City put into operation 12 COVID-19 checkpoints on May 14.

Each of these checkpoints has mobile police officers, traffic inspectors, and health workers on duty around the clock.

Their main tasks are to carry out body temperature measurement for people entering the city and collect medical declarations from them.

Staff at the checkpoints are also in charge of detecting those escaping from local quarantine facilities and handing them over to health authorities.

Vietnam has documented 6,908 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday morning, with 2,896 recoveries and 47 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has recorded 3,837 local infections in 34 provinces and cities since April 27, including 108 cases in Ho Chi Minh City.

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