Vietnamese authorities announce COVID-19 outbreak in Danang

Vietnam is evacuating 80,000 people, mostly local tourists, from the central city of Danang after three residents tested positive for the coronavirus at the weekend, Report says, citing RIA Novosti.

The evacuation will take at least four days, with domestic airlines operating approximately 100 flights daily from Danang to 11 Vietnamese cities, the government said in a statement.

The Southeast Asian country was back on high alert after the government on Saturday confirmed its first community infections since April and another three cases on Sunday, all in Danang's tourism hot spot.

Da Nang is a tourist hotspot popular with domestic and international tourists, who flock to the city's white sandy beaches and seafront resorts. In 2019, the city welcomed about 8.7 million tourists -- of which some 5.2 million were domestic travelers, according to government figures.

Vietnam almost completely sealed off its borders to foreign nationals in March and is still off-limits to international tourists because of the pandemic. In June, the country allowed more than 400 Japanese business travelers to land on several chartered flights to open borders between the two countries.