Vietnam has suspended all flights to and from Da Nang for at least 15 days after a spike in coronavirus cases in or around the city, the government announced on July 28.

On August 5, Vietnam confirmed 43 new covid-19 cases, all but one of them from Da Nang or linked to it, VnExpress reported. This brought the number of cases in the city to 192. Vietnam has so far recorded a total of 713 cases, 332 of them still active.

The Da Nang outbreak represents the country's first community infections since April. All train and bus services to the domestic and international tourism hotspot have also been suspended.

Still closed to passengers from abroad, Vietnam has seen a surge in domestic tourists taking advantage of discounted flights to destinations like Da Nang.

On July 27, the government asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to allow airlines to increase frequencies from the coastal city to 11 cities across the country to evacuate tourists - most to Hanoi Noi Bai International and Ho Chi Minh City - and 90 flights were operated on that day. But it cancelled the evacuation flights the following day, Reuters reported.

According to the ch-aviation capacities module, three airlines connect Da Nang to 11 cities with scheduled passenger flights. Bamboo Airways, VietJetAir, and Vietnam Airlines all compete on routes to Can Tho, Da Lat Lien Khuong, Haiphong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phu Quoc, while VietJetAir and Vietnam Airlines both link Da Nang with Banmethuot, Nha Trang Cam Ranh, and Thanh Hoa. Bamboo Airways and VietJetAir operate Da Nang-Vinh City, and Vietnam Airlines alone operates Da Nang-Quang Ninh.