Vietnam has confirmed 45 new coronavirus infections since March 6. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh.

The man went to Malaysia on February 27 and returned to the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on VJ826 on March 4.

On March 10, he developed a sore throat and a fever but did not take any medicine. Five days later, he went to the Ninh Thuan General Hospital to get himself checked. His samples were then taken by Ninh Thuan Center for Disease Control and sent to the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang Town for testing.

After the results returned positive, the man has been quarantined and is being treated at the Ninh Thuan General Hospital.

Vietnam recorded four novel coronavirus infections on Monday. The other three are a Vietnamese student, a Vietnam Airlines flight attendant and a French tourist.

As of Monday, 13 out of 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have recorded Covid-19 cases. Of the top five localities, Hanoi has the biggest number of infections (14), followed by Vinh Phuc Province (11, all discharged), Binh Thuan (nine), HCMC (eight, three discharged) and Quang Ninh (five).

With the latest additions, Vietnam now has 45 active Covid-19 patients, including 18 foreigners. The previous 16 patients have been discharged.

The Covid-19 outbreak has spread to 157 countries and territories, with the death toll climbing to over 6,600.