Among the 63 provinces and centrally-run cities in the country, 18 reopened all schools on May 4, and more than 30 others that have welcomed students between the sixth and 12th grades back since late April now continue to reopen kindergartens and primary schools.

Meanwhile, more than 10 localities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, will resume operations of primary schools and kindergartens later.

In HCM City, more than 150,000 ninth and 12th graders returned to school for the first time since the Lunar New Year holiday.

Most of local schools made use of the National Reunification Day and May Day holiday from April 30 to May 3 to disinfect classrooms and their campuses, prepare face masks for students, and install more hand wash basins. Many schools rearranged desks while others had to consider dividing classes into smaller ones to ensure the safe distance of one metre among students.

In Hanoi, about 700,000 junior and senior high schools and establishments of continuing education were reopened on May 4.

Aside from disinfection, a number of schools also changed the timetable of classes and continued with teaching via the internet and television.

However, many schools that have reopened since late April said they are facing difficulties in keeping the minimum distance of one metre among students due to the shortage of teachers and classrooms.

The Ministry of Education and Training recently issued 15 criteria for ensuring COVID-19 prevention and control at educational establishments. Any schools that are unable to meet more than seven criteria will be assessed as unsafe and not allowed to operate.

Over the last three months, schools across Vietnam have provided teaching via the internet and television.

More than 22 million students nationwide had just finished the 20th week of the 2019-2020 academic year when schools had to closed down almost immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school year was rescheduled to finish before July 15, one and a half months later than usual.

Body temperature of all teachers and students are measured before they enter the school (Photo: VNA)   Students from Viet Duc high school are under temperature measurement before entering the school (Photo: VNA)

All teachers and students are required to go under body temperature measurement before entering the school (Photo: VNA)   Students in Viet Duc high school in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi are back to school on May 4 morning (Photo: VNA)   Students in all secondary and high schools in Hanoi are back to school after coronavirus closures (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   All students in My Dinh 1 secondary school undergo body temperature measurement before they enter classes (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Body temperature of all students in My Dinh 1 secondary school are carefully measured before they enter classes (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Body temperature measurement is applied to all students, teachers and school staff (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Students are required to keep a safety distance among one another while their body temperature is measured as recommended by the Ministry of Health (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Students are asked to wash their hands before entering their classes (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   After stepping out from school bus, students from Marie Curie school undergo body temperature measurement before entering school (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   All teachers from Marie Curie school stand at school gate to greet students on May 5 morning after a long coronavirus closure (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   To celebrate the first day back to school, each student in Marie Curie school is presented with a small gift from their teachers (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

To celebrate the first day back to school, each student in Marie Curie school is presented with a small gift from their teachers (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Marie Curie school headmaster Nguyen Xuan Khang says he had a sleepless night as he was so excited to welcome his students in the morning (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

From May 1 to 3, staff of Marie Curie school joined hands to clean up and disinfect the school. They also prepared 10,000 masks for students on their first day back to school (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Hand sanitiser is well equipped in each class and in school yard so that students can wash their hands regularly (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

During three months off due to COVID-19, students still studied online so now they are confident when being back to school (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Students are asked to keep a safe distance among one another when having meals in the school canteen (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

‘We have prepared all necessary safety measures, including compulsory body temperature measurement for all students, and desk rearrangement in class. We also have a room for quarantine in case a student show symptoms of the disease’, says headmaster of Marie Curie school Nguyen Xuan Khang (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)   Nguyen Hoang Viet, a student in 7th grade tells reporter that his parents have bought him a protective face shield to wear in class and asked him not to gather in crowds when finishing school (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)

Teachers in Marie Curie spend the first school session on May 4 to inform students of necessary safety measures when in school (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+)