(Photo: Reuters)

After reining in the virus for much of the pandemic, Vietnam faces a surge in daily infections. 

It has imposed strict curbs on movement in about a third of the nation, including the commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City and the capital, Hanoi.

Local production of the unidentified mRNA vaccine could begin in the fourth quarter or early in 2022, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang told a regular news briefing, adding that Vietnam could produce 100 million to 200 million doses a year under such a deal.

Such vaccines contain no actual virus, instead providing instructions for human cells to make proteins that mimic part of the coronavirus. These instructions spur the immune system into action, turning the body into a virus-zapping vaccine factory.

The Health Ministry reported 6,194 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, a record daily increase. This raised Vietnam's overall total of cases to more than 74,000, with 370 deaths.