Vietnam has appealed to diplomats from the United States, European Union and Japan to help it secure supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, as part of efforts to acquire the 150 million doses needed to cover its adult population.

Vietnam has received about 930,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine so far but wants to procure doses from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, China's Sinovac, and Russia's Sputnik V shot, according to Reuters.

Vietnam has been praised for its record in containing coronavirus outbreaks through mass testing, tracing, and strict quarantine, with the country recording just 2,620 cases and 35 deaths.

It aims to immunise 70 per cent of its population and has so far inoculated 51,200 people. The request for help come as some countries express concern about vaccine shortages.