Vietnam's government has said it will impose movement restrictions in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho for 14 days starting on Monday as the Southeast Asian country battles its worst outbreak of the pandemic, Reuters reports.

The city of 1.23 million people in the far south has reported seven infections over the past week, the government said in a statement.

The health ministry has reported 1,953 new infections, the seventh straight day of more than 1,000 cases, and exceeding Saturday's record of 1,853. Most of the cases were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, the epicentre of the country's outbreak.

The country has over the past week begun imposing restrictions on movement in major cities, including the economic hub of Ho Chi Minh and the capital Hanoi.