Wilting sales: A street vendor using a hand fan to beat the heat next to small Vietnamese national flags for sale in Hanoi. — AFP
The nation’s north is sweltering under a blistering heatwave, with 17 places across seven provinces reporting record highs for the month of August and electricity demand spiking as people try to stay cool, authorities said.
Temperatures peaked on Sunday and Monday across the densely populated Red River Delta region, a hugely important industrial and agricultural area, with the capital Hanoi experiencing its first-ever August day above 40°C.
The normally bustling streets of Hanoi were quieter yesterday as locals hid from the burning heat.
Flower seller Ngo Thu Thuy spoke of her exhaustion from riding her flower bike.
“I earn less as no one bothers to buy flowers in this heat,” said Thuy, 38, covered from head to toe to protect herself from the sun.
A construction worker who identified himself as Nam said “too many buildings and vehicles” has turned Hanoi into “a pan on fire” over the past two days.
Records set in past heatwaves in 2021 and 2024 were broken at 17 weather stations around the north.
One weather station in downtown Hanoi recorded a high of 40.3°C, beating the city’s previous August record of 39.8°C set in 2021.
Outside Hanoi, stations in the provinces of Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Lang Son, Bac Ninh, Haiphong and Ninh Binh all reported record August highs.
“The air humidity in Hanoi and the delta area on Monday was only up to 52%, causing a distinct feeling of dryness and heat,” Vietnam’s Agriculture and Environment Ministry said in a statement released yesterday.
Vietnam’s electricity company EVN said consumption in Hanoi hit an all-time record at 1.28pm local time on Monday as residents sought to cool off with fans and air-conditioning.
“I cannot imagine spending the night without air conditioning over the past few days,” office worker Dang Xuan Huong said.
“It’s so strange that we are in August and it is still burning hot”, Huong said. — AFP
