Northern Vietnam sizzles at almost 41 degrees Celsius

Under a heatwave’s impact, five northern mountainous provinces Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Ha Giang and Cao Bang suffered sweltering temperatures of above 36 degrees on Saturday. In Son La, one station in Muong La District showed the mercury almost hit 41 degrees, in Yen Chau District 40 degrees and Song Ma District 38 degrees.

Hanoi sweated under 33 degrees, similar to its delta neighbors.

Road construction workers cover themselvees under the heat in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Many central provinces recorded temperatures above 36 degrees on Saturday, with Thua Thien-Hue Province under 39 degrees.

In southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City recorded 35 degrees at 1 p.m., and its neighbor Dong Nai Province 36 degrees. Real-feel temperatures could be around 37-38 degrees.

The National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting said central Vietnam and northwestern provinces will continue to suffer temperatures between 35 to more than 40 degrees in the next two days, while areas from Da Nang down south will be hit by 35 to more than 37 degrees.

Vietnamese temperatures in the coming month are forecast to be 0.5-2 degrees higher than the average over the past years, with harsher heatwaves in northern and central regions, due to the impacts of El Nino.

Countries across South and Southeast Asia are suffering severe heatwaves. Bangladesh saw its highest temperature for almost 60 years in the past week, while heatstroke has killed 13 in India and two in Thailand, according to local media.