Many people in Vietnam have come up with inventive ways to help them stay as cool as possible during the persistent hot spell, which is the longest in the past 40 years.

Residents in a number of localities in the country, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, have been writhing in the sultry, stifling heat of the past few months, with a peak felt in recent weeks.

The central region from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue Provinces is the hottest area in the country this week, with high temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius or above, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned.

In northwestern provinces temperatures have risen to 35-36 degrees Celsius or higher.

Other areas in Vietnam’s central and northern regions have also grilled under average high temperatures of 39-40 degrees Celsius.

The ‘real feel’ temperatures could even be 3-5 degrees higher since the levels were measured inside hydro-meteorological stations.

The country is forecast to have more heat waves in June, according to the Central Hydro-Meteorological Center.

The center said the number of scorching hot days in May in the northern and northern central region has set a new record for the past 40 years or so.

Those who can afford air-conditioners and the incurred high electricity bills fare better as they stay in their air-conditioned rooms most of the time though that also exposes them, particularly young children and the elderly, to risks of contracting certain ailments.

Meanwhile, less well-off people, particularly farmers, workers and students, have come up with their own ways to cool themselves off.

Students at Hue University, located in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, make use of the humidity provided by the two basins of water placed in their dormitory room. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Linh Dam Lake in Hanoi, which is seriously polluted, has turned into a swimming pool during the hot days. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A farmer in Dien Ban District, located in the central province of Quang Nam, attaches leaves to his ‘non la’ (traditional leaf conical hat) while working in the blazing sun. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A student in Hue City in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue works on his homemade ‘air-conditioner,’ which incorporates a small fan attached to the lid of a foam thermal box to blow out the cool air from ice cubes kept in the box through the two plastic tubes. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Two elderly men are seen taking a nap under the shade of trees along the Han River in the central city of Da Nang. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A farmer in the central province of Ha Tinh is pictured wearing a palm-leaf poncho to ease the blazing heat while wading in his paddy field. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Farmers in Nghi Loc District in Nghe An Province harvest their rice at night to avoid working during the day. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A student in the northern city of Hai Phong puts a basin of iced water in front of his fan to stay cool in his rented room. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man seeks relief from a fountain on Quan Thanh Street in Hanoi to cool himself off. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A resident in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa turns a large ice cube with a hollow core into a handy container for refreshing drinking water, which is gulped down by construction workers on a section of National Highway 1. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A farming household in Nghi Loc District in Nghe An is pictured sowing watermelon seeds by night to avoid the sun with light from torches. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Local drivers now turn into law abiders by stopping their vehicles well clear of the zebra crossings and under the shade of trees. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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