Residents of Hanoi and surrounding provinces are struggling through a record-breaking heat wave.
Tuoi Tre reports that temperatures in the capital edged past 40oC over the weekend, forcing people to find ways to cope with the suffocating heat. The heat wave began last week and is expected to last through tomorrow, with the mercury hitting levels not seen in 14 years.
Hanoi wasn't alone in its suffering, with other northern provinces like Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Bac Ninh and Lao Cai seeing temperatures over 40oC. The capital's Ha Dong District saw a high of 41.5oC on Friday.
Meanwhile VnExpress shares that the heat index in Hanoi has been as high as 48oC, one of the hottest temperatures in the city's recorded history.
According to the news source people throughout the region have tried to find ways to beat the extreme heat. Nhung, a resident of Nam Tu Liem District, shared that about 10 people from her family squeezed into a 12 square-meter room since it was the only one in the house with air conditioning.
"We did not expect the heat would be so terrible in early summer. This is really unbearable," she said.
Mai, another Hanoi resident, told the news source that she took a taxi home from work since she couldn't bear driving in the heat, while her family simply ate fruit and drank sugarcane juice for dinner.
Many Hanoians fled to the countryside for the weekend, while Tuoi Tre explained that others took a dip in the city's West Lake to cool off.
[Top photo via DTI]
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