Vietnamese cities are reducing public lighting to conserve energy as a severe heatwave threatens to strain the country's power supplies. The measures come after warnings from state utility EVN that unusually high temperatures could pressure the national power system due to increased electricity consumption and lower water levels at hydropower dams.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that energy-saving measures aim to reserve power for domestic use and the manufacturing sector. In Hanoi, street lights are being turned on 30 minutes later and off 30 minutes earlier, while half the lights along major roads and in parks have been switched off entirely.
In other cities, including Da Nang, office buildings and shopping malls have been asked to halve the energy use of outdoor lighting. Residents are urged to use air conditioning only when necessary and to turn off unused electronics.
The heatwave is part of a broader pattern of extreme temperatures across Asia, which have led to school closures in India and the Philippines, and health warnings in several countries. Vietnam recorded a temperature of 44.1°C earlier this month in Nghệ An province.
Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera described the heatwave as "arguably the worst tropical heatwave in world climatic history" in terms of intensity, geographical spread, and duration. The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the combination of a developing El Niño and climate change could push global temperatures into uncharted territory.
