Sizzling hot weather is forecast to last until mid-April in southern Vietnam, where residents have been facing a heat wave, with temperatures regularly hitting 35 degrees Celsius, Nguoi Lao Dong reported, citing weather expert Le Thi Xuan Lan.


{keywords}

HCMC residents are seen traveling on Truong Son Street, Tan Binh District


The southern region has experienced ongoing heat waves, with the daily maximum temperature reaching 37 degrees Celsius. Many places, including Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh and Dong Nai provinces; HCMC; and the border zone in the southwest region, have seen temperatures reach 38 or 39 degrees Celsius.

For some 15 to 20 days in March, there will be extremely hot days, with eight to 10 hours of harsh sunlight per day, Lan said.

She added that this year has seen hot weather arrive earlier than last year, attributing the change to the El Nino weather phenomenon occurring in end-2018. She noted that in the winter in northern Vietnam, there will be fewer intensified cold air masses than seen in previous years.

Besides this, in the southern part of the country, there will be less unseasonal rain, resulting from El Nino. In addition, scorching weather will cause droughts and salinity intrusion to strike the Mekong Delta region.

SGT