The ongoing heatwave has continued to intensify across many provinces, with some areas in Nghe An recording temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

On May 27, the sun appeared early in the morning and temperatures rose rapidly toward midday. Clear skies, dry air and low humidity created increasingly harsh and suffocating conditions.

Amid the extreme weather, farmers across many localities in the province entered both the harvest season and preparations for the next rice crop.

From 4 a.m., Nguyen Thi Thanh, who lives in Hamlet 6 of Nghi Loc commune, was already standing by the rice fields. Preparing for a long day of work, she wore multiple layers of protective clothing, wrapped her face with towels and carried drinking water with her.

Managing nearly one hectare of rice fields belonging to both her family and relatives, Thanh had to hire extra workers to help with planting. Despite working continuously, the job remained unfinished after 10 a.m., forcing them to stop and wait until later in the afternoon.

“We know the heat can easily cause heatstroke, but if we don’t finish planting in time, the fields will dry out and we may have to abandon the land,” Thanh said.

Not far away, Nguyen Thi Men, also from Hamlet 6, said that even while wearing a cooling jacket, she could still feel intense heat radiating from the ground.

Walking through muddy fields to spread fertilizer under the burning sun quickly drained her energy. From time to time, she climbed onto the embankment to rest in the shade before returning to work.

To escape the “skin-burning” heat, many farmers have shifted rice harvesting activities to nighttime. In several ripened rice fields in Do Luong commune, the atmosphere after dark remained lively and busy.

Lights from harvesting machines mixed with flashlights carried by farmers illuminated entire rice fields throughout the night as harvesting continued.

The record-breaking heat has also sharply increased electricity demand for daily life and production activities, causing overloads at several local substations. Despite the oppressive conditions, workers from Nghi Loc Power Company continued repairing equipment and handling technical issues to ensure stable electricity supply for residents.