Hanoi is in the grip of a heat wave, with temperatures holding in the high 30s and low 40s for days on end, and city folk are flocking to rivers and lakes for relief.
At Linh Dam Lake in Hoang Mai District, crowds gathered under the trees in the evening hours of May 29 to escape the heat and children took to the water, ignoring a ban on swimming.
Swimming at Linh Dam Lake
The same scene was reflected on the beaches of the Red River, where the water is cleaner and cooler.
Pathways around Hanoi's lakes, many of which have dropped more a metre in the absence of rain and beginning to smell, are dotted with large umbrellas, under which groups of neighbours cluster on low plastic seats during the daytime, sipping cold fruit drinks or hot tea, and narrow shop fronts in the crowded Old Quarter blast electric fans cooled by frozen water to stir the still air.
The city hums with air conditioners, causing brief localised blackouts due to heavy demand on Hanoi's power grid. Windows are flung open to catch any passing breeze.
Red River on May 29 afternoon
The National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre on May 29 said the country's northern and central regions will continue to experience dry and hot weather through to May 31.
It is already the hottest May in some provinces in 44 years, worsening the already severe drought in the central provinces of Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan and Quang Tri, where the red fire flag has been hoisted as hundreds of hectares of forest burn.
Temperatures in major cities Hanoi, Hue and Da Nang will remain high in the coming days, with the mercury hovering around 39-43C, the centre said.
Children play along the Red River
