Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi have been turning off street lights partially to keep the national power system running, amid record rising temperatures that brought a surge in electricity demand in some parts of the Southeast Asian nation.
As weather officials warned that the heatwave could run into June, several cities have cut back on public lighting after state utility company Vietnam Electricity (EVN) said rising public demand for air conditioning could burden the national grid further.
“It’s so harsh and hot outside that people have to wear protective clothing to cool down and not get burned,” Hanoi resident Tran Van Hung, 67, told Reuters on Monday (May 29).
Temperatures this week are expected to range between 26 and 38 degrees Celsius (78.8 and 100.4 degrees F), weather officials said. To deal with the heat, Hanoi is turning on its public lighting half an hour later than usual, and switching it off half an hour sooner, while halving illumination on some major roads and in public parks.
“If all the people save energy, then we’ll have enough electricity to use. If not, there will be a partial electrical overload,” said Luong Minh Quan, an electrician with EVN in Hanoi as he checked the public power grid.
Some local residents also chose to cool off at a waterpark, although experts said activity in extreme heat can cause dehydration and exhaustion.
