After a series of heatwaves, including a record high in May, and an unprecedented drought, rivers and reservoirs in northern Vietnam are running dry, pulling locals who survive off the water into serious economic difficulty.
The drought has severely strained power supplies in northern Vietnam, causing rolling blackouts and sudden power cuts.
The crisis is hitting the country’s crucial manufacturing sector, with operations at a large number of factories badly impacted, according to business leaders.
On the ground, 60-year-old fisherman Hoang Van Tien said even if there were fish, it was too hot to sit out on the water.
“This kind of drought I have seen in the past, but it wasn’t as hot as this time.
“Now it is too hot to go to the lake (for fishing). It is too sunny. I sit on the boat with a hood to cover me, but the heat rises up from the water and burns my skin.”