Photos: Devastating drought and heatwaves plague northern Vietnam

On the shores of a reservoir that feeds one of Vietnam’s biggest hydropower plants, Dang Thi Phuong points at the cracked ground where the fish that help her earn a living normally swim.

A local resident gesturing as he stands on cracked soil on an island formed inside Thac Ba hydropower lake in Yen Bai province, June 13, 2023. (AFP)

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.

Local residents fishing on Chay river at the lower section of Thac Ba hydropower dam in Yen Bai province. After a series of heatwaves, including a record high in May, June 14, 2023. (AFP)

Scientists say global warming is exacerbating adverse weather, and Vietnam is just one of many countries across South and Southeast Asia to have suffered a prolonged heatwave in recent weeks.

Shows an island formed inside Thac Ba hydropower lake in Yen Bai province. Vietnam, which relies on hydropower for almost half its energy needs, June 13, 2023. (AFP)

At Thac Ba hydropower plant in Yen Bai province, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Hanoi, water in the reservoir is at its lowest level in 20 years, according to state media.

At its worst, the water was about 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 inches) below the minimum level needed for the plant to function.

A boat stranded on cracked soil on an island formed inside Thac Ba hydropower lake in Yen Bai province. Vietnam, which relies on hydropower for almost half its energy needs, June 13, 2023. (AFP)

The nearby Chay river is little more than a puddle, with rocks and soil clearly visible.

“Normally, I can earn up to three million dong ($125) per month from fishing on the lake, but now there is nothing for me,” Phuong, 42, said, adding that even her buffaloes were suffering, no longer able to take a proper bath in the shallow waters.

Local residents fishing on Chay river at the lower section of Thac Ba hydropower dam in Yen Bai province, June 14, 2023. (AFP)

She worries, too, about water for her rice fields and for her family.

“We use water from a nearby well for our paddy field. This year, it has dried up. So if things will continue like this, I’m afraid we won’t have water to use for our daily life,” she told AFP.

The Thac Ba hydropower dam in Yen Bai province. Vietnam, which relies on hydropower for almost half its energy needs, has struggled with a series of heatwaves since early May, June 14, 2023. (AFP)

The drought has severely strained power supplies in northern Vietnam, causing rolling blackouts and sudden power cuts.

Buffaloes standing on an island formed inside Thac Ba hydropower lake in Yen Bai province. Vietnam, which relies on hydropower for almost half its energy needs, June 13, 2023. (AFP)

The crisis is hitting the country’s crucial manufacturing sector, with operations at a large number of factories badly impacted, according to business leaders.

A fisherman sails a boat inside Thac Ba hydropower lake in Yen Bai province. After a series of heatwaves, including a record high in May, and an unprecedented drought, June 13, 2023. (AFP)

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.”