Vietnam experiences its hottest temperature ever

The Washington Post reported Monday that the record temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in the central province’s Huong Khe District.

The breaking of the national high temperature record was first reported by a forecaster named Etienne Kapikian at the French meteorological agency Meteo France.

Ha Tinh typically has its average temperature in the 80s degrees Fahrenheit at this time last year, according to AccuWeather.

A screenshot from Tropical Tidbits shows Ha Tinh and many parts of Vietnam burning in strong heat on April 20, 2019.

"A temperature of 110 degrees [Fahrenheit] is enough to soften your crayons, liquefy chocolate and raise the temperature inside a parked car past 140 degrees [Fahrenheit]," the paper said, in describing the intensity of the heat.

The heat wave that hit the country over the weekend saw temperatures soar to 37.7 degrees Celsius in the central city of Da Nang and 40.5 degrees Celsius in the central town of Hue. Saigon experienced 35 degrees Celsius heat on Monday.

"We can’t breathe in this heat. The temperature at 6 a.m. is already 85-88 degrees [Fahrenheit]. That’s before the sun even comes up," said Hue resident Phuong Hoang, as cited by the Washington Post.

Saigon hospitals have been seeing a rise in children and elderly patients as temperatures soared to 37 degrees Celsius late last week. UV level in the city also rose to dangerous levels and is expected to stay at 12 until the end of the week. A UV Index of above 11 is deemed ‘extreme,’ with radiation that could burn skin and damage eyes within 30 minutes. Such high UV levels were also reported in Saigon in mid-February and late March.

Weather experts have warned that Vietnam should brace for more heat waves set to sweep through the country in the coming months.