Heatwave forces thousands to central beaches

On Friday afternoon, crowds of people could be seen along a beach in Thanh Hoa's Sam Son Town.

Central Vietnam's Thanh Hoa Province, like other localities in the region, is experiencing a severe heatwave. Students who've just finished their exams often go to the beach with their family.

Lifeguards stand on the shore to warn people not to go too far into the water.

Besides Sam Son, other beaches in Thanh Hoa like Hai Tien, Hai Hoa and Quang Xuong, are also packed.

Towards the end of this month, Sam Son has received around four million visitors, tripling the numbers recorded in the same period last year. Revenues reached VND3.45 trillion ($148.3 million), about 2.5 times the amount recorded in 2021.

Along a beach in Nghe An's Cua Lo Town, many people could be seen playing in the water and with sand amid the early dusk.

Nguyen Van Quan, 40, along with his wife and two kids, went to Cua Lo from Hai Duong for a three-day vacation.

"This is our first time coming here, so we were excited to see the beautiful beach. It's still hot and sunny in the afternoon, but we swim anyway," he said.

More and more people go to the beach towards the end of the afternoon. Restaurants nearby are also jammed with customers.

Hoang Thanh Son, head of the culture and information department of Cua Lo, said around 13,000-15,000 people have come to the town to hit the beach, roughly the numbers recorded in pre-Covid times.

On Saturday morning, people can be seen swarming the beaches of Da Nang. The beaches are most packed from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., when the morning sun has yet to turn harsh.

Two tourists pose for a photo.

Meanwhile in Quang Nam, people flock to the Bai Rang beach to relieve themselves amid a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.

It's still bright out even at 6 p.m.

The sheer number of beachgoers has overloaded parking spaces in Quang Nam. The province, with a coastline spanning 125 kilometers, boasts several beaches for tourists to enjoy.

Central Vietnam have experienced high temperatures and sunny days since the beginning of this month. Temperatures from Thanh Hoa to Binh Dinh are often around 37-38 degrees Celsius, with certain mountainous regions, like Nghe An's Tuong Duong District or Ha Tinh's Huong Khe District, recording temperatures about one to two degrees higher.