Vietnam heatwave threatens farmers' livelihoods, worsens challenges for Mekong

A man carries a plastic bucket across the cracked bed of a dried-up pond in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province on March 19, 2024. A farmer points to an abandoned rice field due to lack of fresh water, in Vietnam's southern Ben Tre province on March 19, 2024. A blazing heatwave has brought drought, parching the land of Ben Tre province.

A heatwave in Vietnam is worsening environmental conditions in the Mekong Delta region, and farmers and gig workers have told VOA the heat is causing grueling working conditions and cutting crop yields.