Near noon on May 26, the Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam area was not as crowded as usual, with only a few international tourist groups visiting, despite the hot outdoor weather.
Under the scorching sun shining from the road surface, many tourists continuously used hand fans, umbrellas and looked for rest after a short time moving outdoors.
Valerie, a tourist from Tahiti (France), said she was really surprised by the weather in Hanoi in the early days of coming to Vietnam.
It's hotter than we thought. For us, this weather is really quite harsh," she shared when she just walked into the roofed area in the Temple of Literature with a friend.
Accompanying Valerie, Stephanie said that although her hometown also has a hot summer, the temperature in Hanoi is still completely different due to high humidity and prolonged stuffiness.
My country is also hot, but not as hot as here. It feels like being burned," she said and said it was the first time experiencing this kind of weather.
Valerie said that because they were on a tour, the group still fully participated in the 4-day schedule in Hanoi.
Despite being tired of the heat, the group of French tourists were still excited to visit and experience the Capital of Vietnam.
Both said they had tried banh mi, pho bo and local seafood during their days in Hanoi. "Pho is very delicious," Stephanie said with a smile.
According to the plan, the group will stay in Vietnam for about 3 weeks. In addition to Hanoi, the group also visited many other destinations such as Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Cat Ba... before moving to Ho Chi Minh City.
On Hang Bo street, Chen Wei, a tourist from Taiwan, while holding a umbrella to shade his girlfriend, continuously wiped sweat from his forehead. The male tourist said he once thought he was used to the hot and humid weather in Asia, but the heat in Hanoi still made his body lose strength quickly.
The heat here is quite different. The air is very hot, so just walking for a while is already tiring," Chen Wei shared.
He said he had to change the sightseeing time to early morning or evening to avoid the time when the temperature rises to the highest point of the day.
However, due to limited travel time, the male tourist still tried to go to some locations near the hotel to visit and experience cuisine in the Capital.
While many tourists were quite "shocked" by the temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius in Hanoi, Daniel - a tourist from Los Angeles (USA) said he was not too surprised by the current weather.
The male tourist has been in Hanoi for 4 days and is preparing to continue his journey to Cao Bang to explore Northern Vietnam.
According to Daniel, although the weather these days is quite hot, it is still within his ability to adapt.
Not too bad. I live in Los Angeles so I'm quite used to this kind of hot weather," Daniel shared.
However, Daniel said he still has to constantly replenish cold water when moving outdoors to avoid losing strength due to prolonged high temperatures.
Daniel also said that he only travels to the Northern region of Vietnam on this trip and has no plans to go to Ho Chi Minh City.
After Cao Bang, the male tourist plans to continue the journey spontaneously instead of planning a fixed itinerary from before.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, on May 26, the Northern Delta region, including Hanoi, recorded intense and especially intense heat with the highest temperature commonly 39-40 degrees, with some places above 40 degrees Celsius.
The actual perceived outdoor temperature can be 2-4 degrees Celsius higher, even higher, in areas with a lot of concrete and asphalt roads.
The meteorological agency predicts that hot weather in the North is likely to last until around May 27 before gradually easing from May 28.
If traveling to the North and North Central regions during the current hot weather, tourists should prepare carefully so that the journey is more comfortable and ensures health.
First, prioritize thin, light, loose, and sweat-absorbing clothing such as cotton or linen, and use hats, sunglasses, sun umbrellas and sunscreen when moving outdoors.
In addition, tourists should bring drinking water, personal cooling devices such as hand fans, cold towels to avoid dehydration or exhaustion due to high temperatures.
Outdoor attractions should be arranged in the early morning or late afternoon, limiting walking for too long during the time frame from 11am to 4pm - when the outdoor temperature can be very high.
In addition, proactively resting at cafes, shopping centers or air-conditioned areas between tours also helps the body adapt more easily to prolonged hot weather.
