It is 9 pm but the paddy fields in Tien Mai Village, My Duc District in the southwest of Hanoi get more bustling than ever.

Farmers shelter against the heat of 40 degrees Celsius in the daytime and ensure the progress of the rice planting by turning to work at night. 

People hang lamps on poles to illuminate seed sowing. Photos: Phuong Nga

As Hanoi is being hit by a severe heatwave with the daytime temperature reaching more than 40 degrees Celsius, farmers’ working time starts at 7 pm.

Farmers use lamps or wear headlamps to work. "If you don't take advantage of nighttime for planting, you can't complete the harvest on schedule," farmer Nguyen Thi Hoan told The Hanoi Times while casting seeds.

Farmers at work.

A headlamp, an effective device seen as the optimal choice for farmers working at night.

Nguyen Thi Hien, a farmer of Son Cong commune (Ung Hoa district), said that the salary for sowing is currently very high, up to VND500,000/workday (US$22). Therefore, her family members work all night.

"We started working from 6pm the previous day to 7am the next morning. Although the productivity at night was not high, the weather was cool, so we feel less tired" - Hien said.

Under the heat of more than 40 degrees during the day, young seedlings burn easily, even die if planted.