Haze shrouds Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of September 16. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre
However, there is not yet enough evidence to link the haze to fires in Indonesia, according to a local weather expert.
Le Dinh Quyet, head of the Forecasting Division at the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center, described the phenomenon as unusual, saying haze had been observed across Ho Chi Minh City, other southern localities, weather stations, and offshore islands.
Meteorological data showed that low clouds formed in the mornings before gradually clearing toward noon and the afternoon as the southern branch of a subtropical high-pressure system extended westward.
Rain was also common in the late afternoon and evening.
Yet the haze persisted even when the sun came out, Quyet said.
“This is not a typical haze phenomenon based on the current weather conditions,” he said.
Haze normally forms when humidity is high and temperatures are low, or when cold air pushes southward over an existing warm air mass.
Neither of those conditions has been present in southern Vietnam in recent days, according to Quyet.
He said more air-quality monitoring data would be needed to determine what is causing the haze.
As for speculation that smoke from fires in Indonesia may have traveled to Vietnam, Quyet said independent data would need to be compared and cross-checked before any conclusion could be reached.
Heavy rain ahead for southern Vietnam
Meanwhile, southern Vietnam is expected to see a spell of widespread heavy rain from September 17 to 21.
Moderate to heavy rain, thunderstorms, and locally very heavy downpours are forecast across the region, with total rainfall expected to reach 100-250 millimeters and exceed 250 millimeters in some areas.
Meteorological authorities warned of flooding in low-lying areas and places with poor drainage, particularly in major cities.
The wet spell is expected as the intertropical convergence zone becomes more active around September 17 and gradually shifts southward across southern Vietnam.
At the same time, the southwest monsoon is forecast to strengthen.
Wildfire haze persists across Indonesia
Thick smoke from forest fires has recently blanketed parts of Indonesia’s Kalimantan, disrupting flights and sharply reducing visibility, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, haze has lingered since September 11, at times cutting visibility to below one kilometer. Indonesian authorities said the smoke came from both local fires and other burning areas across Kalimantan.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said fires were still burning in parts of West and Central Kalimantan. More than 202,000 hectares of land were burned nationwide in the first seven months of the year.
The haze has also reached parts of the Philippines and Malaysia. However, there is no confirmed evidence that smoke from the Indonesian fires has reached southern Vietnam.
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