The administration has urged authorities of Phu Tho in the north as well as Ha Tinh, Khanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Quang Ngai in the centre to take precautionary measures and prepare firefighters. They were asked to deploy more forest rangers to guide locals on safe farming practices, zone off areas where slash-and-burn practice is strictly forbidden, and keep strict control on forest entry.

On June 13 three forest fires were recorded in Nghe An’s Thanh Chuong District. They were promptly dealt with but still caused damage. Another fire, which took hold on peat land in Ca Mau’s U Minh District on June 10, has yet to be extinguished, with damage mounting to VND100 million (US$4,500) so far. Locals said the fire is now smoldering in the peaty soil about one metre under the ground’s surface.