The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and authorities in drought-hit south-central coastal localities are working to launch several new crop models to cope with a prolonged dry season.

Vietnam joined many other countries around the world during the 2016 Earth Hour late on March 19 with the symbolic action of turning off unnecessary electrical devices for one hour.

A Korean-funded project on restoring and sustaining mangrove forests in the northern province of Thai Binh was launched at a workshop on March 18.

The Construction Ministry reported its draft plans on water supplies in the Mekong Delta through 2030 at a conference held in Can Tho on March 18.

Saltwater intrusion and drought in the Mekong Delta region are expected to ease in May, an official from the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting told the Vietnam News Agency.

Nearly 42,000 hectares of crops in the south-central coastal and Central Highland provinces have been damaged due to the ongoing severe drought.

Hanoi will host a series of activities on March 19 in response to the 2016 Earth Hour, which promotes how a small individual action can make a big influence.

The central province of Thua Thien- Hue will spend 2 billion VND (91,000 USD) planting 4.6 hectares of mangrove forest with 10,000 varieties in Ru Xa forest in response to climate change.

Development partners and sponsors have recommended measures to cope with the acute drought and saltwater intrusion in the central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions of Vietnam.

The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is undertaking measures to protect 112,000 hectares of fruit trees and rice from saltwater intrusion.

Thousands of households living on the corridor of (Hong) Red River dyke system in Hanoi will likely be moved as part of the flood prevention plan, authorities and experts have said.

The Central Highlands region is undertaking measures to effectively address the severe water shortage in the current dry season.

The Prime Minister on March 12 issued an instruction requesting imperative measures to cope with saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta.

Forest blazes have taken their toll on various Vietnamese provinces over the past week.