3-7-2023 (HANOI) With South and Southeast Asian countries experiencing record-high temperatures this year, rice farmers in Vietnam are turning to night planting to avoid the brutal heat of the day. Tran Thi Lan, a rice farmer in the outskirts of Hanoi, heads into the water-logged fields at 3am to begin planting before the day’s heat arrives. Lan, like countless other farmers in north and central Vietnam, has switched to night work to avoid daytime temperatures that can exceed 37 degrees Celsius.
Planting rice in the dark has its challenges, but farmers such as Nguyen Hung Phuong say they are more productive and less distracted. Night planting has become a savior for farmers like Tran Thi Lan and Nguyen Hung Phuong, who can earn up to US$40 a day, a significant sum in a country where rural laborers usually earn around US$250 each month.
The practice of night planting began a few years ago at Nguyen Thi Hanh’s farm. Hanh, who is 56 years old, says night planting has its advantages for the rice, which is sensitive to extremes in temperature. The water is cooler at night, making it more suitable for the young plant.
However, the work is challenging, and few people are willing to do it. Lan says that “planting in the dark takes much more time compared to during the day,” but they need to keep going. She worries that in a few years, no one will be left to do this work as younger people opt for less challenging jobs.
