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Ongoing drought in Vietnam is constraining the country’s food security, and temperatures reaching upwards of 104 Fahrenheit have further compounded the problem. Roughly 46,000 hectares of cropland in the central north region and more than 25, 000 hectares of rice along the coastal provinces have been affected, the Thanh Nien Daily reports.

Vietnam is the second-largest exporter of rice in the world. The agricultural industry employs more than 22 million Vietnamese. By the end of June over 400,000 tons of rice, worth an estimated $US131.7 million, had been lost, officials told the Thanh Nien Daily. So far the state has granted about $US15 million for drought relief, the Asian Times reports.

The Mekong Delta, the final recipient of the waters from the Mekong River before it empties into the South China Sea, produces more than half of Vietnam’s rice. But the Mekong is the lowest it has been in more than 50 years, Voice of America News reports. Low rainfall has caused increased salinization in the Mekong Delta, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development predicted in March that more than 100,000 hectares of farmland in the region are in jeopardy.

In an interview during the 15th anniversary of normalization of relations between Vietnam and the United States by People's Army newspaper, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh said that the two countries should continue to improve relations after having overcome many obstacles and put aside the past.

Both countries have cooperated regarding rising sea levels caused by global warming, clearing the bombs and mines left over by the war and handling the issues caused by the consequences of Agent Orange.

"We have seen a decrease in crane numbers due to a lack of tubers called nang, which the crane feed upon, which were destroyed by floods last year.

World’s largest rice exporter, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta which accounts for more than half of its output is hit by drastic climate changes, resulting huge losses of crops. Drought caused by a hot spell over the past month has hurt rice fields in the region with nearly 100,000 hectares destroyed or partly destroyed. A total of 25,000 hectares of rice was ruined and yields on another 70,000 hectares will drop sharply, the report said, giving no forecast for output losses.

The hot weather hit northern and central provinces from early June. On June 16 state forecasters said the temperature in Hanoi reached an average 34.6, the highest since 1961, leading to a surge in demand for electricity and widespread power cuts. While delta farmers cope with drought, they are also challenged by sea water intrusion, which experts also link to climate change. Over the past 50 years the sea level has already risen by 20 centimeters along Vietnam's coast

Most people in Cambodia depend on farming for their livelihoods. 84 percent live in rural areas. Many live in high risk areas from flooding, droughts and cyclones. Kim Rattana of Caritas Cambodia said, "One of the biggest challenges we are facing in our development work is the increasing occurrence of natural disaster. What we have achieved over many years is being destroyed by storms and washed away by floods." Last year, Typhoon Ketsana destroyed hundreds of homes in Cambodia. Caritas Cambodia had to provide 30,000 people with relief items and food. Low water levels in the Mekong this year, the lifeline that runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, are threatening the livelihoods of more than 60 million people who live along it. In Cambodia, drought has already destroyed harvests and made fishing very difficult.

People in Cambodia don’t have the resources to adapt. That means they are extremely vulnerable to extreme or unpredictable weather. Climate variability has also brought health risks for some of Cambodia's most vulnerable communities. People are vulnerable to diseases like dengue fever, typhoid and diarrhea. Cambodia’s Ministry of Health predicts that under changing climate conditions will increase incidence of malaria by as much as 16 percent. Poor infrastructures and high poverty rates make malaria treatment unaffordable for large segments of the population. Only 55% of the population has access to public health facilities.

Speaking at the Asean Energy Business Forum Ministers-CEO Dialogue in Vietnam last Friday, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the need to “climate-proof” the region’s energy sector was now more pressing, given the visible impact of climate change on various aspects of energy production.

He explained that the energy sector was very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, using as an example the Philippines’ experience during the extended El Niño weather phenomenon. Mindanao experienced daily rotating power interruptions, sometimes lasting 10-12 straight hours, due to severe lack of water to power the main grid’s hydropower facilities, from which the bulk of the region’s power supply came.

Apart from hydropower generation, Almendras related that wind power generation was also highly affected by climate change. “Wind power generation is susceptible to variations in ambient temperatures, humidity, and precipitation. The primary determinants of wind power availability are wind speed statistics, consisting of mean wind speeds and gustiness. Wind speeds are subject to natural variability on a wide range of time scales, and they may be affected by climate change,” he explained. To help respond to the effects of climate change, he said the country had adopted a holistic approach of combining mitigation with adaptation.