"It has two tiny fans attached to the back. They blow air into the jacket and puff it up like an inflatable vest," she said.

Then she asked whether it would make any difference in the furnace-like heat that has settled over the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

She wanted to buy one for her cousin, who worked as a delivery driver.

That conversation made me realize something. While many people are debating whether to set their air conditioners to 26 or 28 degrees Celsius, others do not have that choice at all.

Researchers working on sustainable development increasingly use the term "cooling poverty" to describe people who cannot afford, or do not have access to, the means needed to protect themselves from extreme heat.

In Vietnam, millions of outdoor workers are at risk of falling into this category, including delivery drivers, motorcycle taxi riders, street vendors, construction workers, and farmers.

Construction workers work under 40 degrees heatwave in Hanoi, May 2026. Photo by VnExpress

In a report titled "The Future of Cooling," the International Energy Agency warned that in countries with hot climates and modest incomes, unequal access to cooling is becoming a new form of inequality, closely tied to climate change.

The heat is the same for everyone, but the ability to escape it is not.

Part of the problem is that climate adaptation is often treated as a personal responsibility. Those with money can install air conditioners, add heat-blocking window films, buy vehicles with air conditioning, or buy air purifiers.

Those without money must rely on standing fans, cooling jackets, and their own resilience.

Vietnam’s current monthly minimum wage ranges from VND3.7 million to VND5.31 million (US$141 - 202).

For many low-income workers, effective cooling may simply be out of reach. Even a basic air conditioner, combined with the electricity needed to run it through the summer, can consume a significant share of monthly income.

News stories about air conditioners and debates over their ideal temperature setting can feel distant, even uncomfortable, to many people.

Adaptation should therefore not be a privilege reserved for those with financial resources. It should be part of public policy, supported by planning, funding, and clearly identified beneficiaries.

Some countries have already moved in that direction.

After the 2003 heat wave that killed more than 15,000 people in France, most of them elderly individuals living alone, the government drafted the National Heatwave Plan.

Local authorities compile lists of vulnerable residents, community health workers check on them during periods of extreme heat, and public cooling rooms are opened in community facilities.

In Ahmedabad, India, a heatwave in 2010 claimed more than 1,000 lives. In response, local authorities created South Asia’s first Heat Action Plan.

Temples and community centers were turned into cooling shelters, health workers received specialized training, and a tiered warning system was established.

The model was later adopted by more than 20 Indian cities and endorsed by the World Health Organization.

In Japan, community centers and public libraries operate as cooling shelters during the hottest months of the year. Older residents and students can rest there free of charge, drink water, and wait out the most dangerous hours of the day.

Vietnam, despite facing harsher temperatures and having a large outdoor workforce, still lacks a comparable national plan.

The Labor Code includes provisions on working conditions, but enforcement among informal workers remains weak. The situation is especially unclear for app-based drivers, who are not legally classified as employees.

Worker housing and low-income rental accommodation are not subject to mandatory insulation standards, even though many are covered with metal roofs that absorb and retain intense heat.

In my view, addressing this "air-conditioning inequality" requires three measures pursued concurrently.

First, Vietnam should develop a national heat-response plan.

The plan should identify vulnerable groups, including elderly people living alone, outdoor workers, and children living in rental housing. It should establish graded warning systems and create a network of public cooling shelters in community locations.

Second, insulation standards should become part of the regulations governing social housing and worker accommodation.

Countries such as the United States, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, and China already include insulation requirements in building codes. Rather than prescribing simple material thickness, they set thermal performance standards that help homes stay cool in summer, warm in winter, and more energy-efficient throughout the year.

Third, outdoor workers should be formally recognized as a group requiring protection during periods of extreme weather. This could be achieved through mechanisms that place clear responsibilities on delivery platforms and employers. Corporate responsibility should extend beyond wages to include basic protective measures such as adjusted work schedules, access to drinking water, shaded rest areas, and appropriate protective equipment.

As climate change reshapes the way people live and work, labor protections must evolve as well.

Air conditioning was never meant to divide people. Yet extreme heat and widening income gaps are turning this ordinary appliance into a new marker of inequality.

My colleague eventually bought the best cooling jacket she could find. The price was high enough that she doubted her cousin would ever spend that much on himself. Without broader public policies, how many individual acts of generosity would it take to provide relief for the tens of millions of workers who spend their days under the scorching sun?

*Pham Tam Long graduated from Vietnam's National Economics University with a major in Corporate Finance and received his PhD in Sustainable Development in Business Administration from Osaka University, Japan. He is a lecturer at the School of International Management - Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan.