[heatwave attacks Vietnam to increase coal and natural gas supply to alleviate "power shortage"-- Vietnam is struggling to cope with power shortages at a time when the heat wave hits, Vietnamese officials said at a news conference on Saturday. Vietnam's Ministry of Trade has asked government agencies to increase coal and natural gas production. The department is reportedly seeking to increase natural gas supplies by 18 per cent in the south-east and 8 per cent in the southwest, and to increase coal production by about 300000 tonnes in May and about 100000 tonnes in June and July respectively. In Vietnam, 55 of the country's 63 provinces and cities have issued guidance on power conservation without a set time limit, saving an average of about 20 million kilowatt-hours per day, equivalent to about 2.5 per cent of daily electricity consumption. In addition, the department once again called on Vietnam Electric Power Group to speed up negotiations with renewable energy projects to alleviate power shortages.