Vietnam factories near Hanoi told to cut power 50% on blackout risk

PHNOM PENH -- Vietnam's state-owned power company has asked industrial parks near Hanoi to cut electricity use by 50% as high temperatures cause tight supplies, raising concerns of wide-scale blackouts.

The Thang Long Industrial Park north of the capital, operated by Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp., has received a request from Vietnam Electricity to cut power use in half from Friday morning to Sunday evening.