Fansipan covered in frost

Fansipan covered in frost on December 19

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorology Forecast, the cold spell caused rains in Lao Cai Province on the night of January 8. Temperatures in the northern region dropped to 10-12 degrees.

Temperatures in Sapa Town will drop to one to three degrees. Areas that are 2,300 above the sea level will experience sub-zero temperatures. Frost will continue to cover Fansipan and surrounding areas for at least two days. Frost and snow only appear in places with a subtropical climate like Sapa Town and Y Ty Commune in Lao Cai Province. It attracts thousands of visitors but also badly affects local lives and agriculture.

Lao Cai Province People's Committee asked locality authorities to guide people on how to protect themselves and livestock from the cold. Schools in Sapa let pupils stay home if it is 6 degrees. 

Farmers were asked to not let their cattle outside when colder than 12 degrees. As of now, over 100 old buffaloes and calves have died from the cold, most of them are in Sapa and Bat Xat districts.

Traffic jams also occurred on National Highway 4D because of the fog. Measures must be taken to ensure traffic safety as visitors flock to Sapa to see the frost and snow.

On December 19, a thick layer of frost and snow covered the Fansipan as temperatures dropped to minus 7 degrees at night.

Temperatures plummet as cold spell hits northern Vietnam

Snow and frost cover the Fansipan Peak

An intense cold wave has struck Vietnam’s northern provinces, sending temperatures to as low as 3 degrees Celsius in the high mountains, according to the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre (NHMFC). 

In the capital Hanoi, the temperatures will fall to 10-13 degrees Celsius, the national weather service said.

During the cold snap, forecast to last until January 14, the lowest temperatures in the Red River Delta will average around 10-12 degrees Celsius while the lowest temperatures in mountainous provinces will drop to 6-9 degrees Celsius.

As a result of strengthening cold air, rains of varying degrees are forecast in many places throughout the region on the night of January 8 and early morning the following day while frost is expected in the high mountains.

The NHMFC said the Gulf of Tonkin will see strong winds of up to 70 kilometres an hour and gusts of over 100 kilometres an hour while the sea will be rough off the Gulf of Tonkin and the Hoang Sa (Spratly) archipelago area.