Vietnam is in for a cold spell including possible snow in the far north up to the Lunar New Year, which falls at the end of January 2006, said weather experts. 

According to Le Thi Xuan Lan, deputy head of the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center’s Forecasting Department, a cold front from China’s mainland will hit Vietnam as of Thursday, bringing with it snow and frost in the mountainous tourist town of Sapa in northern Lao Cai province.

Other mountainous provinces in the north will be chilly, with temperatures dropping to 2°C. Ha Long city and Hanoi are to see frigid temperatures of 6-9°C.

“Compared with last year, this Christmas and [solar] New Year season will be colder”, Lan said.

Meanwhile, southern provinces will be cold and rainy for the next few days due to a tropical low-pressure system which is moving southwards.

The system, centered over the Spratly Archipelago and expected to hit Vietnam Tuesday noon, will combine with the northeast monsoon to cause violent seas off Vietnam’s central and southern coast.

As for the southern commercial hub, HCMC could experience one of the coldest spells for many years during this holy season, with temperatures reaching 17°C.

On Monday, temperatures throughout Vietnam are reported to have fallen dramatically. Temperatures in HCMC dropped 19 degrees, central Danang city by 18, Hanoi by nearly 11 and northern Son La province by 4.5 degrees.

The rains would raise water levels, threatening the lives of local people already suffering from floods, said Nguyen The Luong, deputy head of the central Committee for Floods and Storms Control.

Flash floods, triggered by heavy rains in the past weeks have claimed at least 43 lives in central Vietnam.

Reported by Mai Vong – Translated by Hoang Bao