VietNamNet Bridge –Hoang Lien Son mountain range in Lao Cai Province had snowfall at an altitude of 2,000 m or more at around 10pm on Saturday, January 9. The snowfall stopped Sunday morning.

Luu Minh Hai, Director of the Meteorological Forecast Center of Lao Cai said, compared with the same period last year, the snowfall occurred over a shorter period, 30-60 minutes depending on the area, and the density was light. At the Pass of O Quy Ho (Sa Pa district), where the altitude is 2,050 m above sea level, the snow layer was about 30 cm thick, and even thicker at higher altitudes.

The snowfall has had little effect on 400ha of flower and vegetable gardens as well as livestock in the northern province, a local official has said.

Nguyen Tien Thanh, Director of the Sa Pa Economics Bureau, said people in mountainous areas of the district had protected their gardens from snow to maintain productivity and meet rising demand before and during the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival. This year, Tet falls in the third week of February.

Tourists enjoy playing with the snow in Sa Pa.

After the snow completely melted yesterday morning and weather warmed up, farmers had removed the protection and returned the gardens to their normal condition, he said.

Livestock farmers had also built stable roofs for their stables and pens, and prepared sufficient feed, he said. Some of them had moved their livestock to lower areas to avoid the snowfall and cold weather, and thus far, no loss has been reported, he added.

Lao Cai authorities also reported on Saturday that more than 3,000 visitors from other provinces had visited Sa Pa District in the last two days to see the snow.

This had led to traffic jams requiring more policemen and officials to manage the situation, they said.

Many roads in the tourist town of Sa Pa had been covered by snow as an intense cold spell hit northwestern provinces on the evening of January 9, pushing temperatures to zero degree Celsius.

Local residents said areas at altitudes of 1,900m and above were covered with up to 10cm of snow and lower areas experienced hail.

Earlier, the National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Centre had forecast that Lao Cai would experience a cold front on early January 10 with temperatures of 1-2 degrees Celsius at heights of 2,000m above the sea level.

The Lao Cai People's Committee has asked relevant agencies to take measures to ensure the health of local residents, especially seniors and children, as also adequate protection for plants and livestock.