A strong cold spell caused the temperature to drop to a record low of 1oC in the northern tourist resort city of Sapa in Lao Cai province on December 11, according to local meteorological stations.
Elsewhere in Lao Cai, temperatures tumbled to 12oC on average and 7oC in mountainous areas, said weather forecasters.  

Locals felt a damp chill as light rain drizzled in the highlands together with thick fog and frost that lasted the entire day.  

The provincial hydro-meteorological forecasting centre said another strong cold spell is likely to hit Lao Cai in a couple of days. It proposed that local administrations take measures to protect animals and winter crops.

Meanwhile, a low tropical depression is heading for the East Sea and is forecast to strengthen into a storm, the national Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre reported on December 11.

At 13.00 the depression was positioned about 380km north east of Truong Sa archipelago, with winds gusting between 39-49km/h.

In the next 24 hours, the depression is expected to travel south and southwest at a speed of 10km/h. In conjunction with the cold front moving toward the south, it will cause high tidal surges in the East Sea.

VOV