Northern Vietnam braces for freezing cold front

The temperature in Hanoi will be 13-19 degrees on Saturday and will fall to 8-17 degrees early next week, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Places that are more than 1,500 meters above sea level, such as Mau Son and Sa Pa, may experience freezing temperatures of below zero that will bring frost to the areas early next week.

The cold front is forecast to last around five days in the plains and six to nine days in the mountainous regions.

Average temperatures from December to February next year are expected be roughly the same as previous years, meteorologists said. Temperatures in January, however, could be around 0.5 degrees higher than the average in previous years. Cold periods, when temperatures drop below 15 degrees, should also happen during these months, with each period lasting around 2-5 days, the weathermen said.