Vietnam in is for a cold Christmas weekend with warmer climes enveloping the nation next week, only to chill once more in time for New Years, the weather center said Friday. 

 According to the southern Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting center, temperatures in the south dropped to below 20 degrees Celsius, with the mercury in HCMC standing at 18.6 degrees, the coldest day in the city in some time.

Temperature in Can Tho city in the south is measured at 18 degrees, Hue and Danang city in the central region at 15 degrees and 15.7 degrees respectively.

Hanoi awoke to a chilly 13.6 degrees on Friday, with Quang Ninh province’s Ha Long city at 10.5 degrees, but the coldest area in the country was the north with temperatures early Friday in Ha Giang province dipping to 0.9 degrees, Lao Cai province’s Sapa resort town was 3.7 degrees, with snow possible at higher elevations.
 
After warming up for several days, a cold front will hit Vietnam on Tuesday, plunging the country into another cold spell during the New Year, the center said.

Reported by Mai Vong – Translated by Hoang Bao