Post date: Dec 17, 2013 2:20:35 PM
Snow falls in northern Vietnam for the first time in years.
SAPA, LAO CAI PROVINCE, VIETNAM (DECEMBER 15, 2013) (VTV) - Record low temperature in Vietnam brings unseasonal snowfall to the country's mountainous cities in the north.
Wintry flurries in Sapa, close to the Chinese border, surprised both locals and tourists, as snow fell over the town, for the first time in 51 years, in some areas as much 30 cm (11.8 inches) deep. Elderly locals said they could not remember ever seeing snow this thick.Children flocked outside, many experiencing snow for the first time, other than in photographs of European cities.
This is normally the dry season in Vietnam, but torrential rain has been lashing Laos, Vietnam andsoutheast China.
Many families did not have time to get their cattle to shelters. State media reported most vegetable crops were lost across the province.
The cold temperatures in Vietnam, which have slipped to as low as minus one degree Celsius (30.2 degrees Fahrenheit), is set to last for another few days. The mountain town, popular with tourists, usually enjoys temperatures of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius.