HCMC residents surprised by rare cold snap, decade-low temperatures

She checked her phone and saw the temperature had dropped to 17 degrees Celsius. She went back inside to find a sweater that she usually wears only when visiting her husband’s hometown in Nghe An Province during the Lunar New Year.

"Last night we turned off the air conditioner and slept under thick blankets but it was still cold in the morning. My seven-year-old said it felt like winter," the office worker said.

Before sending her two children to school, she made them drink warm honey lemon water and wear hats and face masks. She also placed a few lozenges in their backpacks to prevent sore throats.

On Friday morning, cold air spread into southern Vietnam, lowering temperatures in HCMC to 17-19 degrees Celsius. Weather apps showed that the perceived temperature in some areas was even lower, marking the city’s lowest level in the past 10 years.

Locals wear scarves and warm clothing in 19-degree weather in Ben Thanh Ward, HCMC, on the morning of Jan. 9, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan

The rare cold spell changed the daily routine of Vi Sach, a 26-year-old ride-hailing driver. Before leaving his house in An Khanh Ward at 5:30 a.m., he now puts on a thick T-shirt under his uniform jacket and wears an old pair of gloves previously used only during trips to the cooler city of Da Lat.

"The streets were quieter this morning, perhaps because the cold made people reluctant to wake up early. All my passengers wore hoodies or thick jackets and complained about the cold. But they all said the weather felt comfortable and that they wanted to walk around rather than go to work," Sach said.

On social media, he saw friends sharing screenshots showing temperatures of 18 degrees Celsius in HCMC, with comments saying, "going to work in this weather requires willpower."

He said he enjoyed the cold wind on his neck and hands and taking deep breaths to feel the chilly air. "Ho Chi Minh City rarely has cold mornings and now this cool weather usually lasts until noon," he said.

Senior locals, on the other hand, have some trouble acclimatizing to the cold. Ngoc Thuan, 72, a vendor at Xom Cui Market in Phu Dinh Ward, asked her granddaughter to take her to work instead of walking as usual.

"My joints were aching so I had to carefully apply medicated oil before leaving home. Everyone at the market was bundled up and shivering, but we were all amused by the unusual weather," she said.

Along central streets such as Le Loi and Dong Khoi in the former District 1, locals wearing scarves and thick jackets were a common sight.

People at Xom Cui Market in Phu Dinh Ward, HCMC, wear jackets to keep warm on the morning of Jan. 9, 2026 Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan

Le Dinh Quyet, head of the Forecast Department at the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center, said the cold spell was caused by a cold air mass that migrated from the north, along with strong northeast winds and clear night skies that accelerated heat loss.

"January is when cold air activity is strongest during the year. A significant drop in temperature is expected but a temperature of 17 degrees Celsius is rare in the past decade," he said, adding that chilly conditions would persist in the early morning and at night over the next few days.

Warren Bisset, a 31-year-old Briton, said the 17-degree weather felt familiar. After living in HCMC for seven years, he chose to walk to work for the first time to enjoy the cold.

"It is fascinating to see locals bundled up in multiple layers of clothing. For me, the air feels pleasant and brings back memories of mild summer days of around 20 degrees back home," he said.