Cold spell hits northern Vietnam

The temperatures will drop below 17 degrees Celsius in the region and 10 degrees in the northern mountains, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

The center said winter would arrive earlier this year and be colder than last year.

Cold waves with average temperatures below 13 degrees will last from December to February.

According to U.S. website AccuWeather, in Hanoi, temperatures will be 15-18 degrees from now until Thursday. In the mountain town of Sa Pa, it will plummet to 9-12 degrees.

Under the impact of the cold spell and an eastern wind disturbance, central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Khanh Hoa will experience squalls of rain.

Several parts of the southern and Central Highlands regions will have showers and, possibly, thunderstorms.