Southern Vietnam sees rare cold snap as Ho Chi Minh City drops below 18°C

The Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center said a powerful northeast monsoon combined with an upper-level subtropical high had driven cold air deep into the south, sharply lowering night-time and early-morning temperatures across the region.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Nha Be monitoring station recorded a low of 17.8 degrees Celsius, below the previous recent record of 18.9 degrees set in 2013. 

It marked the city's coldest reading since 2000, the agency said.

Historical data show the lowest temperature ever recorded in the city was 16.4 degrees Celsius at Tan Son Hoa Station in late December 1999, followed by 16.9 degrees in early January 1995. 

In most years since then, temperatures in Ho Chi Minh City have rarely fallen below 19-20 degrees Celsius.

Elsewhere in the south, Vung Tau recorded 19.5 degrees Celsius, breaking a previous January low of 19.7 degrees set in 1996, while Tay Ninh fell to 16 degrees Celsius, below its 1996 record of 16.2 degrees. 

Both stations set new cold records dating back roughly 30 years, the weather center said.

In Dong Nai Province, Long Khanh recorded 14.3 degrees Celsius, colder than most recent years but still above its historic low of 12.1 degrees Celsius recorded in 1995.

Meteorologists said these were the lowest January temperatures recorded across much of southern Vietnam in three decades.

The cold, dry air mass is expected to persist through Friday afternoon, bringing sunny conditions, low humidity, and little rainfall. 

Daytime temperatures are forecast to change only slightly, with dry weather raising the risk of fires, particularly during midday and afternoon hours, the agency said.

By comparison, Ho Chi Minh City typically records average January low temperatures of about 23 degrees Celsius and average highs near 32 degrees, according to long-term climate data from Weather Atlas.

Across southern Vietnam, average January temperatures typically range from about 22 to 24 degrees Celsius at night and 30 to 33 degrees during the day.