Northern Vietnam enters coldest period of the year   Ornamental tree sellers build a fire to warm themselves in Hanoi. Tuoi Tre Temperatures in Hanoi could drop to 9 degrees Celsius, and even much lower in other localities as Vietnam’s northern and north-central regions were hit by the coldest spell of the winter-spring season on Saturday. According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the cold snap will last until January 27, greatly affecting localities from the north to the central province of Thua Thien – Hue. The lowest temperatures in Hanoi could be 8 – 9 degrees Celsius, and much lower for the northern coastal provinces. In the northern mountainous area, temperatures may drop to below 1 and 0 degree Celsius at Mau Son in Lang Son Province, Sa Pa and O Quy Ho in Lao Cai Province, Trung Khanh in Cao Bang Province and Dong Van in Ha Giang Province. These areas are also forecast to experience freezing rain and snow. Rains and thunderstorms are forecast for the central coastal provinces, whereas the coastal and southern waters on the East Vietnam Sea, including Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos will suffer rough seas and strong winds. The cold front moving from the northern region may also reduce temperatures in Ho Chi Minh City to 18 degrees Celsius this weekend. TUOI TRE NEWS