Sunny spells to return to southern, central Vietnam this week   A street vendor is seen sleeping on a sidewalk under an umbrella to hide from the scorching heat in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2016. Tuoi Tre  After being drenched with a succession of rains last week, southern and central regions of Vietnam are expected to endure a hot spell this week, according to a weather pundit. As westerly winds weaken, sunny spells are forecast to recur and scorch southern provinces and areas of the Central Highlands this week, with temperatures around 35-36 degrees Celsius from midday, Le Thi Xuan Lan, a meteorologist based in Ho Chi Minh City, has predicted. Scattered rain is expected mainly in the evening and at night, but less intensive and less frequent, she added. Provinces and cities in the central region will experience intense heat due to the climatic event, accompanied by hot winds, with highs between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius, Lan said, adding that hot conditions would be more severe in western mountainous areas. In the north, however, squalls and downpours are predicted to lash many regions in the first two days of the week, especially the mountainous areas, Lan said. The phenomenon will dissipate by midweek due to the impact of the warm air mass stretching from the west of the country, and less rain is expected in northern areas by the weekend, with some provinces anticipated to suffer baking temperatures between 35 and 36 degrees Celsius. From the weekend, northern provinces and cities are predicted to be hit by rainstorms and strong gusts, she said. TUOI TRE NEWS