Ice and snow have been covering Hoang Lien Son Mountain, including Sa Pa town, in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai as the outdoor temperature has dropped to 2-3 degree Celsius below zero. This is the most severe frost on Hoang Lien Son Mountain over the past 40 years.

The severe and chilling cold spell killed nearly 1,000 cows and buffalos in the province, causing great losses to the locals as each cow and buffalo cost between VND8-10 million, said the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department.

The record month-long cold also killed thousands of cattle in the northern provinces, particularly in highland areas, including 2,000 in Ha Giang, nearly 1,500 in Son La and 1,000 in Lang Son, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

At a meeting in Hanoi on February 13, Mr Phat instructed local officials to warn farmers not to sow crops while the outdoor temperature drop to below 15 degree Celsius and to protect grain and save sufficient water for their crops.

The ministry’s cultivation department director Nguyen Tri Ngoc reported that the cold had devastated more than 53,000 ha of rice and 5,000 ha of grain in 16 provinces, including Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Phu Tho, Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Haiphong City.

Mr Ngoc attributed much of the heavy losses to farmers’ negligence of the cold and the ministry’s warnings. He recommended some measures to minimize the losses if the cold snap continues, such as sowing grain indoors and using short-term varieties of rice.

The record 30-day cold spell started on January 14. The previous longest cold spells lasted for 26 days in 1968 and 28 days in 1989.

Source: VNN