Life in the fog, at 5 degrees Celsius.

HA GIANG - Temperatures remained low all day, and dense fog forced residents of Quan Ba ​​border district to wrap themselves in blankets and buy extra warm clothing when going out.

Northern Vietnam is entering its sixth day of severe cold weather, with average daily temperatures dropping to 13 degrees Celsius or below.

At 10:00 AM on January 27th, in the center of Nghia Thuan commune, Quan Ba ​​district, located 1,080 meters above sea level, the temperature was approximately 9 degrees Celsius. Three hours earlier, it had been a chilly 5 degrees Celsius with 90% humidity. Heavy rain and dense fog severely restricted visibility; people could not see each other's faces even at a distance of about 2 meters.

Quan Ba ​​has an average altitude of 1,000-1,600 meters, with many areas experiencing dense fog, making travel difficult and affecting daily life. Locals say that this year the cold weather came late, with thick fog only appearing in December. The foggy weather lasts continuously for 3-4 months, with sunny days being rare during the winter.

Despite the biting cold, the people of Nghia Thuan still brave the rain to go to the weekly market – a market that shifts. If the market is on Saturday this week, it will be on Friday next week, and the week after that on Thursday. People bring agricultural products and livestock to sell, buy clothes and supplies for Tet (Lunar New Year), or purchase extra blankets and warm clothing to protect themselves from the cold.

Hieu sells blankets and mattresses around the Nghia Thuan, Tung Vai, and Quan Ba ​​markets. Each market day, he sells 4-5 items, priced at 150,000-200,000 VND each, double the amount he sold in previous years.

Mr. Lo Sao Chinh, along with his son and mother, went to the market to gradually buy food for Tet (Lunar New Year). With five children in the family, he bought an extra thick mattress because it's been "bitterly cold these past few days, making it hard to sleep, and we have to burn wood in the middle of the house all night."

The siblings Giang Ngoc Ha, 13, and Giang Ngoc Son, 8, were taken to the market by their mother to buy more warm clothes. Ms. Dang Thi Hanh set aside one million dong from her savings, brought three chickens to the market, and sold them for 560,000 dong, buying warm clothes for all four children. She plans to buy sweets and other Tet (Lunar New Year) supplies after the market closes.

Six-year-old Trang Thanh Thao Vy wrapped herself in a blanket to keep warm before accompanying her mother to the market to sell goods. Her mother, Nguyen Thi Nhan, said that this year's winter arrived late but was very cold and lasted a long time.

Mr. Ma Xin Sai walked from Na Cho Cai village down to the market with his two dogs, Minh and Gau. Both were very attached to their owner, often following him when he cut grass, went to the market, or worked in the fields.

Having sold all her Tet incense sticks, Ms. Dang Thi Phuong carried the tables and chairs on her back, put on a raincoat, and wrapped a scarf around her face to protect herself from the cold on her way home.

Lò Chẩn Dình looked up at the sky in frustration, complaining that his clothes hadn't dried in almost a week, and he didn't have a dryer. "No matter how I hang them to dry, they still smell musty," Dình said.

Mr. Vu Cu Lanh, residing in Moi village, inspects his cattle sheds ahead of the expected cold spell starting on January 29th. For the past week, he hasn't gone to the fields because of the biting cold and persistent rain making the slopes slippery. He and his wife only leave the house to cut grass for the cows and pick vegetables for the pigs – tasks they "cannot avoid doing." Having grown up in Quan Ba ​​for 43 years, Mr. Lanh finds the weather increasingly unpredictable; some years it hails before Tet, other years it's snowing, and some years it's just too cold.

With his grass reserves completely depleted, Mr. Ma Xin Sai herded his three cows up the hill to graze, taking advantage of the temperature rising by 2-3 degrees Celsius compared to two days earlier.

The National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting reports that 11 out of 25 provinces and cities still have temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius, mainly concentrated in the northern mountainous region. Today and tomorrow, the entire northern region will remain severely cold, turning into intensely cold on January 29th, with average daily temperatures dropping from 15 degrees Celsius to 13 degrees Celsius.

Giang Huy - Hong Chieu

Vnexpress.net

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