By February 16 late, the cold air spread to the capital city of Hanoi and the entire Northwestern provinces of Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Son La along with an appearance of widespread dense fog and mist.
Especially, Sa Pa tourist area in Lao Cai Province and the Tam Dao tourist area in Vinh Phuc Province have recorded dense fog-covered landscapes.
Dense layers of fog dropped visibilities at many key traffic routes, especially National Highway No.6 heading to Son La Province from Hoa Binh Province.
Buses for tours and cars were unable to travel on dense fog-covered routes, resulting in localized traffic congestion.
In foggy conditions, some drivers traveling on the route from Moc Chau to Thai Nguyen had to temporarily stop their vehicles and wait for the fog to pass.
Some traffic collisions occurred due to slippery roads.
Dense layers of fog and drizzle covered many sections of the route from Ha Giang City to the Dong Van-Meo Vac Karst Plateau Geopark, the Hanoi - Lao Cai Expressway, making it slippery.
Authorities in both Lao Cai and Phu Tho provinces issued warnings for drivers to reduce speed and drive cautiously to prevent accidents.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, from February 17 to early next week, the foggy condition is expected to persist in the Northern provinces, especially in mountainous and coastal areas.
In the capital city of Hanoi, showers will continue, with chilling temperatures ranging from 15 degrees Celsius to 17 degrees Celsius.
