Ha Van Tien, Director of Lang Son Province’s Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Center, said this is the lowest temperature in Mau Son so far. The record low temperature was recorded in early 1973, at -3 degrees Celsius.

Frost has covered an area of around 5km down from Mau Son peak. Mau Son lost power for two days but tourists are flocking to the mounts to take picture.

In Sapa, Lao Cai province, a favorite destination in northern Vietnam, the temperature on January 12 was 0 degrees Celsius, one degree Celsius lower than January 11.

Other mountainous areas also reported record low temperatures on January 12.

However, the northern delta was warmer. The temperature in Hanoi was 9 degrees Celsius in the morning but kindergartens and primary schools still closed.

In some central provinces, the temperature reduced by 1-2 degrees Celsius.

Prolonged icy weather has seen large numbers of people hospitalized and killed hundreds of buffalo and cows through exposure in northern mountain provinces.

The Hanoi-based National Hospital of Pediatrics reported it had seen between 1,300-1,500 children daily, most of them suffering from respiratory infections, bronchitis and diarrhea caused by viruses.

The hospital's respiratory ward has admitted more than 150 children although it has only 50 beds. A similar situation was replicated at the respiratory ward of Saint Paul Hospital in Hanoi. Most of the patients came from the provinces of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc and Yen Bai.

An increasing number of adult patients have also visited hospitals to receive treatment for high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, respiratory disorders, asthma and rheumatism.

The National Geriatric Hospital has admitted more than 150 patients daily.

Doctor Nguyen Van Long said icy weather exacerbated existing chronic diseases, especially for those people suffering from high blood pressure.

Weather forecasters said that the cold spell will last until January 21. This is the third cold spell in northern Vietnam so far this year.

The cold weather started on January 3. Two more cold snaps have been forecast to hit the north on January 14-15 and 17-18 with the lowest temperatures dropping to between 5-8 degrees Celsius

Meteorologists said the cold weather was expected to cause rains in the east of the northern region and north-central coastal provinces and last for at least the next 10 days.

They said this cold spell would be the second longest following the historic cold snap of 2008, which lasted 38 days.

To cope with the cold weather, the Health Ministry has asked hospitals and health departments ensure that patients are kept sufficiently warm when they are admitted to hospital.

The ministry also requested hospitals to prepare enough medicine, beds and first aid facilities to treat emergency cases.

It warned of Co2 gas poisoning and fire-related accidents as many people tended to keep warm by bringing coal braziers and firewood into their houses.

At the same time, over 400 buffalo and cows in northern provinces have frozen to death due to the cold weather, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has asked the People's Committees of localities in the northern and north-central regions to promptly take measures to keep livestock warm and to encourage local farmers to clean and improve breeding facilities as well as plant grass and store food.

They were also instructed to provide financial aid to local, especially poor, farmers to help them protect their livestock and prepare funds to support farmers in case more losses were incurred.