Vietnam’s famous travel hotspot Sapa has been hit with cold weather, heavy raining and rising floods as of early Sunday morning when temperature fell down to 11.3 degree Celsius.

Cold weather and fog covers the travel hotspot Sapa

Surrounding districts Bac Ha and Bat Xat of the northwestern province Lao Cai have also been affected. Children and elderly people have almost locked themselves at home to prevent possible flu commonly resulting from the harsh weather.

At 9:00 local time Sunday, flood water was rising up 1.7m higher on Hong River at the Coc Leu Bridge in Lao Cai, peaking at 78.1m -- just 56cm lower than the highest-ever level measured in July last year in the river.

Clothes shops in Sapa have been in good business from the sudden change of weather but travel tours to villages have been halted.

The flood has also paused the constructions of Coc Leu Bridge and dikes along the two riverbanks in Bat Xat. Crops in the area have been badly affected.

According to the Hydrometeorology Center of Lao Cai, this is the late-coming flood rarely seen in the province in recent years and clearly the result of the climate change that affects not only the delta and plain but also mountainous localities.