Hospitals in Hanoi are admitting more children and elderly patients as cold weather triggers a wave of pneumonia.

Patient at Bach Mai Hospital

Dao Minh Tuan, of the National Pediatrics Hospital's Faculty of Respiratory Medicine, said all 100 beds were occupied. Most of the children admitted for pneumonia were under five years old.

Some 1,500 children were coming for check-ups and 180 children admitted each day, an increase of 20 percent and 30 percent respectively.

Tran Viet Luc, of the National Geriatric Hospital, said more elderly patients were being admitted during the cold weather.

Hanoi's Bach Mai Hospital has also seen a rise in elderly admissions for heart disease, high blood pressure and obstructive lung disease.

Bach Mai's Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung said the sudden drop in temperature, along with rain, created favourable conditions for viruses.

It is forecast that cold weather will continue until at least January 27, with international forecasts suggesting the cold front, sweeping down from Siberia and northern China, may persist into Tet.