A strong cold air mass is moving southward and will hit the northern provinces of Vietnam on the afternoon of Jan. 30, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

As a result, light rain and strong northeastern winds will cover the northern and central regions, the Gulf of Tonkin and the northern area of the East Sea, including Hoang Sa (Paracel) island.

Meanwhile, the capital city of Hanoi will see light rain and scattered fog, with temperatures from 12 - 16 degrees Celsius.

In the northern region, the lowest temperature will hover around 9-11 Celsius degrees and the highest will range from 16 to 19 degrees Celsius.

Heavy rain and winds will lower temperatures in the central region to between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius and to 21 - 24 degrees in the southern region./.