Residents in Saigon were taken by surprise early on Tuesday morning as sudden rain lashed the southern metropolis, throwing life out of gear for a brief period.
Commuters, who were caught unaware of the sudden change in weather condition, had difficult reaching their destinations, while some arrived at their workplace soaked. Tuoi Tre Newspaper reports.
The heavy downpour for half an hour did not leave any part of the city flooded, but resulted in heavy traffic in some areas.
Cloudy weather was observed in several parts in Ho Chi Minh City early in the morning, before it started to rain.
The sudden heavy rain in District 2 caused a slight congestion on the Hanoi Highway section near the Saigon Bridge, as people rushing to work and parents taking their children to school failed to seek shelter.
The rain lasted from 7:30 am to 8:00 am, when it became sunny again.
“The sudden rain in Ho Chi Minh City was the result of an enhanced cold front that also brought about downpours in central Vietnam and temperature drops in the north” said an Official of the Southern Weather Forecast Station.
The rainfall recorded on Tuesday morning was only 40-50mm, he said, adding that it was an unusual rain as southern Vietnam entered the dry season in late November.
According to the Southern Weather Forecast Station, similar unexpected rains were also reported in other southern provinces including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An and Ba Ria-Vung Tau on Tuesday morning.
The station warned that these localities will brace more thunderstorms and strong winds through the rest of the day.
Provinces and cities in central Vietnam from Nghe An to Phu Yen will continue to suffer rains and heavy downpours on Tuesday, whereas provinces along the central coast from Quang Binh to Quang Ngai will see extremely heavy rains with a rainfall of up to 200mm.
Temperatures will remain low in northern Vietnam, with rain and mecury as low as 12 degrees Celcius forecast for Hanoi.