Snow covers Mount Fansipan as temperatures plunge

Four days before the New Year, Mount Fansipan in Sa Pa was blanketed under two centimeters of snow, which fell for the first time this winter.

At around 5 a.m. Wednesday, it began to snow on the 3,143-meter mountain.

Fansipan is famous for its trekking tours, and its peak houses a complex of Buddhist pagodas and temples.

The temperature this morning in Sa Pa was measured at zero degrees Celsius and it has sometimes plunged to minus 5 degrees.

Luu Minh Hai, former director of the Lao Cai Provincial Hydro-meteorological Station, said snowfall would continue for the next few days.

A thick layer of snow on a flagpole platform at the top of Fansipan.

A path from a temple to the top of the mountain is covered with snow and visibility is limited.

A bronze Buddha statue at the top on Mount Fansipan that appears magical amid the snow.

Installed in 2015, the statue is 21.5 meters tall and its pedestal is decorated with a dragon and flowers.

Mai Quang Thien, an employee of Sun World Fansipan Legend tourist complex, said: "Snow fell from early morning to 8:40 a.m. There is light rain on Fansipan and the snow is starting to melt."

Snow blankets Kim Son Bao Thang Tu Temple situated at an altitude of 3,100 m and five minutes on foot to the top of Fansipan.

Plants on Fansipan are covered by a thick layer of ice.