Authorities refute ‘it’s snowing in Da Lat’ rumors
Wednesday, December 20, 2017, 15:02 GMT+7
Rumors spreading on social media that it was snowing in Da Lat are groundless and the person responsible for the false information will be penalized, local authorities said Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, a Facebook profile named H.H. uploaded two videos and some photos, claiming to capture snow falling in Da Lat, the capital of Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.
“So it was snowing for the first time in Da Lat and I am freezing now having failed to take warm clothes with me to work,” the caption in Vietnamese reads.
The post immediately went viral on Facebook, particularly reposted by tourism-themed Facebook Pages, duping many into believing that it was really snowy in Da Lat.
Some even planned to book a trip to the Central Highlands city to enjoy the rare weather condition in tropical Vietnam.
The fake video of 'snowy Da Lat'
However, the Lam Dong Department of Information and Communications asserted on Wednesday morning that any information that it was snowing in Da Lat is groundless.
The department will send its inspectors to look into the rumor mill and handle any individual or organization that spread the false information, according to Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.
The ‘snow’ as seen in the videos and photos are in fact artificial foam.
It is against the Vietnamese law to share false and inaccurate information on the Internet, according to lawyer Tran Duy Hung, from the Hanoi Bar Association.
The offense may be subject to civil fines between VND10 million (US$440) and VND20 million ($880), or even criminally charged.
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| The post has attracted numerous shares and likes from local Facebook users. |
Provinces and cities across Vietnam are in fact experiencing the coldest period of the year, with temperatures in the nothern region dropping to eight degrees Celsius, and below five degrees in mountainous areas.
As of Wedneday afternoon, tempetarure in Da Lat was round 15 degrees Celsius, which is impossible for a snow fall to happen.
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