Residents in Ho Chi Minh City may have to celebrate Christmas amidst a downpour as high tides and scattered thunderstorms threaten to move in on the southern metropolis.

A cold spell is expected to push cool, dry air into the city on Christmas Eve, according to Le Dinh Quyet, an official from the hydro-meteorological station based in southern Vietnam.

Lows that day will be between 23 and 24 degrees Celsius, Quyet stated.

On Christmas Day, however, possible showers and thunderstorms with average wind speed of 19km per hour are anticipated to affect the southern region beginning in the evening and lasting through the night.

Water levels in the Saigon River are expected to push 1.5 meters due to high tides that same day, resulting in inundation in some low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, cold temperatures will blanket northern provinces this holiday, with averages ranging from 14 to 19 degrees Celsius, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported.

Lows in Hanoi will be 16 to 18 degrees Celsius.

In the central region, scattered showers are expected to put a damper on the holiday.

Temperatures are to move between 16 and 25 degrees Celsius in north-central provinces, 17 and 27 degrees Celsius in central localities, and 20 and 30 degrees Celsius in the south-central area.

In the Central Highlands, temperatures will fluctuate between 16 and 30 degrees Celsius.

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