A cold front was heading toward northern Vietnam on Monday and will likely sweep through the entire region by Wednesday morning, according to the national weather center.

It could turn bitterly colder in the northern region, as well as in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An Provinces in north-central Vietnam, with temperatures falling to between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius from this midweek.

Meanwhile, some northern mountainous areas may see temperatures drop sharply to below 10 degrees Celsius, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

From early Wednesday morning, the Gulf of Tonkin is expected to experience stronger northeast gusty winds, waves reaching 2.5 meters in height, and rough seas.

The southwestern waters of the East Vietnam Sea, including the western part of Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, is forecast to witness increasing northeast winds, rough seas, and high waves of up to 3.5 meters.

To brace for strong winds at sea, the national steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control on Monday asked authorities in the coastal localities from northern Quang Ninh Province to southern Kien Giang Province to inform captains and vessel owners of the bad weather conditions, so they could timely arrange their business plans and take precautionary measures.

The local authorities were also told to stay ready for possible rescue operations.

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