The Prime Minister directed Nghe An and other localities to proactively prevent and combat prolonged cold weather.

Telegrams sent to: Chairmen of the People's Committees of the following provinces and cities: Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Yen Bai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ha Nam, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue; Ministries: Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, Natural Resources and Environment, Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Information and Communications.

The telegram stated:

In recent days, strong cold air has affected the Northern, North Central and some Central Central provinces. Some places in the Northern mountainous provinces have experienced severe cold, while snow and ice have appeared in the high mountains, negatively affecting people's health, agricultural, forestry and fishery production and activities to prepare for the traditional New Year of the nation.

According to the forecast of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in the coming days, cold air may continue to strengthen, affecting the provinces of the North, North Central and some places in the Central Central; the North and North Central will have severe cold, the mountainous areas of the North will be severely cold; the Central Central will be cold. The lowest temperature in this cold air mass in the North and North Central is generally from 9-12 degrees, the mountainous areas of the North will be 6-8 degrees, the high mountainous areas in some places below 3 degrees with the possibility of frost and frost.

To proactively respond to severe cold, minimize damage to agricultural production, protect people's health and livelihoods, and ensure essential food sources to serve market demand during and after the Lunar New Year 2025, the Prime Minister requests:

1. Chairman of People's Committee of provinces and centrally-run cities:

a) Actively monitor the situation and weather forecast; propagate, mobilize, and disseminate to people safe and effective methods and skills to prevent and combat cold, paying special attention to preventing cold and other extreme weather events for the elderly, children and the disadvantaged... (do not use coal stoves to heat in closed rooms to avoid unfortunate incidents that cause human casualties); prevent and fight fires and explosions when heating. Provide timely medicine and medical examination and treatment, absolutely do not let people get sick from the cold without access to medical services and treatment during the Lunar New Year.

b) Focus on directing and synchronously implementing measures to prevent and combat hunger, cold, and diseases for crops, livestock, and aquatic products to minimize damage to production and business, especially agricultural production; absolutely do not be subjective or negligent. In the conditions of severe cold, frost, and frost, direct and guide farmers to take measures to protect spring rice fields from the cold, do not plant on cold days, when the temperature drops; do not graze, do not let buffaloes and cows plow when severe cold occurs, at the same time, mobilize people to proactively store and preserve roughage and concentrated feed for livestock, ensuring enough feed for livestock in the Winter - Spring crop.

c) Direct local authorities to closely monitor and regularly update weather developments and notify and guide people to proactively implement measures to prevent and combat cold weather, ensure people's health, and limit damage to agricultural production.

d) Proactively arrange local budgets, natural disaster prevention and control funds and local resources to promptly serve the work of preventing and fighting hunger, cold, and epidemics for livestock, aquatic products and crops; promptly support materials and funds for poor households, ethnic minority households, and policy families to reinforce and cover barns, seedling ponds, seedling gardens, especially spring seedlings, and purchase concentrated feed for grazing livestock, fertilizers, and biological products to increase cold resistance for crops.

d) Be responsible to the Prime Minister if there is a loss of human life and a large number of crops and livestock die due to subjectivity, negligence, and failure to fully and promptly implement measures to prevent and combat hunger, cold (especially severe cold), and epidemics for people, crops, and livestock in the area.

2. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development focuses on directing and closely monitoring weather developments, guiding localities to implement cold and disease prevention and control for livestock, poultry, aquatic products and crops; directing localities to develop and implement winter-spring crop production plans, and crop structures suitable to weather conditions.

3. The Ministry of Health shall coordinate with the media to disseminate knowledge, guide and advise people to take effective measures to prevent and combat the cold, ensure health safety, avoid the risk of gas poisoning when burning coal and firewood for heating in closed rooms; direct the grassroots medical force to ensure the necessary amount of medicine, organize medical examination and treatment for people, especially during the Lunar New Year.

4. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment directs close monitoring, forecasting, warning, and providing timely information on weather conditions, severe cold, and frost so that authorities and media agencies can convey to the people and proactively deploy effective response measures to severe cold, frost, and frost.

5. The Ministry of Information and Communications directs central and local press agencies to increase the frequency and duration of weather forecast bulletins; promote propaganda and dissemination of knowledge on hunger, cold, and disease prevention for livestock, aquatic products, and crops to authorities and people.

6. Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency, Government Electronic Information Portal and central and local news agencies and newspapers regularly update information on developments of severe cold and strong winds at sea on mass media so that people know and proactively take precautions.

7. Assign Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to directly direct relevant ministries, branches and localities to seriously implement this Official Dispatch.

8. The Government Office, according to its assigned functions and tasks, shall monitor and urge the implementation of this Official Dispatch; promptly report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in charge on any urgent or arising issues./.