Uh, about 58F (14C). OK, OK, stop laughing. Stop. Or I'll laugh next summer when you complain that 90F (32C) and 70% humidity is "sweltering." Ha!
Not only does it feel cold, with the temperature inside the house the same as outside, it's taking a serious toll on this subtropical area that's not geared for a 34-day (and counting) cold spell. And it's way worse in the economically poor mountainous areas, as this picture from the newspaper shows. It was taken in Lao Cai province last week when the winter fog froze to trees and road signs.How cold is it?
- 50% of the rice crop in the north, and almost as much in the central part of the country has been killed by the cold. It dies when it gets below 15C.
- Over 55,000 cattle have died - mostly calves and young buffaloes in the mountainous provinces.
- A two-year old boy died of hypothermia after riding the family motorbike from Phu Tho to Hai Phong with his parents. He is one of hundreds of the children and elderly who have died because of the cold. http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01MIS130208
The Vietnamese government is planning to come through with financial aid for some of these hard-hit families, but this year ahead will be a hard one for many. What makes these losses worse is that 10% of the Mekong (southern) rice crop has been lost to grasshoppers and disease. Inflation in January drove food prices up another 22%. Pork and beef prices are at U.S. levels or higher. In southern markets, wild tree leaves are being sold because of rising prices and poor vegetable crops. http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2008/02/769425/So keep VN - and us - in your thoughts. Maybe this will have the positive result of helping us all realize that we're not as self-sufficient as we might think.
