On the hillsides, the leaves are bent, "framed" in transparent ice patches, stacked on top of each other.
Along the trails leading to the top of the mountain, the familiar steel mesh fences are now completely covered in ice. Each mesh is thickly frozen, arranged evenly, stretching along the slope.
From early morning, convoys of motorbikes and cars followed each other along the mountain passes leading to the top of Mau Son.
On social networks, images of white snow cover quickly spread, pulling a wave of young people from Lang Son and neighboring provinces to invite each other to "go back to the mountains to hunt for ice".
In the bone-chilling cold, many young people wear thick life jackets, scarves covering their faces, holding phones and cameras to record rare moments when the remote border region wears white snow and ice.
Some groups park their cars on the side of the road, posing next to thick ice fences; some people touch the transparent ice for the first time, both excited and trembling because of the cold.
Hearing the news that Mau Son had snow and ice, we went up immediately. The road up was slippery and thick fog, but the scene of ice covering forest trees has been around for quite a while," Mr. Vi Van Huan (Binh Gia commune, Lang Son) shared while taking pictures on the white hillside.
The appearance of a large number of young tourists makes the mountain peak, which is usually quiet in winter, more bustling.
However, functional forces and local people also continuously remind tourists to move slowly, keep a safe distance, and avoid gathering on slippery roads with thick fog - where even a little carelessness can be dangerous.
According to records, by late afternoon of the same day, the ice cover on Mau Son peak was still quite thick and is expected to continue.
The ice and snow appearing on the top of Mau Son is the consequence of a strong cold air wave coming down, causing the temperature to drop deeply, high humidity combined with thick fog.
In this condition, water vapor quickly freezes when clinging to trees and objects, creating a rare thick ice layer.
For local people, snow and ice bring many worries about crops, animal husbandry and travel.
But for many tourists, especially young people, the moment Mau Son is white with snow and ice is a special, unforgettable experience when the border region winter fully shows off its beauty that is both harsh and captivating.
Faced with adverse weather developments, the Steering Committee for Civil Defense of Lang Son province also requested the Chairman of the People's Committee and Heads of the Steering Committees for Civil Defense of wards and communes to continue to strictly implement directives on responding to severe cold and frost, closely monitor weather forecasts and warnings to promptly inform people and guide appropriate preventive measures.
Localities need to review and complete response plans, in which special attention should be paid to ensuring health for people and students.
