Entry of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state in human pathogen Vibrio cholerae O139, O1 Ogawa and V. parahaemolyticus O3:K6 serotypes under different medium at different temperatures were studied. The results revealed that V. parahaemolyticus survived well even in frozen condition for more than 110 days, whereas V. cholerae O139 and O1 Ogawa were able to survive only up to 17 and 4 days respectively at -20°C. The plate counts of V. cholerae O139 and O1 Ogawa from PBS declined from 108 to 104 CFU/ml in nutrient agar (NA) and thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose agar (TCBS). On the contrary, the VBNC state of V. parahaemolyticus was found to prolong at all the temperature except at -20°C where the cells were not culturable after 60 days of incubation. The VBNC cells were recovered by temperature up shift, but the recovery of VBNC cells was low when compared to the initial inoculum size. It was inferred through confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) observation that vibrios remain viable for longer periods by altering their morphology to coccoid forms under low temperature in VBNC state. The dormant state of human pathogens in cold natural environments and frozen foods pose indeed a greater threat to human health.