diff -urNp -x '*.orig' php-5.5.38.org/ext/mysql/php_mysql.c php-5.5.38/ext/mysql/php_mysql.c
--- php-5.5.38.org/ext/mysql/php_mysql.c	2016-07-20 10:41:48.000000000 +0200
+++ php-5.5.38/ext/mysql/php_mysql.c	2021-08-23 23:02:58.883278756 +0200
@@ -506,6 +506,7 @@ PHP_INI_BEGIN()
 	STD_PHP_INI_ENTRY("mysql.default_socket",		NULL,	PHP_INI_ALL,		OnUpdateStringUnempty,	default_socket,	zend_mysql_globals,		mysql_globals)
 #endif
 	STD_PHP_INI_ENTRY("mysql.connect_timeout",		"60",	PHP_INI_ALL,		OnUpdateLong,		connect_timeout, 	zend_mysql_globals,		mysql_globals)
+	STD_PHP_INI_ENTRY("mysql.connect_charset",		NULL,	PHP_INI_ALL,		OnUpdateString,		connect_charset,	zend_mysql_globals,		mysql_globals)
 	STD_PHP_INI_BOOLEAN("mysql.trace_mode",			"0",	PHP_INI_ALL,		OnUpdateLong,		trace_mode, 		zend_mysql_globals,		mysql_globals)
 	STD_PHP_INI_BOOLEAN("mysql.allow_local_infile",	"1",	PHP_INI_SYSTEM,		OnUpdateLong,		allow_local_infile, zend_mysql_globals,		mysql_globals)
 PHP_INI_END()
@@ -523,6 +524,7 @@ static PHP_GINIT_FUNCTION(mysql)
 	mysql_globals->connect_errno = 0;
 	mysql_globals->connect_error = NULL;
 	mysql_globals->connect_timeout = 0;
+	mysql_globals->connect_charset = NULL;
 	mysql_globals->trace_mode = 0;
 	mysql_globals->allow_local_infile = 1;
 	mysql_globals->result_allocated = 0;
@@ -721,6 +723,7 @@ static void php_mysql_do_connect(INTERNA
 {
 	char *user=NULL, *passwd=NULL, *host_and_port=NULL, *socket=NULL, *tmp=NULL, *host=NULL;
 	int  user_len = 0, passwd_len = 0, host_len = 0;
+	char *connect_charset=NULL;
 	char *hashed_details=NULL;
 	int hashed_details_length, port = MYSQL_PORT;
 	long client_flags = 0;
@@ -744,6 +747,7 @@ static void php_mysql_do_connect(INTERNA
 #endif
 
 	connect_timeout = MySG(connect_timeout);
+	connect_charset = MySG(connect_charset);
 
 	socket = MySG(default_socket);
 
@@ -883,6 +887,10 @@ static void php_mysql_do_connect(INTERNA
 			if (connect_timeout != -1) {
 				mysql_options(mysql->conn, MYSQL_OPT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT, (const char *)&connect_timeout);
 			}
+
+			if (connect_charset != NULL)
+				mysql_options(mysql->conn, MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_NAME, connect_charset);
+
 #ifndef MYSQL_USE_MYSQLND
 			if (mysql_real_connect(mysql->conn, host, user, passwd, NULL, port, socket, client_flags)==NULL)
 #else
@@ -931,6 +939,8 @@ static void php_mysql_do_connect(INTERNA
 #endif
 			if (mysql_ping(mysql->conn)) {
 				if (mysql_errno(mysql->conn) == 2006) {
+					if (connect_charset != NULL)
+						mysql_options(mysql->conn, MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_NAME, connect_charset);
 #ifndef MYSQL_USE_MYSQLND
 					if (mysql_real_connect(mysql->conn, host, user, passwd, NULL, port, socket, client_flags)==NULL)
 #else
@@ -1010,6 +1020,9 @@ static void php_mysql_do_connect(INTERNA
 			mysql_options(mysql->conn, MYSQL_OPT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT, (const char *)&connect_timeout);
 		}
 
+		if (connect_charset != NULL)
+			mysql_options(mysql->conn, MYSQL_SET_CHARSET_NAME, connect_charset);
+
 #ifndef MYSQL_USE_MYSQLND
 		if (mysql_real_connect(mysql->conn, host, user, passwd, NULL, port, socket, client_flags)==NULL)
 #else
diff -urNp -x '*.orig' php-5.5.38.org/ext/mysql/php_mysql_structs.h php-5.5.38/ext/mysql/php_mysql_structs.h
--- php-5.5.38.org/ext/mysql/php_mysql_structs.h	2016-07-20 10:41:48.000000000 +0200
+++ php-5.5.38/ext/mysql/php_mysql_structs.h	2021-08-23 23:02:58.883278756 +0200
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ ZEND_BEGIN_MODULE_GLOBALS(mysql)
 	long default_port;
 	char *default_host, *default_user, *default_password;
 	char *default_socket;
+	char *connect_charset;
 	char *connect_error;
 	long connect_errno;
 	long connect_timeout;