Weather in Vietnam

When is the best time to travel to Vietnam for weather? The travel industry often says "there's no good or bad time to go, when one place is wet another is sunny..." Not much help — as a traveler you're likely to be interested in visiting several parts of the country and not just one area, and some places like Sapa can be freezing during the winter months while typhoons can occur in others. Overall, the best time to go is December through May or even June when rainfall is minimal and there are warmer but not extreme temperatures.

In general, don't be dissuaded by this possibility of this rain outside the monsoon season (or in the monsoon season), unless your set on having beach time — the light drizzle will not interfere much with sightseeing and places such as Hue and Hanoi often have overcast weather with light rain (see photo of our bikers going for it!). Absolutely need your Vietnam trip to be a sunny one? Then May through mid-July is a good window. If you're planning a September or October trip during monsoon season, rain typically arrives in the afternoon but the weather is warm and comfortable averaging nearly 80 degrees. Monsoon rains also typically only come every other day, leaving bright sun in between. One BIG caveat: seasonal typhoons and annual flooding occur in September and October on Vietnam's central coast! In 2011, for example, in early and mid-October there was severe flooding throught out the region, including the temples of Angkor and Bangkok.

Only a little drizzle — let's ride!

Like much of Southeast Asia, Vietnam weather is tropical weather with a monsoon season which means while there are relatively slight variations in temperature, depending on the season and the altitude, the primary seasonal changes in Vietnamese weather are marked by variations in rainfall. Vietnam is typically humid and warm, although the weather can vary significantly from one area to another due to the long length of the country which encompasses several weather zones.

Note for Sapa and travelers by region: Weather in Vietnam can be affected by variance in altitudes. For example, in late 1999 there was snow in Vietnam (in Sapa, located at over 4,000 feet) while it was nearly ninety degrees in sweltering Saigon. Flooding is common in the central coast region around Hue and Hoi An and Vietnam had back-to-back years of devastating flooding in this region during 2000 and 2001, and 2010 — travel companies may list tours for the rainy period, but plan your trip dates carefully or your trip may be a washout. Though the weather overall is good, the weather may also fluctuate during the tourist season (December through March), when cold spells and/or unexpected rain may pass through. In 2008, the north and central Vietnam experienced it's coldest weather in over 40 years, and the usual sunny skies on the central coast gave way to consistent rain and very chilly weather all the way to Nha Trang.

Vietnam Weather Cheat Sheet

IN GENERAL VIETNAM IS...
* South = Always warm
* North typically cool, warm by March
* Central Coast = mixed bag
* Weather often fluctuates Nov to March

REGIONAL WEATHER TRENDS

December to early March: Cool + Rain in North
Mid-March to June: Sunshine!
July: Getting hot, rains beginning
Sept and October Monsoons, wet but warm

BEWARE
* Sept and October: Typhoons possible!
* November: Hue and Hoi An floods possible
* Sapa freezing in Winter

Temperature remains almost constant in Saigon, rain or shine, while in Hanoi there is a marked cooler season from the chilled winds blowing down from China, from November through March and warmer period during the summer ("cooler" is relative, you will not likely need a jacket aside from Hanoi and Halong Bay). See our Vietnam Weather charts below, showing the levels of rain and temperature for north, south, and central Vietnam by month of the year.

Since flooding is common and even a biannual typhoon a possibility, a most important decision for traveling in Vietnam is to avoiding the monsoon season in late July and August. If the typhoon season lasts longer, possibly through November, the most severe storms will occur along the central coast WITH FLOODING in Hue and Hoi An. Typhoons in this region frequently lead to serious crop damage and loss of life (Image: Typhoon Xangsae).

Below are some charts to help you further gauge when to travel. Our scheduled tours are limited to the drier weather period of the year: December through June (although we do arrange custom tours year-round in areas an times that may be dry, the Mekong Delta for example which has year-around warm weather). During December, the weather north of Danang (and the Hai Van Pass) can be cool and rainy. January through March are good months to travel the length of Vietnam (combined with humidity, it is not as cool as the chart below reflects) but can have cold spells and chilly rain. Late March through June are ideal for sunshine throughout the country and has begun Sapa to thaw around the first week of March.

Specifically for Sapa, September through November and March through May are the best weather periods for trekking and bicycling in the Sapa area. Daytime temperatures range from 15-28 C, and night-time temperatures from 18 down to 10 Celsius. Trekking and cycling are possible at other times too, but in the wintertime the weather at over 4,000 feet (1,600m) can be bitterly cold (in the 30s Fahrenheit) with fog and drizzle, and the summer can be rather wet (please ask about our Mai Chau trips southwest of Hanoi if your trip is during these cooler months).

December travel? The rainy weather has already tapered, but the temperatures can be cooler and drizzle persists in Hue. Here are some historic weather records for Vietnam during the first week of December (in Fahrenheit):

December 1-7, 2008
Hanoi: Days with rain 0 out of 7, mean temperature 64.2
Hue: Days with rain 4 out of 7, total rain 19.6cm , mean temperature 67.6
Hoi An: Days with rain 3/7 , total rain 3.3, mean temperature 70.5

December 1-7, 2009
Hanoi: Days with rain 0 out of 7, mean temperature 67.2
Hue: Days with rain 2/7, total rain 2.8cm, mean temperature 70.6
Hoi An: Days with rain 1/7, total rain 1.7, mean temperature 73.4

December 1-7, 2010
Hanoi: Days with rain 0 out of 7, mean temperature 66.2
Hue: Days with rain 2/7, total rain 1.1cm, mean temperature 72.3
Hoi An: Days with rain 0/7, total rain 0, mean temperature 72.3

Where's the data?

A periodic typhoon or storm can lead to misleading numbers. For example, one storm in March 2009 lead to almost all rain for the month falling on one day. This is very typical in Vietnam! You may have week of sunshine, then torrential downpour for one or two days. To provide a more detailed look, here is actual historical weatehr data for Hanoi weather patterns for 2008, 2009, 2010:

Hanoi Vietnam Historical Weather for 2008, 2009, 2010
2008	avg temp c	total rain mm	avg temp f	total rain in.	Hanoi days with rain*
Jan	15	26.9	59.0	1.1	2
Feb	13.8	13.7	56.8	0.5	1
Mar	21.4	20.3	70.5	0.8	2
Apr	24.5	121.1	76.1	4.8	3
May	27.2	183.8	81.0	7.2	6
Jun	28.3	212.3	82.9	8.4	9
Jul	29	422.7	84.2	16.6	12
Aug	28.8	278.63	83.8	11.0	10
Sep	28.1	198.8	82.6	7.8	8
Oct	26.5	468.6	79.7	18.4	6
Nov	21	259	69.8	10.2	6
Dec	17.9	11.4	64.2	0.4	1
					* > 5mm
2009
Jan	15.7	4.8	60.3	0.2	0
Feb	22.3	8.1	72.1	0.3	0
Mar	20.8	48.2	69.4	1.9	1
Apr	24.6	73.6	76.3	2.9	4
May	26.9	228.6	80.4	9.0	8
Jun	29.8	241.8	85.6	9.5	10
Jul	29.3	410.46	84.7	16.2	12
Aug	29.8	152.39	85.6	6.0	7
Sep	29	155.2	84.2	6.1	6
Oct	26.4	78.2	79.5	3.1	4
Nov	21.5	1.2	70.7	0.0	0
Dec	19.6	3.5	67.3	0.1	0
					* > 5mm
2010
Jan	18	80.25	64.4	3.2	4
Feb	20.7	7.87	69.3	0.3	1
Mar	21.7	4.82	71.1	0.2	2
Apr	23.2	55.63	73.8	2.2	11
May	28.3	107.7	82.9	4.2	7
Jun	30.1	175.5	86.2	6.9	7
Jul	30.2	280.4	86.4	11.0	10
Aug	28.1	274.5	82.6	10.8	13
Sep	28.3	153.4	82.9	6.0	7
Oct	25.3	24.6	77.5	1.0	1
Nov	21.5	0.5	70.7	0.0	0
Dec	19	11.9	66.2	0.5	1
					* > 5mm

Global warming strikes Vietnam? Update 2011: December through mid-March had unpredictable swings in temperatures and rain in the north and the central coast (with record cold spells).

Note: During some months below, the Vietnam weather charts below may look like heavy rainfall, but in some places such as Hue or Hanoi, this does not inhibit on and off-bike sightseeing.

Vietnam Weather Chart Vietnam Overall Rainfall Precipitation

When to go

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

NORTH

Hanoi

Halong Bay

Sapa

CENTRAL

Hue

Danang

SOUTH

Nha Trang

Saigon

Can Tho

Phu Quoc

Vietnam Weather Data 2010 (Number of Days with Rain by Month) RED = Torrential Rains
When to go	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
NORTH
Hanoi	7	2	2	12	7	7	10	14	9	5	0	4
CENTRAL
Hue	11	5	7	2	4	9	11	16	9	21	19	10
Danang	7	0	2	1	2	7	6	11	11	19	18	5
SOUTH
Nha Trang	5	0	3	4	2	1	4	5	7	12	13	6
Saigon	2	0	2	1	2	10	13	13	9	13	14	4
Phu Quoc	2	0	4	4	10	13	12	12	11	16	12	4
This chart is for 2010 only, some areas like Hue had heavy rain in 2010 but droughts in 2008 and 2009

Place	Rainy Season	Dry Season	Annual Rainfall (inches)	High Temp	Low Temp	Humidity (%)
Hanoi	May-Oct	Nov-Apr	66	June: 91	Jan: 57	83
Halong Bay	July-Aug	Nov-Apr	79	July: 89	Jan: 56	82
Dien Bien Phu	Apr-Sep	Oct-Mar	62	May: 90	Jan: 52	84
Sapa	Mar-Nov	Dec-Feb	109	August: 74	Jan: 43	87
Hue	Jul-Jan	Feb-Jun	114	August: 94	Jan: 63	88
Danang	Jul-Jan	Feb-Jun	78	June: 94	Jan: 66	83
Qui Nhon	Sep-Dec	Jan-Aug	65	August: 94	Jan: 69	81
Pleiku	May-Oct	Nov-Apr	106	April: 87	Jan: 57	85
Dalat	Apr-Nov	Dec-Mar	72	April: 80	Feb: 50	84
Nha Trang	Sep-Dec	Jan-Aug	45	August: 92	Jan: 69	82
Saigon	May-Oct	Nov-Apr	78	April: 95	Jan: 70	82
Can Tho	May-Oct	Nov-Apr	61	April: 93	Jan: 71	82
Phu Quoc	June-July	Nov-May	113	June: 93	Jan: 67	81
Click on city for current weather in Vietnam, by city