In Vietnam the climate is tropical in the north, and subtropical in the centre and south, and is influenced by the monsoons: the south-west monsoon affects the country from May to October, and the northeast monsoon from October to April. The former brings heavy rains in exposed areas, therefore the north and the south, while along the central part, protected by the mountains, it brings relatively little rain and leaves often space to the sun. The north-east monsoon is generally drier, but it brings heavy rains in the early months (October-December) along the coast exposed to the east, and light but frequent rains in the north.
In inland areas, there are hills and mountains, which make the climate milder in the summer months, but even cold in winter in the north.
The rainfall amount is normally between 1,500 and 2,500 millimetres (60 and 98 inches) per year, while there's a relatively small arid zone in the Phan Thiet area (north-east of Ho Chi Minh City), where it's slightly above 1,000 mm (40 in).

Index

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• The north - Hanoi, Haiphong
• The centre - Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang
• Interior - Pleiku
• The south- Ho Chi Minh
• Typhoons
• When to go
• What to pack

The north

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In the north of Vietnam, in winter the climate is unusually cool for the latitude: we are just south of the Tropic of Cancer, yet the average temperature in January is below 20 °C (68 °F): in Hanoi the average is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F), in Vinh it's 19 °C (64 °F), while it drops to around 14 °C (57 °F) in the northernmost areas of Tonkin, where at night the temperature can approach freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) between December and February (and sometimes in early March).
Here are the average temperatures of Cao Bang, located in the north-east, a short distance from the border with China.

Hanoi

The capital Hanoi is a little further to the south and about 90 km (55 mi) from the sea. Winter averages are a little higher, however, even here sometimes there can be very cool periods, with lows around 7/8 °C (45/46 °F), and highs around 15 °C (59 °F); more rarely, for a few days it can even be cold, with highs around 10 °C (50 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Although the winter monsoon is originally dry, because it comes from the Asian continent, the clash with the mild and moist air of the Gulf of Tonkin generates a compact cloudiness, and light but frequent rains. Therefore, during winter there is little sunshine in Hanoi, and although the temperature in itself would be spring-like, a stay is not so pleasant. Here are the sunshine hours per day in Hanoi: as you can see, it is a dull city, because even in summer the sun does not shine very often, due to the summer monsoon. There are about 1,450 hours of sunshine per year.

In spring, in northern Vietnam the temperature gradually rises, and the sun comes out every so often in April, but then from May to October it's the rainy season, and the weather becomes hot and humid, with downpours in the afternoon or evening. In Hanoi, the wettest months are July and August, with about 300 mm (12 in) of rain per month. The maximum temperature is around 33 °C (91 °F), but the humidity makes the heat annoying, and sometimes it can even reach 37/38 °C (99/100 °F), with peaks of 39/40 °C (102/104 °F) in May and June.
In October and November, when the monsoon withdraws, there is another period which is quite pleasant, before the return of the cool and dull weather in December.
Here is the average precipitation in Hanoi.

In mountainous areas, the winter is quite cold: at 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) of altitude, the average temperature in January is around 8 °C (46.5 °F). The highest peak is Fansipan (or Phan Xi Pang), 3,143 metres (10,311 feet) high, which is covered with snow in winter.
Here are the average temperatures of Sa Pa, located at 1,500 metres (5,000 feet), in the Hoàng Liên National Park, and at the base of the Fansipan. On the top of Fansipan the temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit) less than at Sa Pa.

Haiphong

In the northernmost part of the coast, near Hanoi (see Haiphong), the sea is a bit cool from January to March, while it is very warm in the summer months. Anyway, in winter the cool and cloudy weather conditions which prevail in this season are not usually the best for swimming.

So the best time to visit North Vietnam and the capital Hanoi is spring, and in particular the month of April, along with autumn, between October and November, which, however, still presents the risk of typhoons (see below).

The Centre

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Along the coast of central Vietnam, the winter is warmer: the average temperature in January ranges from 20 °C (68 °F) in Hue, to 24 °C (75 °F) in Nha Trang. In addition, in the central part the summer monsoon has little effects, so that less than 100 mm (4 in) of rain per month fall until August, and the amount of sunshine remains acceptable. Here the rainy season is late, and runs from September to December, but also in January in the northern part (from Ha Tinh to Da Nang), with a maximum in October and November, when the rains can be torrential. These intense rains at the end of the year are due to the retreating monsoon, which particularly affects the part of the coast exposed to the north-east: in Hue, 500 mm (20 in) of rain fall in September, 900 mm (35 in) in October, 680 mm (26.5 in) in November, 350 mm (14 in) in December, and still 145 mm (5.5 in) in January.

Da Nang

Here are the average temperatures in Da Nang.

In Da Nang it rains less than in Hue, but the rains are still abundant from September to December. Here is the average precipitation.

In the central part of Vietnam the sun shines more often than in the north and in Hanoi, both in winter (even though it does not go beyond 4/5 hours per day), and in summer, when it shines for a good number of hours (especially from May to July).

In the central part of Vietnam, the sea is warm enough for swimming all year round, although it drops to 23 °C (73 °F) in February at Hue, and to 24 °C (75 °F) from January to March at Da Nang, while it never drops below 26 °C (79 °F) at Nha Trang.

Continuing south, the rainfall pattern remains more or less the same at Quang Ngai and Duc Pho, while further south precipitation drops below 2,000 mm (80 in) per year. In addition, winter temperatures gradually increase, and the likelihood of cold air coming from the north decreases.

Qui Nhon

Here are the average temperatures of Qui Nhon.

At Qui Nhon, 1.650 mm (65 in) of rain per year fall, and the only very rainy period goes from September to November.
Here is the average precipitation of Qui Nhon.

In Qui Nhonm the sun shines often from March to July.

Continuing further south, the winter temperatures become even higher, so that in fact it is warm even in this season.

Nha Trang

Here are the average temperatures of Nha Trang.

In this area, where the coast begins to be exposed to the south-east, precipitation drops below 1,500 mm (60 in) per year. Here is the average precipitation in Nha Trang.

In Nha Trang the sun often shines for a long period, from February to August, and for a total of 2,500 hours a year.

To the south of this area, in the Binh Thuan province, the rains become even less abundant: in Phan Thiet just 1,150 mm (45 in) of rain per year fall, which are not very few, but they are concentrated in a few months, while for a long period it rains little, so the landscape becomes semi-arid, and in the Mui Ne area even sand dunes are found.



The best time to visit this area of Vietnam, runs from February to March in the northern part, and from January to March in the southern part. April is still a dry month, but it begins to be hot, even though sea breezes blow along the coast. From May to August, the air is hot and humid, but the rains are not abundant and the sun often shines, so the situation is better than in the rest of Vietnam.

Inland areas

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In the interior of central Vietnam, the presence of mountains makes the climate milder, in fact there are many cities located between 400 and 1,000 metres (1,300 and 3,300 feet) above sea level, which have nice and sunny winters, while summers are a bit less sultry than in the plains.

Pleiku

Here are the average temperatures of Pleiku, located at 750 metres (2,450 ft) above sea level.

Here the monsoon rains occur in the canonical period, from May to November, with a maximum between August and October. Winter is dry, therefore you can visit this area from December to March, or even April at higher altitudes, where the heat is less intense.
Here is the average precipitation.

The south

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In the southern part of the country, and in the southern islands (Con Dao, Phu Quoc), the climate is hot all year round, while the rainy period returns to be, as in the north, the summer. Between November and mid-February, the maximum temperatures are around 30/32 °C (86/90 °F), then in mid-February the temperatures starts to rise, so that between March and May they reach the highest level of the year: 33/35 °C (91/95 °F) on average, but with peaks of 40 °C (104 °F), before the arrival of the monsoon. During the period of the summer monsoon, the heat is quite muggy.

Ho Chi Minh

Here are the average temperatures of Ho Chi Minh City, near the Mekong Delta.

In Ho Chi Minh the rains are abundant from May to mid-November, with a maximum in September, and they amount to about 1,900 mm (76 in) per year. Here is the average precipitation.

In Ho Chi Minh the amount of sunshine is good in the dry period, from December to April.

In southern Vietnam, the sea is warm all year round.

In southern Vietnam, the best time is from December to mid-February; March and April are still dry months, but they are uncomfortably hot; however, sea breezes blow along the coasts and in the islands.

Typhoons

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Vietnam is located in the path of typhoons, the tropical cyclones of the western Pacific, which affect the country from the east, generally from May 20 to December 10. Vietnam, especially in the northern part, is one of the most affected countries of Southeast Asia, because cyclones hit directly the coast from the sea, when they are at their maximum strength.
The area more often affected is the northern one, in particular the Gulf of Tonkin and the Red River delta. The typhoon that devastated Haiphong in early October 1881 was particularly destructive. In the north, typhoons generally occur from May 20 to mid-November, with a maximum from July to October. Typically, in July and August, typhoons only affect northern Vietnam.
At the center they generally occur from the beginning of September to December 10, although in recent times, perhaps due to global warming, we had Tropical Storm Chanthu in the central part of the country in June 2004, and Tropical Storm Sonca in the north-central in July 2017.
In the south they generally occur from October 15 to December 20, with a maximum in early November.
In January, and again from March to mid-May, occasionally some tropical depressions can form, generally off the central-southern coast, which however almost never manage to reach the coast, but are dissipated on the sea; however, they can cause abnormal waves.

When to go

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The best time to visit Vietnam as a whole is the first half of February, because it's the only one which is neither very rainy nor very hot throughout the country, even though the north is cloudy and sometimes very cool. March and April are not bad as well, because in the north they are acceptable though not very sunny, while they are dry and sunny in the centre-south, but they are also hot in the south. December and January are dry and sunny in the centre and south, but not in the north.
If you want to go in July and August, you can choose the south-central coast (from Da Nang and the Cham islands to Phan Thiet, including Nha Trang), because as we have seen it is sunny and not very rainy, and generally in this period it is also spared by typhoons.

What to pack

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In winter: in the north (Hanoi), spring/autumn clothes, a jacket and a sweater, raincoat for the drizzle, hat and gloves for colder nights. In mountain peaks, warm clothes, down jacket, gloves, hat, hiking shoes.
In the centre (Hue, Nha Trang), light clothes for the day, sweatshirt and scarf for the breeze, jacket and sweater for cooler evenings, raincoat or umbrella until January inclusive.
For the inland south-central areas, light clothes for the day, a jacket and a sweater for the evening.
For the south (Ho Chi Minh), light clothing, a scarf for the breeze, a light sweatshirt for the evening, possibly a light jacket or sweater for cooler evenings.
In summer: across the country, at low altitude, tropics-friendly, lightweight clothing of natural fibres, light raincoat or umbrella, a light sweatshirt for the evening; for hill altitude towns, you can add a sweatshirt and a light jacket; for the highest peaks, warm clothes, fleece, jacket, raincoat, hiking boots.
For the reef, equipment for snorkeling, water shoes or rubber soled shoes.
Before entering pagodas, it is customary to take off shoes, dress neatly and cover a little.