Climate - Phu Quoc (Vietnam)

In Phú Quốc, there is a tropical climate, hot all year round, with a rainy season from April to November and a dry season from December to March. From May to October, the rains are frequent and abundant, due to the southwest monsoon.
The small island (which is still the largest island in Vietnam) is located 40 km (25 mi) away from the southwest coast of Vietnam, where the city of Hà Tiên is located, and at 10 degrees north latitude. The coast of Cambodia, with the city of Kampot, is even closer, just 12 km (7.5 mi) to the north.
In the interior there are hills, which reach 540 meters (1,770 ft) in height. Here, the rains are even more abundant.
Further south are the Thổ Chu Islands, which together with Phu Quoc and a small part of the coast form the province of Kiên Giang.
Winter, from December to February, is hot and sunny. Unlike in central-northern Vietnam, there are no irruptions of cold air, in fact, on the coolest nights the temperature drops to 18/20 °C (64/68 °F).
From mid-February, the temperature rises further, and March to May is the hottest time of the year. In April and May, the temperature can reach 35/36 °C (95/97 °F). In April, the rains increase, even if the real monsoon hasn't arrived yet.
From May to October is the monsoon period, with frequent and sometimes heavy rains, slightly lower temperatures and high humidity. Sometimes the rains can cause floods. In November, the monsoon rains become relatively rare, but typhoons can still pass.



In fact, Phú Quốc can be hit by typhoons, the tropical cyclones of the western Pacific. In southern Vietnam, typhoons generally occur from October 15 to December 20, with a maximum in early November.
In January, and again from mid-March to mid-April, some tropical depressions can occasionally form, generally off the central-southern coast of Vietnam, but they almost always dissipate over the sea before reaching the coast. However, they can cause abnormal waves. Anyway, sometimes they can reach the coast.

Best Time

To visit Phú Quốc you can choose the period from late December to late February, i.e. the least hot and outside the typhoon period. In March it is still the dry season and therefore you can go, but it is hotter than in the previous months.
In December, the weather is often nice and not too hot, but there is still the risk, albeit declining, of a tropical cyclone arriving.
In April, the rains increase, even though they do not reach the level of the following months, and it can also be very hot.
For swimming, the sea is warm enough all year round.

Phu Quoc - Climate data

In Phu Quoc, the average temperature of the coldest months (January, December) is of 26.4 °C (79.6 °F), that of the warmest month (April) is of 28.8 °C (83.9 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
In Phu Quoc, precipitation amounts to 3030 millimeters (119.3 inches) per year: it is therefore very abundant. It ranges from 30 mm (1.2 in) in the driest month (February) to 545 mm (21.5 in) in the wettest one (August). Here is the average precipitation.
At Phu Quoc, the sea temperature ranges from 27.5 °C (82 °F) in January to 30.5 °C (87 °F) in May. Here are the average sea temperatures.
In Phu Quoc, there are on average around 2370 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.