Vietnam is a long country and the weather is different at each end. In January it is about 20°C in Hanoi and about 31°C in Phu Quoc, on the same day.
Best time to visit by destination
These are the seven places we cover, listed north to south. The north and the south are wet in summer. The central coast gets its rain later, in autumn.
- Hanoi October to March Pleasant from October and properly cool from November. Winter is also when the city's air is at its worst. July and August are the months to skip: hot, humid, and the wettest of its year.
- Ha Long Bay October to April Cool and dry from October to April, like Hanoi. January and February are the weak spot: cold, and often too misty to see much from the boat. July and August are its wettest and busiest months, when Vietnamese families are on their summer break.
- Da Nang February to June The dry half of the central-coast year, and properly hot from May. September to November is the worst period on this coast, with the heaviest rain and the most storms.
- Hoi An February to June Same weather as Da Nang, 45 minutes down the coast, with one extra problem. The Thu Bon river can flood the Old Town between September and December, sometimes deep enough for boats in the streets.
- Nha Trang February to May The odd one out. Dry from February through August, then wet from September to December. November is its wettest month, by which point Ho Chi Minh City is drying out.
- Ho Chi Minh City December to March Hot every month of the year, so what changes is the rain. April is the hottest at around 35°C. The heaviest rain falls from June to October.
- Phu Quoc December to March Dry and calm from December, with the west-coast beaches at their best. The southwest monsoon from June to October brings rough seas, and boat trips out to the An Thoi islands get canceled for days at a time.
Green is a month we rate as one of that city's best, amber one worth avoiding.
| City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi | Fine 20 | Best month 21 | Best month 24 | Fine 28 | Fine 32 | Fine 34 | Avoid 34 | Avoid 33 | Fine 32 | Best month 29 | Best month 25 | Best month 22 |
| Ha Long Bay | Fine 20 | Fine 21 | Best month 24 | Best month 28 | Fine 31 | Fine 32 | Avoid 32 | Avoid 32 | Avoid 31 | Best month 29 | Best month 25 | Best month 22 |
| Da Nang | Fine 25 | Best month 26 | Best month 29 | Best month 31 | Best month 33 | Best month 34 | Fine 34 | Fine 34 | Avoid 32 | Avoid 29 | Avoid 27 | Fine 25 |
| Hoi An | Fine 25 | Best month 27 | Best month 29 | Best month 31 | Best month 33 | Best month 34 | Fine 34 | Fine 34 | Fine 32 | Avoid 29 | Avoid 27 | Fine 25 |
| Nha Trang | Fine 27 | Best month 28 | Best month 30 | Best month 31 | Best month 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 32 | Fine 31 | Avoid 29 | Avoid 28 | Avoid 27 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Best month 32 | Best month 33 | Best month 34 | Fine 35 | Fine 34 | Avoid 32 | Avoid 31 | Avoid 31 | Avoid 31 | Fine 31 | Fine 31 | Best month 31 |
| Phu Quoc | Best month 31 | Best month 32 | Best month 32 | Fine 33 | Fine 32 | Fine 31 | Avoid 30 | Avoid 30 | Avoid 30 | Fine 31 | Fine 31 | Best month 31 |
Numbers are the average daily high in °C.
Best time to visit north, central and south Vietnam
- North (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay): best October to March. Cool and dry in winter, though February and March are often gray and drizzly. Hot and wet June to August.
- Central (Da Nang, Hoi An): best February to June. September to November is the wettest period in the country.
- South (Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc): best December to March. In the rainy season, May to October, the rain costs you an afternoon rather than a day.
- Nha Trang is different again: dry from February to August, wet from September to December.
When is the rainy season in Vietnam?
The north and the south are both wet in summer: about May to October in Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and the Mekong Delta, and May to September in the north. The central coast is the odd one. It is wet from about September to December, driven by the northeast monsoon and the storms that come with it.
The rain is not the same either. In the south it is an hour in the afternoon, heavy and then over, so the rainy months are still a good time to travel. On the central coast it rains for days, the coastal plain floods, and flights and boats get canceled.
When is typhoon season in Vietnam?
Broadly June to November, working its way down the coast as the season goes on. The north and Ha Long Bay are hit earliest, July to September. The central coast takes the worst of it, September to November. Phu Quoc and the far south are rarely hit.
A big storm cancels Ha Long Bay cruises, disrupts flights into Da Nang and floods the coastal plain. Book the central coast in that window on flexible tickets, or move it in the itinerary.
Tet and the domestic travel peak
Tet, the lunar new year, is the biggest week of the Vietnamese year. The date follows the lunar calendar, so it changes every year. Check this year's date before you book anything.
It is a family holiday, not a festival you can go and watch. Most of the country travels home for it, so trains, buses and flights sell out weeks ahead and small restaurants close for days. The cities get noticeably quieter.
Staying put through it is fine. Moving around the country is not.
What is the worst time to visit Vietnam?
It depends where you go. These three are the ones to plan around:
- October and November on the central coast. The heaviest rain of the year, plus typhoons and flooding.
- June to August in the north. Hanoi in high summer is a hard city to walk around, and these are its wettest months.
- Tet week, if you need to travel. Transport books out and a lot of small businesses shut.
The cheapest time to visit Vietnam
Roughly May to September, outside Tet. Those are the rainy months in the south and the hot ones in the north, so fewer people come and hotel rates drop.
May and June are the best of them. The south is wet and cheap, and the central coast is at its driest. October is cheap too, but for a bad reason: that is when the central coast floods.
Whichever month you pick, see what a month in Vietnam actually costs, and the Vietnam money guide for keeping the 3 to 5% that ATMs and airport counters take.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the best month to visit Vietnam?
March. It is the only month that is good in the north, on the central coast and in the south at once. February is almost as good, apart from Ha Long Bay, where it is still cold and often misty.
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Is October or November a good time to visit Vietnam?
Good in the north, bad on the central coast. Hanoi and Ha Long Bay are at their best in those two months. Da Nang and Hoi An get the heaviest rain of their year, and the Old Town floods. The south is drying out and improves through November.
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Is July or August a bad time to visit Vietnam?
They are the hottest and wettest months in the north, and wet in the south. The central coast is the exception: Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang are dry then, just very hot.
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Is December a good time to visit Vietnam?
Very good in the south, where the dry season is starting, and fine in the north if you do not mind the cool. The central coast is the weak spot: Da Nang and Hoi An are still wet in December.
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When is Tet and should I avoid it?
The date moves with the lunar calendar and falls between late January and the middle of February. Avoid it if you need to travel between cities: transport sells out and many small businesses close for days. Staying in one place through it is fine.
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Can I do north and south Vietnam in one trip?
Yes. February and March are the months when both ends are good. In October and November you have to choose: the north is at its best and the central coast is at its worst. Keep the middle short or fly over it.