Weather

Best time to visit Vietnam: month by month, by region and the exact months to avoid monsoon floods

NGUYEN Leyli Sep 28, 2026 6 mins read

The best time to visit Vietnam is from March to April, the only stretch when the north, the centre and the south are all mostly dry and warm at once. If you are visiting one region, go to the north in October to November or March to April, the centre from February to August, and the south from December to April. Vietnam runs about 1,650 km from north to south, so there is always a region with good weather; the trick is matching the route to the month.

The short version

Whole country in one trip: March and April. October and November work too, if you skip or shorten the central coast.
Wettest months: August in Hanoi (about 270 mm), October in Da Nang (about 630 mm), September in Ho Chi Minh City.
Busiest dates: Tet (6 February 2027), 30 April to 1 May, 2 September and the Christmas to New Year week.

Best time to visit Vietnam by region

Vietnam has three weather zones. The north has four seasons with a cool, dry winter; the central coast is dry from February to August and wet from September to December; the south is hot all year, with a dry season from December to April. The table below gives the best and worst months for each, with typical daytime temperatures from long-term averages.

Region	Best months	Months to avoid	Typical day / night
North: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sapa, Ha Giang	October to November, March to April	June to August (heat, heavy rain, typhoon risk)	20 / 14°C in January, 34 / 27°C in June
Central: Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Quy Nhon	February to May (beach season runs to August)	October to November (floods, storms)	25 / 19°C in January, 34 / 26°C in June
South: Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc	December to April	September to October (heaviest rain)	32 to 35 / 23 to 26°C all year

Sources: monthly climate normals for Hanoi (Lang station, 1991 to 2020), Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat), Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology and WMO. Checked 28 September 2026.

Map of Vietnam's seasons by region: four seasons in the north, dry February to August and wet September to January in the centre, dry November to April in the south — *The three weather zones and their seasons.*

The line between north and central Vietnam is a mountain ridge, not a date on the calendar. The Hai Van Pass, between Hue and Da Nang, blocks much of the winter monsoon, so from November to January it is often grey and wet in Hue while Da Nang and Hoi An, on the other side of the pass, often get sun. The mountains of the far north run on their own clock too: Sapa sits at about 1,500 m and nights can drop close to freezing in January, while Hanoi is still at 14°C.

Koppen-Geiger climate classification map of Vietnam for 1991 to 2020: temperate climate with a dry winter in the north, tropical monsoon and savanna climates in the centre and south — *Climate zones of Vietnam, 1991 to 2020 (Koppen-Geiger classification).*

Vietnam weather month by month

Month by month, Vietnam's weather shifts from dry and cool in the north in winter, to hot and wet in the north and south in summer, and to heavy rain on the central coast in autumn. Use this table to check the month you have, then adjust the route: in almost every month at least one region is at its best.

Month	North (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa)	Central (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang)	South (Saigon, Mekong, Phu Quoc)
January	Cool and grey, 14 to 20°C; Sapa near freezing at night	Mild, 19 to 25°C, last showers	Dry and sunny, best month
February	Cool, light drizzle; Tet crowds	Dry season starts	Dry and sunny
March	Warming, 20 to 26°C, drier	Dry, 22 to 28°C, good	Dry and hot
April	Pleasant, 22 to 28°C, good	Dry, warm sea, good	Hottest, up to 35°C, late showers
May	Hot, first heavy rain	Hot and dry, beach season	Rainy season starts
June	Hot, 27 to 35°C, wet	Hot and dry, domestic holiday crowds	Afternoon storms
July	Hot and wet, typhoon risk at sea	Hot and dry	Afternoon storms
August	Wettest month, about 270 mm	Hot, rain rising late in month	Afternoon storms
September	Rain easing; rice terraces turn gold	Rains start, storm risk	Among the wettest months
October	Dry and clear, 23 to 30°C, best month	Wettest month, about 630 mm, flood risk	Rain easing
November	Dry and clear, 20 to 27°C, good	Still wet, flood risk in Hue and Hoi An	Dry season starts
December	Cool, 14 to 21°C	Showers easing, cooler	Dry, sunny, peak season

Sources: same climate normals as above. Temperatures are average daytime lows to highs; single days vary.

Chart rating Vietnam weather by month for the north, centre and south, from best to poor, with September to November poor on the central coast — *Weather ratings by month for each region.*

When is the rainy season in Vietnam?

The rainy season in Vietnam runs from May to September in the north, from September to December on the central coast, and from May to November in the south. The typhoon season overlaps it, from about July to November, and hits the north and centre far more often than the south.

Rain means different things in each region. In Ho Chi Minh City it usually arrives as a heavy afternoon storm of an hour or two, and the evening is dry, so a southern trip in the wet season is still very workable. In the north, the risk is storms at sea: from July to September, Ha Long Bay cruises can be cancelled at short notice when the port authority stops departures. On the central coast, October and November bring days of continuous rain and floods; the Thu Bon River regularly rises into Hoi An's old town. For region-by-region detail, see our guide to the Vietnam rainy season.

Monsoon and typhoon season packing list for Vietnam: 20-litre dry bag, rain poncho, quick-dry T-shirt, trail shoes and power bank — *What to pack for the wet season.*

If a rainy day catches you, every big city has good indoor options: the water puppet theatre and the Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi, lantern-making and cooking classes in Hoi An, and the War Remnants Museum and Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City. Buy a thick plastic poncho from a street stall for the price of a coffee; it does better than an umbrella on the back of a motorbike.

Rainy-day ideas: water puppets, art museum and cafe in Hanoi, lantern-making and cooking class in Hoi An, War Remnants Museum, Central Post Office and Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City — *Indoor plans for rainy days in Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City.*

Best time to visit Vietnam for trekking, beaches and Ha Long Bay

For trekking in Sapa or Ha Giang, go from September to November or March to May; for beaches, choose Da Nang and Hoi An from February to August or Phu Quoc from November to April; for Ha Long Bay, March to May and September to November give the calmest seas. Each activity has its own window, which is why a single "best month" rarely fits a whole trip.

Trekking in the north: September and early October bring golden rice terraces around Sapa and Mu Cang Chai; October and November bring buckwheat flowers in Ha Giang. Days of 15 to 28°C are comfortable for walking, and homestay nights are cool.
Beaches: the central coast is at its best from March to August. Phu Quoc, in the far south, has the opposite calendar, dry from November to April. Nha Trang's rain comes late, from October to December.
Ha Long Bay: spring and autumn have the clearest views. December to February is chilly and often misty; July to September carries the storm risk. On a short trip, a day cruise from Hanoi is easier to reschedule than an overnight one.

Hikers on mountain summits above a sea of clouds in northern Vietnam under clear skies — *Clear autumn and spring days are the best for summits in the north.*

Beaches of Phu Quoc and Da Nang: Phu Quoc sign at sunset, city beach with surfers, white-sand cove and paragliders over the coast — *Phu Quoc and Da Nang have opposite beach seasons.*

Festivals and holidays that change your trip

Tet, the Lunar New Year, is the holiday that affects travel most: in 2027 it falls on 6 February, and trains, flights and hotels fill for about two weeks around it. Other busy dates are the 30 April and 1 May holidays, National Day on 2 September, and the Christmas to New Year week. A festival can also be the reason to go.

Event	When	What to know
Tet (Lunar New Year)	6 February 2027; 26 January 2028	Flower markets and family feasts; many small shops close for several days, transport is full
Hoi An full moon night	14th day of every lunar month	Lanterns on the Thu Bon River, old town crowded in the evening
Hue Festival	Programme spread across four seasons	Heritage shows and royal court music; check dates on the festival website
Mid-Autumn Festival	15 September 2027	Lantern parades and mooncakes, liveliest around Hang Ma Street in Hanoi

Tet flower market and family preparations, Hue Festival light show and floating lanterns in Hoi An — *Tet, the Hue Festival and Hoi An's lantern nights.*

When is the cheapest time to visit Vietnam?

The cheapest time to visit Vietnam is May to September, outside the domestic summer peak weeks, when foreign arrivals drop and hotels and cruises cut prices to fill rooms. The trade-off is heat and rain in the north and south, although the central coast is dry and at its beach best in exactly these months.

Vietnam crowd calendar by month, marking the busiest periods around New Year, Tet, 30 April and 2 September, with quieter weeks in between — *Busy and quiet periods through the year.*

June to September also brings some of the greenest landscapes of the year, from Ban Gioc waterfall to the rivers of Trang An, and Hoi An's lanterns look the same in any season. We always tell friends coming in summer to plan outdoor sightseeing before 10 am and after 4 pm; the middle of the day in Hanoi in July is for a long lunch and an air-conditioned museum. If you want a route built around the months you have, our Vietnam tours are planned region by region with the weather in mind, and our guide to summer in Vietnam covers the hot months in more detail.

Low-season Vietnam from June to September: Ban Gioc waterfall, boats in Trang An, and Hoi An streets hung with lanterns — *June to September: fewer visitors, greener landscapes.*

Best time to visit Vietnam: FAQ

What is the best month to visit Vietnam?

April is the best single month for a trip through the whole country: the north is warm and fairly dry at 22 to 28°C, the central coast is dry, and the south is still in its dry season. March is a close second, a little cooler in the north. Book early if your trip overlaps the 30 April holiday.

What is the worst time to visit Vietnam?

There is no month when the whole country is bad, but October and November are the riskiest months for the central coast, with the heaviest rain and floods in Hue and Hoi An. July to September is the main typhoon window for the north, including Ha Long Bay, and Tet week is the hardest time for transport.

Is December a good time to visit Vietnam?

Yes, especially for the south, which is dry and sunny with highs around 31°C. Hanoi is cool, 14 to 21°C, so bring a light jacket, and nights in Sapa and Ha Giang can drop near freezing. The central coast is still showery early in the month, and Christmas to New Year is peak season.

When is the best time to visit Ha Long Bay?

March to May and September to November give the calmest seas and clearest views of Ha Long Bay. December to February is cool and often misty, and July to September carries a risk of storm cancellations, when the port authority halts sailings at short notice.