Weather

Although the weather in Vietnam is extremely variable, it’s possible to distinguish two main seasons: a dry season from November to May, and the rainy season from June to October. However, this generalisation disguises considerable variations in other aspects of the weather throughout the country.

The summer months: from April to October.
Apart from the Central Highlands and mountain areas, temperatures are uniformly hot across the country during the summer months, and humidity is high.

The winds of the south-western monsoon blow across the country bringing warm, humid weather to most of the country, and intermittent heavy rain from July to the end of August.

The main exception to this general pattern is the southern Central area. From April to October, the south-western monsoon deposits its rain on the Truong Son Mountains. As a result, the sheltered central coastal lowlands from about Nha Trang to Nghe An enjoy warm, dry weather throughout the summer.

During the rest of the year, the Central Highlands remain dry – severe droughts often occur in the spring.

The winter months: from November to March.
Although the temperature cools somewhat, the South is hot and dry during the winter.

Along the Central Coast, autumn brings intermittent, strong on-shore winter monsoon winds from the northeast. These can generate powerful waves and an undertow making swimming off some beaches risky at times. From October to December, the winds bring heavy rain, and often severe flooding, to the central coastal area. The weather steadily improves from January onwards.

The north and the Red River Delta are sheltered by the landmass of China. As a result, they miss the heavy rain - October, November and December are usually dry and comfortable. However, during January, the ‘small rains’ appear - cold, clammy, miserable weather that can last from December to April, but mainly occurs during late January and February.

In the northern mountain areas, temperatures are generally cooler in both summer and winter. Occasionally, the area around Mt. Fansipan experiences winter snowfalls.

 

City Humidity Rainy Season Dry Season Annual Rainfall Hot Month Cold Month
Hanoi 83 May-Oct Nov-Apr 1680 Jun (32.8) Jan (13.8)
Halong 82 May-Oct Nov-Apr 1994 Jul (31.6) Jan (13.5)
Dien Bien 84 Apr-Sep Oct-Mar 1567 May (32.2) Jan (11.0)
Sapa 87 Mar-Nov Dec-Feb 2769 Aug (23.2) Jan (06.2)
Hue 88 Jul-Jan Feb-Jun 2890 Aug (34.5) Jan (17.2)
Danang 83 Jul-Jan Feb-Jun 1974 Jun (34.2) Jan (19.0)
Qui Nhon 81 Sep-Dec Jan-Aug 1647 Aug (34.5) Jan (20.6)
Pleiku 85 May-Oct Nov-Apr 2684 Apr (30.7) Jan (14.0)
Dalat 84 Apr-Nov Dec-Mar 1820 Apr (26.8) Feb (10.0)
Nha Trang 82 Sep-Dec Jan-Aug 1441 Aug (33.2) Jan (20.5)
HCM City 82 May-Nov Dec-Apr 1970 Apr (34.8) Jan (21.0)
Can Tho 82 May-Nov Dec-Apr 1560 Apr (33.9) Jan (21.9)

For example, in the south of Vietnam the difference in temperature between the two seasons is a hardly noticeable 3°C with little variation. In the north, however, the difference averages 12°C but can vary from under 10°C in winter to a summer extreme around 40°C.

 
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