Vietnam Weather by Month

Vietnam is 1,650 km from top to bottom and the weather in Sapa has nothing in common with the weather in Phu Quoc on the same day. Plan around the wrong climate and you spend a week in a fog you could have driven straight out of.

Three regions, three climates. Then a typhoon belt that wraps around the central coast from late summer to early winter.

The three regions in one paragraph

The north (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long, Ha Giang) has four seasons including a cold dry winter. The centre (Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Quy Nhon) has a long dry summer and a violent wet autumn. The south (HCMC, Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc) has two seasons — dry (Nov–Apr) and wet (May–Oct) — and is warm all year.

Month-by-month at a glance

Month	Hanoi	Da Nang	HCMC	Sapa	Notes
Jan	14–20°C, dry, often grey	19–25°C, dry, cool sea	22–32°C, dry	8–15°C, mist, sometimes snow at peaks	Peak season south & centre
Feb	15–21°C, dry, brightening	20–27°C, dry	22–33°C, dry	10–17°C, clearer	Tết shutdown — see below
Mar	18–24°C, humid, drizzle	21–28°C, dry	24–34°C, hottest weeks begin	12–19°C, mild	Excellent everywhere
Apr	22–28°C, humid	23–30°C, dry, calm sea	25–35°C, the hottest month	14–22°C, warm days	Last reliable dry month for south
May	26–33°C, hot, first rains	25–32°C, dry, hot	25–33°C, afternoon storms begin	16–24°C, occasional rain	Shoulder
Jun	28–34°C, hot & humid	26–33°C, dry, hot	25–32°C, regular storms	17–24°C, regular rain	Wet season has begun in south
Jul	28–34°C, hot, occasional rain	26–34°C, hot & dry	25–32°C, daily afternoon storms	18–24°C, wettest month, leech season	High-altitude trekking is wet
Aug	27–33°C, humid	26–33°C, first typhoon risk	25–32°C, daily rain	18–24°C, very wet	Centre still mostly dry
Sep	25–31°C, cooling	25–31°C, typhoon season starts	24–32°C, wettest month	16–23°C, rain easing	Rice terraces turn gold in Sapa late Sep
Oct	22–28°C, dry, clear	23–29°C, peak typhoon and floods	24–32°C, rain reducing	14–21°C, clear, the photographer's month	North is glorious
Nov	18–25°C, dry, cool	21–27°C, tail end of floods	23–32°C, dry returning	11–18°C, dry, cold nights	South opens up
Dec	14–21°C, cool, dry	19–25°C, calm, dry, sometimes wet	22–31°C, dry	8–14°C, frost possible	Christmas crowds in beach areas

Numbers are typical averages. Heat waves can push HCMC to 38°C in April, and a cold snap can drop Sapa below freezing in January.

Typhoons — the central coast problem

The central coast gets serious typhoons from late August through early December, with peak risk in October and November. Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue and Dong Hoi are the most exposed. Floods in Hoi An's old town are an annual event — in 2020 the water reached upper-floor windows.

What this means practically:

• Do not book non-refundable beach time in Da Nang or Hoi An in October.
• Watch typhoon forecasts (Vietnam's Hydrometeorological Service, and the JTWC) in the 48 hours before central-coast travel in autumn.
• Domestic flights cancel; trains keep running for longer; buses last.
• The north (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long) is much less affected — typhoons usually weaken before reaching that latitude.
• The south almost never sees typhoons.

Tet

Vietnamese New Year (Tet) usually falls late January or February — in 2026 it ran 17 February. For 5–7 days the country effectively shuts. Trains and flights are packed and double-priced for two weeks either side; many restaurants and shops close; the cities empty as people travel home. Tourists either lean in (it is beautiful and atmospheric) or avoid the window entirely.

Humidity, not temperature

Hanoi at 30°C with 90% humidity is harder than HCMC at 34°C with 60%. The "feels-like" temperature in May and June in the north is brutal because the air is so wet. Conversely, HCMC in March is genuinely hot but breezier.

For motorbike travel: temperatures above 35°C with full sun on your arms get dangerous quickly. Ride in early morning or after 3pm.

Sea conditions

• Ha Long Bay — best Oct–Apr. Summer months get afternoon storms; cruises sometimes cancel.
• Da Nang / Hoi An — best Mar–Aug. Sept–Nov rough and stormy.
• Nha Trang — best Jan–Aug. Sept–Dec the rainy season starts late and runs short.
• Mui Ne — windy Nov–Mar (great for kitesurfing, average for swimming).
• Phu Quoc — best Nov–Apr. May–Oct is wet but warm and you get the island half-empty.
• Con Dao — best Mar–Sept on the west coast, Oct–Feb on the east. Always sunny somewhere.

Putting this into a trip

A two-week trip mid-March 2026 covering Hanoi, Hoi An and HCMC: every leg is dry, warm, comfortable. The same trip in mid-October: Hanoi excellent, Hoi An potentially flooded, HCMC tail end of rains.

If you have flexibility, the planning shortcut is in best time to visit. If you do not, use the table above and adjust your route. Pack accordingly — see packing list.