Why Vietnam has no single season and how to build a route around the weather of the north, center and south.
Vietnam stretches 1,600 km from north to south, so there is no single “best month” — it all depends on the region.
By region
- North (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa): best in autumn (September–November) and spring. In winter it is cool and foggy in the Sapa mountains.
- Center (Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue): dry from February to August; October–November brings a risk of typhoons and floods.
- South (Saigon, the Mekong Delta): warm all year, with a dry season of November–April.
Conclusion: a trip along the whole length of the country is most comfortable to plan for March–April, when it is tolerable everywhere.
The season in Nha Trang and on Phu Quoc is a separate story
Nha Trang is on the southeast coast, and its rainy season is shifted: it rains not in summer, as in the rest of Vietnam, but in October–December. From January to August it is usually dry and sunny — this is Nha Trang’s high beach season.
Phu Quoc is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, and its weather is closer to southern Vietnam: the dry season is November–April, the rainy one May–October, with a peak of downpours in July–August. It is best to plan a beach holiday on Phu Quoc for the winter and spring months.
A difference of a week or two in the start and end dates of the season is possible from year to year — go by a range of months, not an exact date.
Tet: plan around it
Tet is the Vietnamese New Year (late January — February), the country’s main holiday. For several days shops, cafés and some transport close, and prices and crowds rise. Seeing Tet is interesting, but sightseeing around the country in these days is inconvenient.
Why go north in autumn
In September–October the rice terraces of Sapa and Mu Cang Chai turn yellow before the harvest — the most photogenic season in the north. And Ha Long Bay is most beautiful in the dry, clear months.
