Best time to visit Vietnam

Best time to visit Vietnam

The country’s unusual topography and geography means that the question, when’s the best time to visit Vietnam, results in a far more complex answer than one would at first imagine. The climate of smaller, more compact-shaped neighbours such as Laos and Cambodia can reasonably be outlined in a single description, Thailand required splitting into south and north and subsequently east and west coasts, while the 1500 or so kilometres of South China Sea separating West Malaysia from Sabah and Sarawak means that any rundown of Malaysia’s climatic conditions also, inevitably, falls into two distinct sections. Any attempt at a best time to visit continent-sized Indonesia post would be futile and requires an island by island breakdown while at the other end of the scale, tiny Sri Lanka, (slightly smaller than Ireland in surface area), has disproportionally complicated weather patterns due to its complex geography and multiple micro-climates.

Vietnam weighs in with some 332,000 square kilometres of land area – slightly more than Italy and a bit less than Norway – and indeed possesses a similar elongated form to those two examples. Precise figures vary slightly but you’re looking at some 1,650 kilometres from Vietnam’s northernmost to southernmost points, (again, Norway is estimated at 1,750), although it narrows to a mere 50 kilometres in width at its narrowest point – around Dong Hoi in central Vietnam’s Quang Binh Province. (Location of World Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.)

As we said, Vietnam’s geography is complex with the Tonkinese Alps filling much of the wide bulge in the north of the country bordered by Laos to the west and China’s Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces to the north. These culminate in Mount Fansipan near Sapa which rises to 3150 metres, South is Hanoi and the Red River Delta and east are Halong and Bai Tu Long Bays.  From here the country narrows forming a long thin strip wedged between the Annamite Mountains and Central Highlands along the Lao border and the South China Sea coast to the east. Spurs of the Annamites jut out east – even reaching the coast at certain points – and divide the strip into a series of relatively small, east-west valleys enclosed by limestone hills. South of Nha Trang the land flattens and widens towards Saigon and the Mekong Delta.

One could list weather patterns for each province but for the purposes of our best time to visit Vietnam post we’ll split the country into north, centre and south with asides for such micro-climates as those of Halong Bay and Sapa.

Note that overall, in accordance with the above described geography and topography, the answer to when is the best time to visit Vietnam is that no ideal period covers the entire country. Secondly, the ideal times are inevitably the most popular times so in our opinion it is sometimes worth forgoing ideal weather conditions in order to experience busier destinations as quieter times. (Hoi An, Hue and Halong spring to mind.)

Finally, as we mention in every best time to visit style post, climate patterns are increasingly less reliable and predictable and we can only describe typical weather which may of course vary from year to year.

Northern Vietnam and Hanoi

Roughly speaking Hanoi’s weather can be divided into the four familiar seasons. Winter – December to February; spring – March to May, summer – June to August and autumn; September to November.  Winter is damp and cool and summer is hot and wet leaving spring and autumn as the best options. This includes adjacent areas such as Ninh Binh and Hoa Binh Provinces. We always feel that city weather isn’t as vital on a tour as it is for beaches, mountains or national parks where you’ll be hoping to swim, hike, take photos and appreciate views etcetera so for Hanoi we’d say it largely depends where you’re going next.

Sapa, Ha Giang, Lai Chau and the far north is mountainous so temperatures are significantly lower than Hanoi and surrounds. Winter temperatures around Sapa can get down to zero and snow and ice are not unheard. Summer is also rainy season up here so, again, spring and autumn are considered the best months. However, winter is generally ok for lower altitude ranges in the northeast and west such as the Ha Giang or Pu Luong regions and while nights will get nippy, day times are usually fine, clear and mild.  The rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai are at their best in early autumn and late spring although, as with any tour covering multiple destinations, it’s not always feasible to time it around one specific one point.

Halong Bay

Weather patterns within the complex geography of Halong Bay are to say the least unpredictable yet this is one spot where you will definitely be hoping for fine weather. Standard wisdom suggests October and November and March and April as being the best months and January and February and June, July, August as the least favourable. Having said that, as noted, it is unpredictable so no period is guaranteed and you could be lucky or unlucky at any time of year. Furthermore, it is not infrequent for authorities to close Halong Bay to visitors when adverse weather conditions occur, particularly during the June to August period.

Central Vietnam

By which we mean the long, thin stretch between Ninh Binh in the north and Nha Trang in the south. This covers a lot of ground and there are obvious differences between coastal areas and the Central Highlands to the west but broadly speaking it can be divided into three seasons; hot and dry, cool (cooler) and dry and rainy. May through to August is the hottest time of year and often accompanied by high humidity and while it is in theory a dry period, storms can occur. September is something of a cross-over month with rains mainly falling in October to December. Again, we’d say showers aren’t the end of the World as far as exploring Hue or Hoi An goes and you’ll benefit from fewer other visitors but this season can see strong storms and, to varying degrees, flooding. That leaves the January to April period which is generally cited as being the best time to visit weather-wise although it is also the busiest. The earlier part of spring may see a few lingering showers while by late March to April it’ll start warming up.

Saigon and the Mekong Delta

The region is mainly flat with isolated hills rather than any mountain ranges but the myriad channels, rivers, streams and canals of the Delta means humidity is going to be high at most times of the year. Again, very broadly speaking in these parts you can count two seasons; dry, from late November through to late April and wet from May to October. September statistically sees the highest rainfall while December and January will be cooler but there’s no winter as is the case in the north. Beaches such as Mui Ne, Phan Thiet and offshore Phu Quoc are more or less similar in terms of weather.

There are some significant, regional, climatic differences then in considering the best time to visit Vietnam while any decisions will be complicated further by, not only which parts of the country you’re hoping to visit and what you’re intending to do when you get there, but also by any additional Southeast Asian destinations you are hoping to combine with Vietnam. That is to say potential Laos and Vietnam, Vietnam and Cambodia or even Vietnam and Yunnan Province present more factors to consider. As we said, our above rundowns can only account for typical conditions, nothing’s written in stone and at the end of the day luck plays a big part.

On a general note we’d avoid travelling in Vietnam during Tet, the Vietnamese new year festival. In contrast to the Theravada New Year celebrated every April in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand often with wild street parties and the infamous water fights, Tet is a more sedate, family affair. (You can compare it to some extent with the contrast between the Western New Year and Christmas celebrations back home.) This means roads, trains and flights will be packed and hotels, restaurants and tourist sites either closed or seriously understaffed. Basically, few Vietnamese want to work during that period.