Bamboo Travel

Climate - Vietnam

Vietnam’s topography varies from coastal plains to mountain ranges and as the country stretches over 1,125 miles from north to south weather patterns in the various regions can be very different.

In the north of the country winter lasts from November to April, with temperatures averaging 16C, little heavy rainfall but a fair bit of drizzle. Summer begins in May and lasts until October, with an average temperature of 30C, heavy rainfall and the occasional typhoon.

Central regions experience a mixed climate somewhere between that of the north and that of the south of the country. The Truong Son Mountains protect the coastal regions from the worst of the southern monsoon (May to October) and the rainy season in Nha Trang tends to fall between November and February.

In highland areas such as the hill resorts of Dalat (1,500m), Buon Ma Thuot and Sapa nights are cool throughout the year and in the winter months, October to March, it can be distinctly chilly with temperatures falling to 4C. Even in the hottest months of March and April the temperature rarely exceeds 26C.

In the south temperatures are fairly constant through the year; 25-30C. Seasons are determined by the rains with the dry season running from November to April and the wet season running from May to October. The hottest period is March and April, just before the rains break. Typhoons are quite common in coastal areas between July and November.

Generally the best time for a long tour from North to South Vietnam would be from December to April. For beach holidays it would be during the summer time, from May to August, when the water is warm and the sun shines on the central coast or between December and April for resorts in the south of the country.