The land of staggering natural beauty, Vietnam is the cheapest destination for all the solo travellers around the world in Southeast Asia. From beaches to mountains and from skyscrapers to little village houses, Vietnam will surely leave you in awe if you ever hunt it out. Catered in beautiful green, contrasted with steel and people, Vietnam is surely a full packaged travel destination. If you have a passion for travel, it is highly recommended that you make a trip to Vietnam at least once.
But the story does not end here, does it? A successful trip cannot ever be planned in whims; rather it needs lots of careful assessment beforehand. You need to make a calendar first, and that is the trickiest part, i.e. when to visit Vietnam? It is not easy to conclude what is the best time to visit Vietnam when you are a foreigner. So, here we are, sorting out your travel calendar. Have a look.
Season-change in Vietnam
But before we can help you in shaping your calendar, you need to take a good look at how the seasons change in Vietnam and the temperatures throughout a whole year. Being a country with different natural wonders, Vietnam’s seasons differ from one region to another. Thus, here we have classified the seasons in Vietnam according to regions rather than the seasons.
1. The North (Sapa, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh and Mai Chau)
The Northern Part of Vietnam generally showcases warm and sunny weather throughout most of the years except the time of the winter. The hottest time in the Northern part of Vietnam is from April to August with a maximum temperature of 40ºC or more. September is the month of monsoon in here. Amongst all the places in Northern Vietnam, Halong Bay and Hanoi are prone to heavy showers. Again, September to December provides the tourists with warm weather with an average temperature of 25ºC to 30ºC.
Winter is not that cold in Northern Vietnam. From January to March, you can feel a low temperature of maximum range from 15ºC to 19ºC. And the main seasonal attribute of Northern Vietnam is the rain. Although we can categorise Vietnam according to temperature, heavy showers are an integral part of this region of Vietnam.
2. Central Part (Hoi An, Danag, Hue, Nha Trang, Dalat and central highlands)
As the central part of Vietnam possesses all the beaches, the weather abruptly changes here. The rainfall pattern reverses in central Vietnam, and the weather remains quite sunny and warm throughout the year. Summer lasts from March to August in central Vietnam. Monsoon season does not last in here, but the north of central Vietnam receives a little rainfall during September and October. With an average temperature of 20ºC, the winter is quite comforting in central Vietnam. However, the coasts of central Vietnam are most likely to hit by Typhoons during the months of August to November.
3. Southern Part (Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Tiet, Mui Ne, Mekong Delta, Ho Tram and Con Dao)
The southern parts of Vietnam have a little weird weather pattern where the summer or the dry season lasts from December to May. The maximum temperature can be read in mercury ranges from 35ºC to 40ºC. The monsoon season hits southern Vietnam from the month of late-May and it continues till November. However, the rains mostly occur in the afternoon in here. But Mekong Delta is quite a flood-prone area during the months of September to November. The maximum temperature during the rainy season never crosses beyond 20ºC. So, it is safe to state that Southern Vietnam only has two seasons— summer and rainy season.
Best Times to Visit Vietnam
As Vietnam is a country in the tropical region, it is not easy to state which is the best time to visit Vietnam. Apart from that, Vietnam has a complicated weather picture which makes enough dilemmas to decide on the travel calendar. However, September to December and March to April are two best times to visit Vietnam if you have plans to cover the whole country.
1. Most crowded season
As the best time to visit Vietnam is from September to December, most people try to cover Vietnam during this time of the year. Also, you can feel the foreign crowd if you visit Vietnam by the edge of March and April.
2. Less crowded season
The less crowded season in Vietnam is from July to August. As the crowds of March-April rest slowly, July to August are the months when fewer people visit Vietnam. Also, because of the heavy rainy season and the probability of Typhoons in the central part of Vietnam, people avoid the time of July to August to make a whole-country tour arrangement.
3. Offbeat season
The most offbeat season in Vietnam is from January to the middle of March. Because of the hot and humid summer months, most people avoid Vietnam during these months. As fewer people visit Vietnam during this time of the year, you can find great hotel deals everywhere in Vietnam. It is quite a good time to travel to Vietnam if you have the tolerance power of 40ºC. But you can easily visit the mountains of Vietnam during the summer.
4. Festive season
The festive season in Vietnam can be marked from January to May. During these months, you can witness the famous Tet festival, perfume festival, Hue festival, Hung Kind Temple festival, Phu Giay Festival etc. September and October months showcase many festivals such as Hoi An Lantern festival, Mid-Autumn festival etc. But the main festive season in Vietnam is from January to May only, i.e. the summer months.
With all these detailed information, I hope you will not face a single problem arranging a trip to Vietnam. Check and cross-check all the dates from the above information and mark the best time when you can visit Vietnam so that you can cover all the parts of Vietnam in one go. Have a great journey!