Vietnam is a long country stretching over 2000 kilometers. It has seasons with very nice to very difficult weather conditions. Fortunately its wide range of destinations compensates the changing weather and offers all year round different but all really nice travel perspectives. Here come our insights about where to go and what to do regarding the time of the year you travel.

 

January & February

This is the Lunar New Year season… and the winter. Weather will be the main factor to consider when picking your destinations. The North can get freezing with, for few years now, some snow in Sapa and around the highest peaks of Ha Giang. This is the end of the Typhoon season in the Center (from Phong Nha to Nha Trang), where the weather can be beautiful one day and terrible the next one. South reaches its lowest temperatures of the year at about 25 degrees. The Têt national holiday can bring disturbances to your trip as many services are completely stopped for 3 to 5 days.

Our tips: If you travel around those months, check in advance the date of the Lunar New Year and make sure you organized everything well in advance for the few days before and after that date. In terms of weather and destinations, the farthest South you go, the better. The Mekong delta and beaches of Phu Quoc or Mui Ne are the best. But as no trip to Vietnam would be complete without a visit of the North, bring some warm clothes and expect some cold days. Ah, and also, have you considered coupling Vietnam with the Angkor temples?

Our highlighted tours for the season:

Halong Cruise on Treasure Junk (1 night)  

Mai Chau Cycling (2 days)

Mekong waterways, Saigon to Phu Quoc (2 days)

Angkor discovery and floating village (3 days)

   

 

From March to the end of May

No more weather issues. It is the end of the typhoon season in Central Vietnam. The North gets warmer despite some drizzle in March. The South keeps being the South, pretty hot and sunny. But then, how to decide where to go? Easy! Rice fields of the North are getting green with this beautiful water mirror effect. Definitely something you have to include in your trip. Old stones of Hue should be dry and beaches of Hoi An welcoming again. If you have time to include a visit of Phong Nha Ke Bang national park, then do not hesitate to take a double-ration of Central Vietnam. South can be the “cherry on top”, but when North and Central Vietnam are at their best, it is hard to compete with such destinations.    

Our tips: Beware of the tourism high season. Mainly for March and April, availability of services at some very popular destinations like Halong, Sapa, Hoi An can be limited if you book too late. Don’t bother with warm clothes but make sure you get a good sun block and a mosquito repellent. 

Our highlighted tours for the season:

From the mountain to Halong (5 days)

Sapa leisure and trek (2 days)

Phong Nha Ke Bang, caves, lagoons and lush forest (2 days)

2-day adventure between Hue and Hoi An (2 days)

Mekong Exploration (2 days)

 

June to September

This is the story of summer, its heat and the monsoon. Pretty low season for tourism, the opportunity for travelers to get promotions and discounted rates with hotels. In counterpart, be ready for burning-hot temperatures, high humidity level and punctual rain falls mostly in the evenings. Definitely not the best time of the year to plan tough trekking or other hard physical activities but it can turn into paradise for beach and sun lovers. So target mountains with important daily temperature amplitude, some places with cascades to refresh and some beautiful beaches. Avoid Phu Quoc, strangely the weather might be awful there.

Our tips: This is the low season for international tourists (with however some busy times throughout the second half of July and August), but peak season for domestic ones. And Vietnamese people travel more and more. So far their favorite destinations are well established and so easy to avoid. Vietnamese mass tourism will not please you; don’t even think of it as a “local experience”. Avoid Cat Ba, Sapa town, Danang, Nha Trang. And good news: June is the single-month season for the delicious lychees.

Our highlighted tours for the season:

Halong Explorer and Kayak Discovery on Treasure Junk (2 nights)

Nature Reserve of Ngoc Son Ngo Luong (2 days)

Mountains and People in Bac Ha and Sapa (3 days)

A Marine Dream in the Cham Islands (1 or 2 days)

Overnight on board of the Mekong Eyes Cruise (2 days)

 

September to the end of the year

Definitely the best season for you to make the most of North Vietnam. The weather is pleasant and from September to mid-October is the harvest time. 50 shades of yellow-green in the terraced rice fields. Focus on the North. The typhoon season in the Center is starting around mid-October, better if you can get there before. Otherwise expect potential weather issues. The monsoon also stops in the South. Best time for cycling the Mekong delta.

Our tips: Go North!! Otherwise, nothing to really avoid, you are free to choose. International flights can be very interesting if you book long enough in advance (except around Christmas and New Year). Beware of the second international tourism high season for destinations like Halong in November and December.  

Our highlighted tours for the season:

The north loop, an ultimate travel experience (8 days)

Sapa Intermediate Trek 1 night homestay (2 days)

Homestay, Jungle and Sea Fun in Halong and Cat Ba (3 days)

Biking Tour Mekong (2 days)