Vietnam has always been a hot tourist destination in Asia, where Western tourists want to find unique Asian cultures, breathtaking scenery and rich cuisine. However, Vietnam is a country with a tropical monsoon climate and is quite humid. There will be times when the weather is not really supportive for experiential travel. As newcomers who want to enjoy trips here, learn about worst time to visit Vietnam with us to plan ahead and avoid encountering unpleasant situations that ruin your mood.
Rainy Season
The climate in Vietnam has also been quite erratic in recent years. The unsuitable time for tours is probably during the rainy season or monsoon because it can hinder schedules that require a lot of travel.
From May to August will be the rainy season in some areas of Vietnam. When the rainy season occurs, it is largely due to high humidity that causes a lot of rain. At this time, the weather is extremely hot and uncomfortable for people familiar with dry climates.
Northern Vietnam
This area has all four climates: spring-summer-autumn-winter, however the rainy season will fall from May to August of summer. With an average frequency of 7-8 rainy days a month, tourists’ schedules when visiting destinations will not be favorable. If you are afraid of rainy, hot and humid weather affecting your health throughout the trip, consider this worst time to visit Vietnam to change to a more ideal time. Although in reality, the rainfall during these seasons does not last all day, it will usually be a downpour that lasts for 1 to 2 hours and then stops. Therefore, tourists can still reschedule accordingly if they accidentally travel at this time.
Southern Vietnam
The southern region of Vietnam has mainly rainy and dry seasons and almost no cold climate. It’s between May and mid-November that is the worst time to vist Vietnam since this is the period of the rainy season.
Ho Chi Minh City has a hot and humid climate, with peak summer temperatures from May to June reaching 32 degrees Celsius. Rainfall per month is also from 8 to 12 inches. So prepare your mind and travel medicine carefully to avoid heat stroke in the summer.
Central Vietnam
In addition to the North, the Central region is also the land that suffers from many seasonal storms. Tourists should avoid big storms in July and August to have a fun and safe trip. Suppose if you have a cruise in HaLong Bay, on the day of the storm, the ship cannot move. The landscape will not be as beautiful as usual. Or September and October in the Central region where there are famous destinations such as Hoi An, Hue,… can cause floods and waterlogging.
Those are some tips for tourists to avoid the worst times to visit Vietnam when the weather is not favorable for traveling and fully visiting the landscape. However, looking at the positive side, these times may have fewer tourists and costs will not be higher than peak times. If you can arrange a more flexible schedule and anticipate these frequent rains, you can still visit Vietnam at “special” times.
For the schedules prepared by Ftrip, we have carefully researched to avoid inappropriate times for tourists to visit Vietnam. In addition, the schedule can be changed flexibly to adapt to weather conditions. So please take a look at our Vietnam tours both short-term and long-term for consideration.
Monsoon season
With a tropical climate, summer in Vietnam will be relatively hot and rainy. As for winter, typically the climate is only found in the north, the weather will be dry and have bitter cold winds depending on the time. The temperature can even be hot from October to December (fall season) and change to cold below 10 degrees Celsius from December to February (winter & spring). Avoid traveling between March and August if you cannot stand the humid weather of the North.
In addition, the Central region often has a long rainy season, especially the two big cities of Hue and Da Nang. You should limit your travel schedule from September to February to avoid heavy rains and even storms. Meanwhile, the rainy season in the South lasts from May to November and the average temperature is usually about 20 degrees Celsius. Heavy rains often happen in the afternoon, so you can arrange your time to avoid this worst time to visit Vietnam.
Lunar New Year
Although it is a major festival of the year, this time can also be considered the worst time to visit Vietnam in the following aspects:
New Year is a time when Vietnamese people focus on family and often take time off from work. Therefore, many shops and restaurants will also close to celebrate the holidays. It will be more difficult for tourists to find famous places to experience because they are likely to be closed during lunar new year. The atmosphere during Tet is also somewhat quieter than usual because many people leave the city to return home to be with their families. So to avoid being disappointed by the scarcity of sightseeing and entertainment services, you can postpone your schedule for a few days. This is to enjoy the remaining New Year’s atmosphere as well as enjoy the return to normal life after 1 week. The Vietnamese Lunar New Year calendar will be different from the Western calendar (world calendar) which will be calculated according to the lunar calendar. Therefore, the first day of the new year will also change, usually around the end of January or early February.
Wrapping ups,
Above are some moments that we think do not really bring the most complete experience for your first time coming to Vietnam. Because some people may not have time to adapt to the climate which affects the whole trip, we always offer carefully considered tourist itineraries. If you are confident about your health conditions and have difficulty arranging other times, you can still enjoy Vietnam with its beauty at a separate time. For more details, please contact us to get suggestions for your Vietnam journey this year!
