🇻🇳 Vietnam
Sweet spot Jan, May. Peak Feb–Apr. Skip Sep–Nov.
When to go
Vietnam, month by month
Updated August 2026 · How we decide →
Typical weather
What Hanoi is usually like
What a typical day looks like, hour by hour: 8am when you get up, 2pm in the afternoon, 8pm when you are out in the evening — on Vietnam’s own clock, at Hanoi. Ten-year averages (2011–2020) measured at the capital, so this is Hanoi, not the whole of Vietnam, and a mountain or a coast a few hours away can be nothing like it. Averages, not a forecast: a typical January rather than any particular one.
| ★January, cheap sweet spot | 15.1°C | 18.9°C | 17.4°C | 62 mm | 10h 59m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓February, peak season | 16.4°C | 20.8°C | 19.2°C | 32 mm | 11h 27m |
| ✓March, peak season | 19.3°C | 23.5°C | 22°C | 71 mm | 12h 00m |
| ✓April, peak season | 22.7°C | 28.1°C | 25.8°C | 131 mm | 12h 37m |
| ★May, cheap sweet spot | 26.4°C | 32°C | 29.3°C | 214 mm | 13h 08m |
| June, in-between | 28.5°C | 33.6°C | 30.8°C | 193 mm | 13h 25m |
| July, in-between | 27.9°C | 32.8°C | 30°C | 275 mm | 13h 18m |
| August, in-between | 27.2°C | 32.2°C | 29.4°C | 349 mm | 12h 51m |
| ✕September, avoid | 26.1°C | 31.3°C | 28.4°C | 238 mm | 12h 17m |
| ✕October, avoid | 23.6°C | 28.9°C | 25.9°C | 158 mm | 11h 41m |
| ✕November, avoid | 20.9°C | 25.8°C | 23.2°C | 64 mm | 11h 09m |
| December, in-between | 15.9°C | 20.6°C | 18.2°C | 44 mm | 10h 52m |
Twelve months in order. Tap any heading to sort by it — the driest month, the longest day, the afternoon closest to the one you like.
The colour is the month, not the weather: ★ cheap sweet spot · ✓ peak season · in-between · ✕ avoid.
Temperature and rainfall are ERA5. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of this information. Daylight: MET Norway, measured on the 15th of each month — the sun does not change, so that figure is exact rather than an average. Rainfall is a monthly total; daylight is sunset minus sunrise.
Right now
Loading the forecast…
North and south differ; the centre floods Sep–Nov.
A closer look
Vietnam in a bit more detail
Cheap, easy to get around, and one of the best places in Asia to eat.
What it costs — our estimate
These are estimates, not quotes. Researched by hand in pounds for two people travelling together, August 2026. A figure like this can never be exact — it moves with the season, the exchange rate and how you travel — so treat it as a starting point and put your own numbers into how long would your money last.
What it's like
Da Nang is the base most long-stayers pick: a proper city with a long beach attached, fast internet, a big community of people working online, and an active animal-rescue scene. Hoi An and its lantern-lit old town are half an hour down the road. Worth knowing before you pack: drones are effectively banned.
Worth knowing
The central coast floods in typhoon season, roughly September to December. The month strip above already accounts for it.
One of four countries we've researched in depth so far, because they're the ones we're going to first. Visas, entry rules and health are deliberately not covered here — they change constantly and getting them wrong matters, so we link to the official pages instead of restating them.
Getting in, and staying safe
Visas, entry rules and health — the official pages
Entry rules, visa requirements, vaccinations and safety advice for Vietnam all live on the pages below. Each one goes straight to Vietnam, not to a search box.
We link to official sources and stop there. We do not check, summarise, rank or verify them — always read the official page itself before you travel, and read the one for your own nationality. We are an independent site with no government connection.
At a glance
The practical bits
| Plug types | A, C, F, G |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 220V |
| Emergency numbers * | 113, 114, 115 |
| Currency | Vietnamese đồng (VND ₫) |
| Language | Vietnamese |
| Dialling code | +84 |
| Driving | On the right |
| Coastline | 3,444 km of coastline |
Loading either connects your browser to Google Maps.
* Emergency numbers can change, and can vary by region within a country. Always confirm with your accommodation or the nearest embassy before you travel.
One way to see it
AdOrganised tours and day trips in Vietnam, on Viator — a way to see what is bookable and what other people rated. We earn a commission if you book through that link, and you pay exactly the same either way. We do not choose, rank or check what appears there, and nothing on this page changes because of it.
Worth knowing
The bits you learn in your first week
Getting around
- Grab is the everyday answer — cars and motorbike taxis, fixed price in the app, no haggling. It works everywhere tourists go.
- Airport arrivals: walk past anyone offering a 'taxi' and use the Grab pick-up point, or the official metered ranks (Mai Linh and Vinasun are the trusted firms).
- Scooters: Vietnam accepts the 1968-convention IDP (the Post Office sells both kinds — you need the 1968 one) AND your UK licence must carry a motorbike category. An A1-level licence only covers up to 125cc since 2025. No licence = fines now 6–8 million dong and, far worse, your insurance is void.
- The practical answer: if your licence doesn't carry the motorbike category, don't ride. A Grab motorbike taxi gives you the same wind-in-your-hair for about £1 a trip and none of the exposure.
Money and ATMs
- VPBank ATMs: no fee and up to 10,000,000₫ per withdrawal — the ones to hunt for.
- Vietcombank charges ~50,000₫; TPBank switched in mid-2025 from free to ~3.3% — avoid.
- Most other ATMs cap at 2–3 million per go, so fees stack up fast on small withdrawals.
- Always press 'decline conversion' if offered pounds — paying 'in GBP' is a 3–6% fee in disguise.
Staying online
- Airalo eSIM: about $11 for 5GB/30 days — buy before you land so you're online at the airport.
- Settling in for weeks? A local Viettel SIM is the best coverage in the country (over half the market, strongest outside cities). Bring your passport to the shop.
- Vinaphone is the city alternative; Mobifone fine in towns.
A few words of Vietnamese
| English | Vietnamese | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Xin chào | sin chow |
| Thank you | Cảm ơn | gahm uhn |
| Yes / No | Vâng / Không | vung / khome |
| How much? | Bao nhiêu tiền? | bow nyew tee-en |
| Too expensive! | Đắt quá! | daht kwah |
| English | Vietnamese | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Xin chào | sin chow |
| Thank you | Cảm ơn | gahm uhn |
| Yes / No | Vâng / Không | vung / khome |
| How much? | Bao nhiêu tiền? | bow nyew tee-en |
| Too expensive! | Đắt quá! | daht kwah |
| Delicious! | Ngon quá! | ngon kwah |
| Not spicy please | Không cay | khome kai |
| Where is the toilet? | Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? | nya vay sin uh dow |
| Help! | Cứu tôi với! | koo toy voy |
| Sorry / Excuse me | Xin lỗi | sin loy |
| No plastic bag | Không túi nilon | khome too-ee nee-lon |
| The bill, please | Tính tiền | ting tee-en |
| Water | Nước | nook |
| Beer | Bia | bee-a |
| Chicken / Beef / Pork | Gà / Bò / Heo | gah / boh / hay-oh |
| I don't understand | Tôi không hiểu | toy khome hee-oo |
| Go / Stop (taxi) | Đi / Dừng lại | dee / zung lie |
| One / Two / Three | Một / Hai / Ba | moht / hi / bah |
| Goodbye | Tạm biệt | tam byet |
| It's beautiful here | Đẹp quá | dep kwah |
Researched by hand, last checked Aug 2026. Fees, licence rules and app coverage change often — treat this as a starting point and check anything that would cost you money or cover.