Vietnam through the year, band by band

The three bands

Almost every route crosses at least two of the country's three weather bands, so read the trip as a whole:

• The north, around Hanoi and the bay, has four seasons: cool and drizzly in winter, hot with storms in summer.
• The centre, around Da Nang and Hoi An, is warm most of the year; autumn is the wet stretch on that coast.
• The south, Saigon and the delta, is hot all year, with the rain concentrated from May to October.

The two windows that suit a whole country

October to November and March to April are the stretches where a route from north to south tends to work: both ends are usually settled, and the centre is between its weather.

Tet, the lunar new year, lands in late January or February depending on the year. It moves the whole country: transport and rooms fill early, and some family kitchens close for the week. Plan around it, or plan for it deliberately and book well ahead.

If your window is fixed

• Summer works in the north with afternoon storms built into the plan; the centre is at its driest then.
• Autumn is the centre's wet stretch and the north's clearer run; keep the coast flexible by a day or two.
• Winter is the south's dry season and the north's grey stretch; pack for both if you cross both.

Read the local page

Each destination page carries its own months and the honest caveats. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh Cityare the ones this site covers so far.