Vietnam Weather in December and January: Where It's Warm and Dry

There is no single answer to “what’s the weather in Vietnam in December?”. In the north it is winter, the centre is finishing its rainy season and the south is in the dry season. One airflow explains it all — the north-east monsoon — and it rains on some regions while bringing sunshine and wind to others.

The short version

• Warm and dry: the south — Mui Ne and Phan Thiet, Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc, Con Dao. About 30 °C by day, sea 25–27 °C, hardly any rain.
• Warm but wet: Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue, especially in December. Nha Trang is borderline and improves in January.
• Cool: Hanoi and Halong Bay around 18–20 °C by day; Sapa can drop close to freezing at night.
• Windy: the southern coast, Mui Ne above all — this is peak kite season.

Why: the north-east monsoon

From November to March cold air from Siberia and China flows south towards the equator. In the north it brings cool, drizzly days. Over the South China Sea it picks up moisture and hits the Truong Son mountains along the central coast, which is why October to December is the wettest time in Da Nang and Hue. Further south the coastline turns and the mountains fall back, so the air arrives dry — and accelerates along the Binh Thuan coast. That is the steady wind kitesurfers come to Mui Ne for.

Region by region

Region	Daytime air	Rain	Sea
Hanoi, Halong Bay	18–20 °C	drizzle, overcast	too cold to swim
Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An	23–25 °C	frequent, esp. December	rough
Nha Trang	27–28 °C	frequent in Dec, less in Jan	sometimes rough
Mui Ne, Phan Thiet	about 30 °C	almost none	25–27 °C, windy
Ho Chi Minh City	31–32 °C	almost none	—
Phu Quoc	30–31 °C	almost none	calm, 27 °C

These are long-term averages; any given year can differ, so check the forecast a week before you fly.

Mui Ne in December and January

Mui Ne is one of the driest places in Vietnam. Expect sunshine, around 30 °C and wind most days, usually 18–25 knots, lighter in the morning and building towards midday. It is the best season of the year for kitesurfing and wingfoiling, with wind swell for surfing early in the day. Live conditions are on our wind and webcam page.

What it means for your trip

For guaranteed sunshine over the holidays, go south. For sunshine plus something active, go to Mui Ne — the same wind that spoils beach days in Da Nang makes it the best kite season of the year here. Holiday packages with a beachfront stay and lessons are on the New Year in Mui Ne page.