Vietnam Rainy Season: Guide to Avoid Wet & Flood

When it comes to Vietnam's rainy season, many people will hesitate to visit as they expect ferocious thunderstorms and cloudbursts. Nevertheless, in fact, it is not like what they think. On visiting Vietnam during the rainy season, tourists may have to face heavy rains but they can still have a good chance to explore many other interesting activities. Just check out the weather carefully, choose the places wisely, and well prepared, you can still have a truly memorable trip to our beautiful country.

Vietnam rainy season

Vietnam Rainy Season by region

As the weather in Vietnam features different regions, the rainy season varies with each region. Below is an overview of the monsoon in three parts of the country. 

North

North Vietnam's rainy season falls between May and October, parallels summer and the beginning of Autumn. During this time, it is hot and sunny with the temperature varying from 28°C to 38°C (sometimes reaching the peak of 40°C), which makes it the hottest rainy season of all. 

The average rainfall of Northern Vietnam in this period is about 300 mm. Usually, the North’s monsoon will last from 2 to 3 weeks and be harsher between July and October. However, this does not mean that there will be no rain in the remaining months as unexpected rains are always expected throughout the time. In May, when a little of spring is still, there are innocuous drizzles that even help relieve the heat. Moving next to summer, from July to September, downpours come fast and go fast as well for about half an hour. Then, in autumn, the rain can last up to 30 days. 

North Vietnam rainy season

Central

Due to climatic differences between East and West, the Central Vietnam monsoon is divided into two periods. One set in around September to December in the coastal plains. The other occurs earlier from May to August in the mountains. During this time, it usually comes with severe storms that cause floods. These floods prevent tourists from sight-seeing activities. During the rainy season, tourists sometimes need to use a small boat to travel around, which might be an interesting experience. Hue and Nha Trang have rain between September and December while Da Nang and Hoi An encounter a large amount of rain between October and December. You may see a flooding scene at the end of the year when local people have to travel by boat to reach their destinations.

Central Vietnam rainy season

South

The rainy season often starts between April and September or October in Southern Vietnam. During this time, June, July, and August have the highest levels of rain. The average rainfall is around 11 inches per month, which is more than other areas you visit the entire year. However the rainy in south Vietnam normally heavy and short, no rain takes longer than 3 hours so it doesn't influent much on your travel. A small tip if you visit the South of Vietnam during the rainy season: only visit Cu Chi Tunnel in the morning because the rain normally happens in the afternoon.

South Vietnam rainy season

Should you travel to Vietnam during the rainy season?

If you are wondering that should you travel to Vietnam in the rainy season, my answer is yes, you should travel and experience something very different. Hereunder are some unique points you can get & what you can do when traveling during Vietnam rainy season:

1. Lowest budget ever

As during monsoon, the number of tourists visiting Vietnam is pretty small, you can have a chance to enjoy your vacation with a low budget. Usually, tourism at this time is not at its peak. You can have your service at quite a reasonable price but the service is still good enough to meet your demand.

2. It Great time to experience local culture & take beautiful shots under the rain

You will see the real local life how they live during the rainy season. You might see many interesting activities that locals do to avoid the rain that you haven't seen before. If lucky, you can catch many interesting photos of locals in the rain.

3. Admiring the beauty of antique buildings as well as the old streets 

The hidden beauty of the capital of Vietnam under the rain is absolutely one of a kind. You can feel a little nostalgic when drinking a cup of coffee and admiring the old sceneries of Vietnam. If you love photography, you can take a lot of wonderful shots here. Some recommended places for you are the Old Quarter in Hanoi, Hoi An, and Da Nang.

4. Learning about architectural works 

The rain cannot prevent you from admiring the complex of religious and cultural architects like churches, pagodas, and mausoleums in Vietnam. You can still get lots of insights into Vietnamese history through those kinds of activities. Different places will have different popular tourist destinations for you to explore. So, don’t forget to check out some of them!

5. Participating in Vietnamese cooking classes 

If you are a food lover and you want to create that food by yourself, join a cooking class is an ideal option for you in the rainy season. Contact the local chef and prepare all the necessary ingredients, you will be instructed how to cook perfectly in detail while making friends with lots of Vietnamese. Before that, you can go to the market to feel the real atmosphere of Vietnam here. Both the sellers and the buyers are busy with their purchases. The products are diverse; however, you need to learn how to bargain when deciding to buy anything.

Bring umbrellas or rain coach to avoid rain

Tip to travel during the rainy season 

Every trip needs your preparation and weather check before traveling. If you are going to Vietnam during the rainy season let's remember the list below: 

• First, you have to check the weather forecast carefully before starting your trip
• Hats & raincoats are always the most important thing that you have to bring along because rain can set in anytime. To avoid catching a cold, you have to bring them with you everywhere
• Pack simple clothes that are easy to dry along with slippers and waterproof backpacks. They are super convenient in this kind of weather. A lot of Vietnamese do that when it comes to rainy days. 
• For those who are vulnerable to weather, bringing along some bills is recommended, in case, you get allergic to the weather or headache due to the rain. 
• Bring a clear bag to include your important documents such as passport, identity card, visa, and so on. By doing this, you can prevent them from getting wet due to the rain. 
• Prepare an insect repellent because of the rainy season, the atmosphere will be wet and humid. Therefore, there will be a lot of insects in the surrounding environment. 
• Slippers are better to travel during the rainy season rather than shoes. 
• Vietnam's rainy season is appealing to travelers, compared to other ones. During this time, you can get some benefits from here as the prices will be more reasonable. Thus, you can have a more comfortable trip with friends and family.

Above are our recommendations for the Vietnam rainy season. For more detailed information, please go to our website. We are always available to help and give you some useful advice.

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Vana Pham 

Image source: Internet