graceeo

Hi all,
My family is planning about a 2 week trip to Vietnam in December. We are currently starting our trip in Hanoi and from there taking a 2 day 1 night Halong Bay cruise and spending either 2 or 3 days in Sapa. We are now trying to decide how to spend the second week of our trip, Hoi An or Phu Quoc? I know these are two very different places, but both have different draws for us. We love the looks of ancient town Hoi an as well as the opportunity to visit the My Son ruins, take boat rides down the river, see the lanterns and walk through the markets, but the beaches and jungle of Phu Quoc look hard to beat. We could compromise for the beaches near Hoi An, we are just worried that the weather won't be the best. We don't mind a little colder temperatures (around 70-75 degrees fahrenheit mid day) but would like to avoid as much rain and cloudy skies as we can. Would late december be an good time to visit Hoi An and spend some time on the beaches there, or would Phu Quoc Be a better option. I would hate to miss Hoi An, seeing as how it is the place I am most looking forward to seeing, but if it means getting rained on and flooded in the whole time...

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

crellston

As far as weather is concerned, December is towards the end of the rainy season in central Vietnam it should be ok towards the end of the month. That said, nothing is certain these days. We were in Hoi an for New Years a few years back and the we the was pretty mixed. Some rain, some sun but reasonable temps -circa 20-25c. You may get some rain but i doubt you will get flooded!

The south is into its best weather in December. We spent last December in HCMC and the Mekong delta and had fantastic weather. Pleasant temps, blue skies and, most importantly, low humidity. Phu Quoc will get similar weather and will definitely be better for the beach than Hoi An.

Hoi An is a very pleasant town, very quaint and picturesque, but it does get overrun with visitors. A 2-4 days would be enough. I found the beaches less than impressive and a few are subject to pretty bad erosion in recent years.

matran12a19

I ever experienced quite a few places in Vietnam and I totally agree with Crellston. From October to December, Hoi An is in the rainy season. If you visit Hoi An in December, it is possible that you will have chances to travel around Hoi An Ancient Town by boat but certainly rains will become a big obstacle in your travel plan.

olivervf

December can be a storm, the central region is a lot of storm. But the south is the good climate.

LancasterLad

We were holed-up for the majority of 5 days in Hue last September due to an enduring tropical depression.

While the weather curtailed much of what we wanted to do, it didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves.

What did we do? Well, we simply found the best places in town where we could sit, eat and drink, and watch how the local people deal with severe inclement weather.

Ingenious they are, entertaining it was.

Don't let the weather put you off, but I'd hesitate to book any activities or tours in advance.