best timeof year for Vietnam
 

I have checked weatherbase and some other sites and am confused as to the best timeof year to visit Vietnam. I don't like hot hot weather but know that I have to endure it to visit HCM, and that Hanoi is cool in Jan-Mar. However, the rainy season seems to vary also. If I am going for 2-3 weeks, what month is best?

I would go between october-november, nice and cool. although december-february can be quite good as well (weather wise), there usually be a lot of Vietnamese from overseas flying back to visit their hometown for chirstmas and tet. very crowded. I wouldn't go between april-july as it would be too humid and the rain can pour all day 7 days a week.

i have been to vn several times as my brother lives there. there are two seasons in vn - very hot, and unbearably hot. (and sometimes wet mixed in). i think the wet season starts later in may and you do not want to be in the south during that time.<BR>remember: bring ONLY cool, very tropical clothes, ALWAYS have a bottle of water with you which you can buy on the streets (only bottled though) and the national drink for cooling the heals is: lemon fizz drink, and always walk on the SHADY side of the street. do not expose yourself unnecessarily to the heat of the sun.<BR>in southeast asia you can NOT avoid heat - but it's worth the trip.<BR>hanoi is not much cooler, it is inland quite a bit - but hanoi is much more charming than ho chi min.<BR>be careful crossing the streets! you do not want to be hit by a bike - and the hospitals do NOT have a/c.<BR>you can always slip in to a hotel lobby for some a/c if you're out and about and get overheated.

We went in January and thought it was a good choice; Hanoi was comfortable, Ho Chi Minh//Hue//Hoi Ann hot but not uncomfortably so. SaPa, in the mountains, was downright cold at night. The only drawback was that we didn't go to Halong Bay because everyone who had been said it was cool, drizzly and foggy there.<BR>

lots of opinions u're getting!<BR><BR>vn is a very long country north to south, so no matter what month u go u'll find variations in weather. i can spk mostly abt hcmc--lived there 4 years til recently, making a couple of cross-country trips and flying on business btwn hanoi and hcmc a half-dozen times. here are some generalizations.<BR><BR>in hcmc i think the coolest month is december (hanoi then will be cool to chilly--it's abt 10 degrees more northern in latitude). this was the month i often didn't need air conditioning. things start heating up quickly in january, by which time rainy season has ended.<BR><BR>i like rainy season a lot better than dry season bc the temperatures tend to be cooler. in dry season, roughly jan thru may, the heat builds and builds w/o a drop in sight. during rainy season u can expect brief downpours on most afternoons. by 'brief,' i mean when the winds suddenly blow up, locals know to pull over to the side of the road and wait out the drops--sometimes 15, 30 minutes, sometimes an hour. watching the rain from a cafe over an iced espresso or limeade was a favorite thing for me. during rainy season everybody carries a long rain poncho (sold everywhere for abt $2) and is careful not to wear their best shoes. and hcmc is so sprawling that while it seems to rain every day somewhere, it doesn't always rain where u are.<BR><BR>in general, when hcmc is hot, hanoi is even hotter (this surprised me); and when hcmc is cool, hanoi is cooler if not downright cold. exception is winter months (hanoi having a winter and hcmc none): a friend once flew into hanoi in february wearing a t-shirt, only to hear in the landing announcement that it was 9 degrees celsius outside.<BR><BR>in the latter part of rainy season, it usually floods somewhere in the country. just be prepared to be flexible. for some reason i've had bad luck in october--once parts of hue were flooded, closing off some tombs and monuments, and once streets in danang were flooded.<BR><BR>hope some of this helps.

How about in August - what would the weather in Hanoi be like? Has anyone stayed at the Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel - would you recommend it? Thanks.

To Lia.<BR><BR>The weather is hot and sunny now in Hanoi. Hanoi Hilton is one of the best hotel in Hanoi with 05 international star standard, located in the center of Hanoi. I believe you will like it.<BR><BR>Thuong in Hanoi, Vietnam

Thanks Thuong! What points of interest/attractions would you recommend the most in Hanoi?

Lia,<BR><BR>For that class of hotel, I would actually recommend the Metropole hOtel over the Hilton. While the Hilton is definitely larger, I think that the Metropole is better in terms of ambiance and service. Just my two cents. Have a great time in Hanoi! Don't miss the old quarter and the newly restored Opera House.

Most of tourist attractions in Hanoi are: The Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and surround. Jade Temple on the island in Hoan Kiem Lake, Some museums - the most recommended is Vietnam Ethnographical Museum. Do not miss Ha Long bay tour.<BR><BR>Hilton Hotel and Sofitel Metropole is two top hotel in Hanoi. And I prefer Sofitel.<BR><BR>The weather today is wet. rainning. But I think It could be improved.<BR><BR>Bst rgds.<BR>

My sister, Jen, stayed at Metropole in Hanoi and she LOVED it. She said she felt like Catherine Deneuve in "Indochine." And I don't think it is expensive by American standards, with rooms going for only $125 a night.<BR><BR>The Hanoi Opera is also a fantastic hotel. A friend's daughter stayed there last year and recommended it highly to her mother, who only stays at the best hotels.

Plan to be in Vietnam late December, early January. Going to Hanoi, Danang, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City, etc on a tour. How cool does it get? From the things I've read I thought it was always hot - 80 to 90 degree F.