Vietnam in July/August
Jul 3rd, 2019, 03:36 PM
#1
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Vietnam in July/August
My husband and I have time to travel from mid-July to mid-August. How bad is the rain during this time? How bad is the humidity as well? I have rheumatoid arthritis which hasn't acted up in years but am a little concerned about it kicking in with really bad humidity.
I'm also wondering how spontaneous we can be with our travel once we are there or if it all should be pre-planned.
What is the best way to get around the country? Train, plane or car?
Is English spoken widely?
Thank you in advance.
I'm also wondering how spontaneous we can be with our travel once we are there or if it all should be pre-planned.
What is the best way to get around the country? Train, plane or car?
Is English spoken widely?
Thank you in advance.
Jul 3rd, 2019, 08:45 PM
#2
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Hot (30-40°) and humid everywhere ; avoid the South because it is big monsoon time. Cooler inn the northern mountains
English current
Long distances such as Hue-Hanoi covered by night train if any (it saves a precious day of visit); if not, flights if any. Impossible for a tourist to drive a car, so, it is car + river, which is quite expensive (80-100$ a day)
English current
Long distances such as Hue-Hanoi covered by night train if any (it saves a precious day of visit); if not, flights if any. Impossible for a tourist to drive a car, so, it is car + river, which is quite expensive (80-100$ a day)
Jul 3rd, 2019, 09:20 PM
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The weather is anyone’s guess these days, but generally speaking it is going to be wetter in the south which is in the grip of the rainy season (but we have not found it too bad at that time of year). It is summer in the north, less rain, but probably higher temperatures. It is nearly always humid in much of SE Asia but we have never found it too uncomfortable. The best weather will likely be in Central Vietnam. For a good synopsis of the weather, I find this tour operators site helpful https://www.selectiveasia.com/vietna...s/weather/july. .
It won’t rain all day and every day but you will see some rain, sometimes quite heavy.
Getting around is pretty easy and cheap. In July and August it is the school holidays so trains especially, can get booked up weeks in advance. However, much as I love travelling by train in Vietnam (it is my preferred method of travel for all sorts of reasons) I would question whether it is for you if suffering from arthritis. The longer journeys are overnight and the sleeper berths, whilst adequate, are not the most comfortable. There are some photos of the berths on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/2015/01...noi-to-saigon/ . Flights are cheap and for shorter distances, say < 2/300 Kms, hiring a car and driver can be the best option. Avoid the buses like the plague!
Vietnam is a great place for spontaneous travel, at least as far as accommodation is concerned. There will always be somewhere to stay. Few places get completely booked out in advance. We tend to either book fully cancelable places using booking.com or just find somewhere on arrival. Flights may be an issue at that time of year for the previously stated reasons, but I have limited experience of booking flights at that time of year.
These days, English is quite widely spoken and it is really easy to travel independently. A link to our blog of some of our time in Vietnam which may be of some help in planning where you may want to go https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/
It won’t rain all day and every day but you will see some rain, sometimes quite heavy.
Getting around is pretty easy and cheap. In July and August it is the school holidays so trains especially, can get booked up weeks in advance. However, much as I love travelling by train in Vietnam (it is my preferred method of travel for all sorts of reasons) I would question whether it is for you if suffering from arthritis. The longer journeys are overnight and the sleeper berths, whilst adequate, are not the most comfortable. There are some photos of the berths on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/2015/01...noi-to-saigon/ . Flights are cheap and for shorter distances, say < 2/300 Kms, hiring a car and driver can be the best option. Avoid the buses like the plague!
Vietnam is a great place for spontaneous travel, at least as far as accommodation is concerned. There will always be somewhere to stay. Few places get completely booked out in advance. We tend to either book fully cancelable places using booking.com or just find somewhere on arrival. Flights may be an issue at that time of year for the previously stated reasons, but I have limited experience of booking flights at that time of year.
These days, English is quite widely spoken and it is really easy to travel independently. A link to our blog of some of our time in Vietnam which may be of some help in planning where you may want to go https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/
Jul 4th, 2019, 12:08 AM
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crellston Thank you for your thorough reply! The site for the weather is amazing and your blog looks great and I'll spend more time on it. So are you saying Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi and the Sapa Countryside would be out because of the rain? What about the following places: Halong Bay, Hue, My Son, Hoi An, Ba Be National Park, Can Tho? Thanks so much for helping. I really appreciate it!
Jul 4th, 2019, 12:31 AM
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You are very welcome Amy.
No I am not saying they should be avoided, lust that you can expect some rain and it will be v. hot in the south. A few days in HCMC coupled with a trip to the delta would be nice- Can Tho, Ben Are - Chau Doc are all great places.
An ideal time for central Vietnam weather wise. Hue, Hoi An/My Son are good at that time of year and I would highly recommend Phong Nha Ke Be for the caves - even with arthritis, some of the caves are reasonably easily accessed.
The only place I would possible avoid would be Ba Be and Halong - neither would be much fun in the rain. We have been knee deep in water in Hanoi at that time of year but only briefly! Maybe take a look at the Mai Chau valley or Ninh Binh, the latter being oft described as Halong on land.
No I am not saying they should be avoided, lust that you can expect some rain and it will be v. hot in the south. A few days in HCMC coupled with a trip to the delta would be nice- Can Tho, Ben Are - Chau Doc are all great places.
An ideal time for central Vietnam weather wise. Hue, Hoi An/My Son are good at that time of year and I would highly recommend Phong Nha Ke Be for the caves - even with arthritis, some of the caves are reasonably easily accessed.
The only place I would possible avoid would be Ba Be and Halong - neither would be much fun in the rain. We have been knee deep in water in Hanoi at that time of year but only briefly! Maybe take a look at the Mai Chau valley or Ninh Binh, the latter being oft described as Halong on land.
