farrahp

Hello there. I'm a first-time poster who wants to thank all of you for all the valuable information on Vietnam - and also ask a question.

I'm currently in Hanoi and trying to plan my next move. We will be in Hanoi until November 25 and then have time to spend in Vietnam until December 1. We want to visit Hue and/or Hoi An, but we have heard that the weather right now is rainy in that area (and even flooding in Hue).

Can anyone tell me what the weather is like right now in each of those places? Is it cool or warm, rainy or dry? If rainy, is it constant rain or just short showers here and there?

And if it is rainy, do you think that it detracts from the experience and we would be better served going straight from Hanoi to Saigon? From what we have heard, it would be best to concentrate on either Hue/Hoi An or Saigon, but not try to squeeze both in during the roughly 5-6 days we have remaining - do you agree?

Any information will help. Thanks!

Voyageuse

Farrahp, I'm not in the Hoi An or Hue area (or even in Vienam for that matter!) so I cannot give you the weather firsthand, but the following two sites should give you some indication of the forecast for Hue:

http://weather.cnn.com/weather/forec...p?locCode=VVPB

http://www.weather.com

connette

We are in Hoi An now after 2 days in Hue. Yes, it is raining, but I would not let that detour my plans. I do not mind rain though - prefer it to extreme heat for sure. It is warm - maybe 80ish and the rain is mostly light and on and off. Every once in awhile it rains hard for about 5 minutes. In Hue in particular, it really added to the beauty of all of the wonderful temples and mausaleums. I would not miss Hue. It was really special. Today (Saturday) and Wednesday they have no cars and motorbikes for 3 four hour periods in the city center of Hoi An. Very pleasant. My Son was also very special. If rain ruins your vacation though - you will be disappointed I am afraid. People in both places and Vietnam in general are beyond friendly. Always smiling. Also, we saw virtually no garbage in Halong Bay. Maybe it has to do with the current. They do dump alot of raw sewage though. Would not swim there myself.

Subway_Scoundrel

I am in Hoi An right now and even though it has rained, it is not bad. They sell rain covers very cheap and unbrellas. No way that should keep you away. Just like Conette said, don't let that stop you. For Connette, I think we ate lunch together today at Good Morning Vietnam, the italian restaurant in the market area ( and saw you and your husband at the Morin in Hue.) Good Pizza !! (only western food I have eaten for a week here)

This is a great area and it does rain a lot here during this time, but don't let that stop you.

Connette, will probably see you and your husband in HCMC. I will be the guy with all the luggage with all the stuff I bought !!

Pam1951

We just got back. We were in Hue for three days and the temperature was great. I think it was in the 60's or low 70's. It did rain quite a bit but that did not stop us from enjoying the citadel or tombs. We did a DMZ tour one day and only experienced rain at the end. We were thrilled with the weather after spending five nights in Saigon where it was extremely hot and muggy. HoiAn was also cooler than Saigon, but not as cool as Hue. It was probably around 70 and it did rain each day, but only for a part of the day. It was extremely humid there but that is OK when it isn't 85 degrees outside. We had a wonderful time in both HoiAn and Hue.

Pam

Pam1951

I just realized I did not respond to your question. If I had five or six days to spend, I would probably concentrate on Hue and HoiAn. Although Saigon does have some great tourist sites (CuChi tunnels, Mekong boat ride, War Museum) it is a much more frantic paced place to be plus it is so hot and humid there. Hue and HoiAn are much smaller and easier to navigate in my opinion.

Pam