December is winter in northern Vietnam, is the rainy season with cold temperatures in the Central Coast, is the dry season with pleasant or cool temperatures in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam.
Monsoons and General Weather Patterns in Vietnam in December
1/ The General weather patterns in Vietnam in December
In December, northern Vietnam has mostly windy weather with pleasant, chilly or cold temperatures. There are days with mild sunshine or clouds ; this is fog or mist in the mountain in the early morning or late afternoon.
There are rarely tropical depressions and/or typhoons in Vietnam in December, if any, it is more likely to have impact on the Central Region of Vietnam or southern Vietnam.
In the Central Coast of Vietnam, December is often the rainy season. The rain tends to be lighter than November but is still long-lasting.
In December, the Northeasterly Wind blows in the North and in the Central Coast of Vietnam. In the latter region, the wind causes long-lasting rain ; in the former region it is often cold and dry weather.
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam are to have very small rainfalls in December if any ; it is more likely you get sunshine with pleasant temperatures in these two regions. The temperatures range from pleasant to chilly, cold in the Central Highlands, pleasant in southern Vietnam.
2/ Monsoons in Vietnam in December
The prevalent winds which affect different places in Vietnam in December :
- The Northeasterly Wind causes dry weather and cool or cold temperatures in northern Vietnam, rainy weather in the Central Coast of Vietnam, dry weather with pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam.
There may be rain in the North when a spell of the Northeasterly Wind first hit.
- In December, the Southwesterly Wind starts getting less active and the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam tend to have more influence from the Northeasterly Wind which causes dry weather and pleasant temperatures.
Adventure Travel, Nature Tours, Bird Watching Tours, Photo Tours in Vietnam in December
1/ Hiking Tours, Mountain Trekking Tours
December is among the best time time for hiking tours or mountain trekking trips in northern Vietnam and in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Northern Vietnam enjoys winter weather with cold temperatures and very dry air (relative humidity of 40-45%). High mountains in the North often offers spectacular clouds and fog which make your photos more of unreal scenes. If you plan to take a hike or trek in the far-northern mountains, it is recommended to bring along warm clothes as it can get real cold on mountain tops. There may be frosts or snow in the second half of December.
In some year, it still rains lightly in the Central Highlands at the beginning of December. But the light and short-lived rain should not negatively affect your trekking or hiking trips in this region.
2/ Adventure Tours
The lowland of Northern Vietnam including Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh is a great place for general adventure tours in December as the temperatures are more likely to be very pleasant in this region. And it is more likely that northern Vietnam has sunshine or cloudy weather in most of the month. Beautiful breezes or strong winds are expected.
In the Central Coast of Vietnam it is more likely to be chilly or cold temperatures with long-lasting rain. But the rain in this region in December is lighter than that in November.
In the Central Highlands, December is the start of the dry season. The temperatures range from pleasant to chilly, or cold in certain places on high altitudes. This is the best time for adventure tours and all other outdoor travel activities.
Southern Vietnam is to experience pleasant temperatures most of the month. It is the dry season in this region and the strong Northeasterly Wind may cause cool temperatures in the early morning on some days of December.
3/ Birding Trips and Bird Watching Tours
December is among the best times for birding in the North of Vietnam, in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam.
December is not a good time to go birding in the Central Region of Vietnam due to rain and thick fog in the mountains.
In northern Vietnam, it is cold temperatures and most migratory bird species have been present. Birds including resident species and migratory ones are active and gregarious in December. Your birding in northern Vietnam is more likely to be great experiences.
December is also a great time for birding in southern Vietnam given the dry season and pleasant temperatures, the presence of several migratory bird species. In the Mekong Delta, there is still abundant food after the flood season, hence still abudant food available for birds.
In the Central Highlands of Vietnam,it is often great experiences to observe birds with representatives from native to migratory species.
In the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam, trees start shedding leaves in the dry season and foliage gets thinner : it is far easier to observe more bird species !
Birding sites in Vietnam in December :
- Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh) : resident birds and migratory bird species.
- Van Long Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh): resident and migratory storks and waterfowls.
- Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh Province : water birds, more migratory species.
- Da Lat, Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Deo Nui Sam at Di Linh (Lam Dong, Central Highlands) : among the best time for birding and bird-watching tours.
- Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai, Southern Vietnam) : December is among the best times for birding and bird watching at Cat Tien National Park given the pleasant temperatures and presence of many bird species : resident and migratory species.
4/ Family Tours
Generally speaking, families should have a good time traveling in Vietnam in December, provided you do not travel to the Central Region.
5/ Island Holidays
December is not really a recommended time to make trips to the islands in Vietnam. The reason is the sea is often rough, and sea exploration tours are not operational due to the weather.
6/ Beach Vacations
In Northern Vietnam, Sam Son Beach, Cua Lo Beach or the beaches on islands in Northern Vietnam have cold temperatures ; rough sea is expected though. The beaches are empty this month.
And those beaches in the South of the Central Coast have mostly rainy weather alternated by cloudy weather, with pleasant temperatures : Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Ninh Chu, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet.
If you travel to Southern Vietnam then you December try Vung Tau Beach, Long Hai Beach and Ho Tram Beach (all in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province). You can have pleasant temperatures with some sun and clouds, very little or no rain.
Below are reviews of the Weather in Vietnam in December 2024 Monitored by AdventureGreen
In the second and third week of December 2024, there were landslides at the An Khe Pass between Pleiku and Quy Nhon and the Khanh Le Pass between Da Lat and Nha Trang. The latter was a serious landslide which blocked the road for a few days with lots of rock and soil.
1/ First week of December, 2024
At the beginning of December, northern Vietnam continued to have lovely sunshine and pleasant temperatures ; the Central Coast had light rain ; the Central Highlands had sunshine and pleasant temperatures ; and southern Vietnam had sunshine with pleasant temperatures mostly, slightly warm temperatures at mid day.
The the middle of the first week of December 2024, northern Vietnam received a strong spell of the Northeasterly Wind which caused a drop in temperatures across the region and the weather pattern in northern Vietnam shifts into the winter. There was isolated in different places in the North.
Due to the strong Northeasterly Wind, the Central Coast had heavy rain, and the Central Highlands had rain in some areas, and southern Vietnam had dry weather mostly.
Regional weather at the beginning of the first week of December 2024 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, rain, 16-23/11-16oC;
- Northwest : clouds, rain, 21-25/15-20oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai , 16-20/11-16oC in Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 18-24/12-18oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 11-21/17oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, some rain, 21-27/16-22oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, rain, 21-27/16-24oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : clouds, rain, 21--27oC in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : clouds, rain, 23-27oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): clouds, rain, 25-27/28oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): sun, clouds, rain, 24-30oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): sun, clouds, rain, 24-30oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : sun, clouds, rain, 19-29oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; 21-27oC in Dak Lak; 17-26oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, rain, 24-32oC ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta : Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, An Giang) : sun, clouds, rain, 25-32/33oC.
Con Dao Islands : sun, clouds, rain, 26-30oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : sun, clouds, rain, 25-30oC ;
2/ Second week of December, 2024
It is worth noting that the winter in northern Vietnam started only from the second week of December which is from three weeks to a month later than usual ! This certainly had impact on bird migration in Vietnam in 2024 !
There was really strong spell of the cold Northeasterly Wind in northern Vietnam starting from the beginning of the second week of December. And it was the beginning of the winter now. All previous spells of this winter monsoon were not as strong as forecast. The temperatures were cold in the North, chilly to cold in the Central Coast, pleasant or chilly in the Central Highlands and pleasant in southern Vietnam.
Due to the strong Northeasterly Wind, the Central Coast had heavy rain, and the Central Highlands had rain in some areas, and southern Vietnam had dry weather mostly.
Regional weather at the beginning of the second week of December 2024 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 6-22oC;
- Northwest : clouds, some isolated light rain, 12-24oC in Hoa Binh, 9-22oC in Yen Bai , 8-19oC in Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, 6-25oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 3-21oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 13-26oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds in Thanh Hoa, rain in the other provinces, 14-26oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : rain, 18-26oC in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : rain, 20-26oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): rain, 22-27oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): clouds, rain, 23-27oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): clouds, rain, 24-29oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : clouds, some isolated rain, 18-28oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; clouds, rain, 19-24oC in Dak Lak; 18-24oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : clouds, rain, 24-31oC ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta : Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, An Giang) : clouds, rain, 24-31oC ;
Con Dao Islands : clouds, rain, 25-28oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : clouds, rain, 24-31oC ;
11-December-2024
Heavy rain was found in the Central Coast and part of the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
07:00 Rainfalls in 12 hours: Đồn Biên Phòng Lăng Cô 163.8mm (Thừa Thiên Huế); Suối Đa 198mm (Đà Nẵng); Bình Dương 133.6mm (Quảng Nam); Hồ Long Mỹ 116.4mm (Bình Định); Hòa Xuân Nam 239.4mm (Phú Yên); Đại Lãnh 197.3mm (Khánh Hòa); Xã Ea M Doal 62.8mm (Đắk Lắk); ...
19:00 Rainfalls in 24 hours: Lộc Tiến 139mm (Thừa Thiên Huế), Bà Nà 387mm (Đà Nẵng); Phước Hiệp 156mm (Quảng Nam); Trà Nham 277mm (Quảng Ngãi); Canh Liên 154mm (Bình Định); Sông Hinh 123mm (Phú Yên); Suối Sung-Hoa Sơn 93mm (Khánh Hòa),...
12-December-2024
Heavy rain was found in the Central Coast and part of the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
01:00 Rainfalls in 24 hours: Bạch Mã 183mm (Thừa Thiên Huế); Phước Hiệp 148mm (Quảng Nam); Sơn Tây 135mm (Quảng Ngãi); Phú Yên 128.4mm (Phú Yên)...
22:00 Rainfalls in 3 hours: Dak Lak Province: Thôn 10 Xã Ea M Đoal 32.2mm.
14-December-2024
13:00 Rainfalls in 24 hours: Thạch Hãn 135.6mm (Quảng Trị); Lộc Tiến 159.8mm (Thừa Thiên Huế); Suối Đà 194.8mm (TP. Đà Nẵng); Tam Trà 265.4mm (Quảng Nam); Ba Điền 254mm (Quảng Ngãi); Bồng Sơn 181.8mm (Bình Định); Sông Hinh 4 143mm (Phú Yên); Sơn Thái 199.1mm (Khánh Hòa); Lợi Hải 226.4mm (Ninh Thuận); Liên Hương 106.6mm (Bình Thuận); Măng Bút 122.8mm (Kon Tum); Cư Króa 222.6mm (Đắk Lắk);...
3/ Third week of December, 2024
In the third week of December 2024, there were successive and strong spells of the cold Northeasterly Wind in the second week that heavy rain was found in the Central Coast and part of the Central Highlands to the north.
There were landslides at the An Khe Pass between Pleiku and Quy Nhon, and the Khanh Le Pass between Da Lat and Nha Trang.
The North of Vietnam had cold weather, the South of Vietnam had dry weather and pleasant temperatures.
Strong Northeasterly Wind in the sea area all over Vietnam.
There was a tropical depression in southern East Vietnam Sea right at the end of the third week of December 2024.
Regional weather at the beginning of the third week of December 2024 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, 7-19oC;
- Northwest : clouds, 9-19oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, 10-17oC in Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, 8-19oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 5-16oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, 11-21oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): clouds, 11-22oC in Thanh Hoa, rain, 16-22oC in the other provinces ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : rain, 18-22oC in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : rain, 21-24oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): rain, 22-25/27oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): clouds, isolated rain, 21-28oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): clouds, isolated rain, 21-28oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : clouds, some rain, 16-26oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; rain, 18-23oC in Dak Lak; clouds, some isolated rain, 14-26oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : clouds, 22-31oC ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta : Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, An Giang) : clouds, 22-31oC ;
Con Dao Islands : clouds, 25-28oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : clouds, 24-27oC ;
15-December-2024
07:00 Rainfalls in 24 hours: Tam Trà 170mm (Quảng Nam); Ba Liên 161mm (Quảng Ngãi); Bồng Sơn 175.4mm (Bình Định); Sông Hinh4 95.6mm (Phú Yên); Khánh Vĩnh 156.6mm (Khánh Hòa); Lợi Hải 108.4mm (Ninh Thuận); Liên Hương 56.4mm (Bình Thuận); Xã Ea M doan 133.2mm (Đắk Lắk);…
4/ Fourth Week and Last Days of December, 2024
In the fourth week and last days of December 2024, there were spells of the Northeasterly Wind which maintained the cold weather in northern Vietnam and which caused rain in the Central Coast of Vietnam.
Regional weather at the beginning of the fourth week of December 2024 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, 6-21oC;
- Northwest : clouds, 8-21oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, 9-19oC in Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, 7-22oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 6-18oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, 12-22oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): clouds, 12-22oC in Thanh Hoa, rain, 14-22oC in the other provinces ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : rain, 17/18-21oC in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : rain, 19-23oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): rain, 22/23-26oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): rain, 22-27oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): clouds, isolated rain, 23-27oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : clouds, some rain, 17-26oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; rain, 18-24oC in Dak Lak; clouds, rain, 17-24oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : clouds, rain, 23-31oC ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta : Long An, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, An Giang) : clouds, rain, 23-31oC ;
Con Dao Islands : clouds, 24-30oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : clouds, 25-30oC ;
Disclaimer: Vietnam weather summary is for reviews of Vietnam weather by month on the basis as “it is” to the best of our knowledge. AdventureGreen does not guarantee the accuracy of our monthly reviews of Vietnam Weather. Our Vietnam Weather Reviews by month must not be used for making travel decisions or for any other purposes. AdventureGreen disclaims any liability in connection with with the use of our information.
