January 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 January
1/ The General weather patterns in Vietnam in January
In January, northern Vietnam has mostly windy weather with pleasant, chilly or cold temperatures. There are days with mild sunshine or clouds ; there 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 January, if any, it is more likely to have impact on southern Vietnam.
In the Central Coast of Vietnam, January is often the rainy season. The rain tends to be much lighter than December and there are days without rain but with clouds.
In January, the Northeasterly Wind blows through most of Vietnam. The wind causes rough sea all over the country.
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam, 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 January
The prevalent winds which affect different places in Vietnam in January :
- 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.
Adventure Travel, Nature Tours, Bird Watching Tours, Photo Tours in Vietnam in January
1/ Hiking Tours, Mountain Trekking Tours
January is among the best time time for trekking tours or mountain hiking 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 first half of January.
It is often dry and pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands in January which makes your trekking or hiking trips in this region a wonderful experience.
2/ Adventure Tours
The lowland of Northern Vietnam including Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh is a great place for general adventure tours in January as the temperatures are more likely to be very pleasant or slightly cold in this region. And it is more likely that northern Vietnam has sunshine or cloudy weather in most of the month.
In the Central Coast of Vietnam it is more likely to be chilly or cold temperatures with light rain. There are days with clouds in the Central Coast in January.
In the Central Highlands, January is 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 January.
3/ Birding Trips and Bird Watching Tours
January is among the best times for birding in the North of Vietnam, in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam.
January is not a great time to go birding in the Central Region of Vietnam, but it is possible to go on birding trips now as the rain tends to be much ligher than in November-December period.
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 January. Your birding in northern Vietnam is more likely to be wonderful experiences.
January 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 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 shed leaves in the dry season and foliage gets thinner : it is far easier to observe more bird species without much effort!
Birding sites in Vietnam in January :
- 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) : January 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 great time traveling in Vietnam in January from the top north to the bottom south of the country.
5/ Island Holidays
January 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. If you do not plan much time for swimming or for sea exploration trips, then you are to have wonderful a time.
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 cloudy weather with some possible light rain, and with pleasant temperatures : Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Ninh Chu, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet.
If you travel to Southern Vietnam then you January 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, with no rain.
Below are reviews of the Weather in Vietnam in January 2025 Monitored by AdventureGreen
1/ First week of January, 2025
At the beginning of January, northern Vietnam had 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.
Regional weather at the beginning of the first week of January 2025 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, 9-22oC;
- Northwest : sun, clouds, 11-23/13-24/12-21oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, 8-21oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 8-19oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, 13-26oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 12-25/13-24oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : clouds, rain, 17-22oC in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : some sun, clouds, rain, 17-22/23oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): some sun, clouds, rain, 21-24/26oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): clouds, some rain, 21-28oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): some sun, clouds, rain, 20-28oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : sun, clouds, 12-26oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; 16-23oC in Dak Lak; 13-24oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, 21-32/33oC ;
- 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, 21-30/31oC.
Con Dao Islands : sun, clouds, rain, 26-30oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : sun, clouds, 24-28oC ;
There was a strong spell of the Northeasterly Wind in Vietnam at the end of the second week of January 2025. Northern Vietnam had lovely sunshine and pleasant temperatures and cold temperatures coming toward the end of the week; the Central Coast had light rain ; the Central Highlands had sunshine and pleasant temperatures ; and southern Vietnam had sunshine with pleasant temperatures mostly.
2/ Second week of January, 2025
Regional weather in the second week of January 2025 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, 7-22oC;
- Northwest : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 17-22oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, 8-16oC Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, 4-21oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 5-18oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 10-23oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, rain, 9/13-23oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : clouds, rain, 17-23oC in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : clouds, rain, 19-23oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): some sun, clouds, rain, 21-25/26oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): sun, clouds, 21-27oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): some sun, clouds, rain, 21-29oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : sun, clouds, 13-27oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; 17-24oC in Dak Lak; 13-26oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, 23-33oC ;
- 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, 22-30/31oC.
Con Dao Islands : sun, clouds, rain, 25-29oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : sun, clouds, 23-31oC ;
3/ Third week of January, 2025
At the end of the second week and beginning of the third week of January 2025, Vietnam had successive spells of the Northeasterly Wind which caused dry and cool air in northern Vietnam, some rain in the Central Coast, chilly and dry weather in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam.
Regional weather at the beginning of the thrid week of January 2025 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, 8-23oC;
- Northwest : sun, clouds, 11-23oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, 9-21oC Lao Cai ; sun, clouds, 9-26oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 6-19oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, 11-25oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 11-25oC in Thanh Hoa, 12-24 in the others;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : clouds, rain, 16-24oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : sun, clouds, rain, 18-24oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): sun, clouds, rain, 19-24/26oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): sun, clouds, 19-28oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): sun, clouds, 21-30oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : sun, clouds, 13-28oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; 16-25oC in Dak Lak; 16-27oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, 21-33oC ;
- 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, 21-31/32oC.
Con Dao Islands : sun, clouds, 24-28oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : sun, clouds, 23-30oC ;
4/ Fourth Week and Last Days of January, 2025
Through the third week and the beginning of the fourth week of January 2025, there were successive spells of the Northeasterly Wind in Vietnam. The North enjoyed dry weather with cold temperatures in the early morning and evening, and bright sun at mid day. There were light rain in places in the Central Coast. The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam enjoyed dry weather, bright sunshine and pleasant or chilly temperatures.
Regional weather at the beginning of the fourth week of January 2025 was as follows :
- Northeast (Halong Bay, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Ha Giang...): sun, clouds, isolated rain, 6-23oC;
- Northwest : sun, clouds, some light rain, 11-21oC in Yen Bai, Lao Cai, 8-23oC Hoa Binh ; sun, clouds, 8-27oC in Son La, Dien Bien, 6-22oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Bac Ninh...) : sun, clouds, 11-25/26oC ;
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 11/12-24oC in Thanh Hoa & Nghe An, 13-26 in Ha Tinh;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue) : sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 16-26/28oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van (Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai) : sun, clouds, some rain, 16-26/27oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 17-26/27oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Ninh Thuan, Phan Rang-Thap Cham): sun, clouds, 19-29oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet Mui Ne): sun, clouds, 20-30oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong) : sun, clouds, 15-31oC in Kon Tum and Gia Lai ; 16-30oC in Dak Lak; 13-27oC in Lam Dong ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, 21-33/34oC ;
- 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, 21-32oC.
Con Dao Islands : sun, clouds, 24-28oC ;
Phu Quoc Island : sun, clouds, 23-28oC ;
26-January-2025
A new spell of the Northeasterly Wind hit northern Vietnam. Snow started falling in Meo Vac, Ha Giang Province. The North entered a cold period, the coldest of the winter season 2024-2025.
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.
