April is spring in northern Vietnam, dry season in the Central Region and Central Highlands, dry and hot season in South Vietnam. Understanding the weather patterns in different geographical regions of the country may help you a lot in planning great holidays to Vietnam.
1/North Vietnam
In the North of Vietnam, the weather is quite stable in April: breezy, sunny and dry. There may be a couple of spells of very weak cool Northeasterly Wind at the beginning of the month. The wind is weak and it is only cool enough to make the air more pleasant; it does not normally get cold in April. There may be chances of short-lived torrential rains when the hot air over the west of Vietnam (foehn wind) is strong when the cool Northeasterly Wind blows but this does not take place often.
The West Lake in Hanoi on an April day
But for 7-10 days at the beginning of April the Southeasterly Wind may be predominant which makes the air in the Northeast and lowlands of Northern Vietnam moist and uncomfortable indoors. It may be foggy, too. This type of weather last for 2-5 days each time and is ended by a new spell of Northeasterly Wind (cool and dry), or by the growing of the hot air regions over the northwest and west of Vietnam, or by heavy showers. Other than that the Northeast and lowlands of Vietnam mostly enjoy dry days and lovely temperatures, 20-34oC.
Halong Bay on a cloudy day in April
The Northwest of Vietnam is drier compared to the Northeast and lowlands of Northern Vietnam in April. This is because the Northeasterly Wind is much weaker compared to during the winter time and this cool wind does not have much impact on the Northwest which is protected by ranges of high mountains.
Tram Tau Yen Bai on a sunny day in April
And there are places in the Northwest of Vietnam which are affected by hot air (air troughs) regions which are often found in the atmosphere over the northwest and west of Vietnam in April. Due to atmospheric circulation these air troughs cause high temperatures and dry air in the affected regions. The provinces which could be affected in the Northwest include Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh and Son La.
Besides, the provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Lao Cai can also be affected by the dry and hot wind (foehn wind) from Laos. If so, it is very sunny and warm in the affected regions. The temperatures are from 22oC to over 35oC.
Tan Son Phu Tho on a wet day in April
2/The North of the Central Region of Vietnam
The North of the Central Region of Vietnam is often dry and the temperature range is 24-33oC. There may be a few days that the foehn wind is strong and these provinces can be affected and the temperatures may get up to over 35oC in southern Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
It may happen that there is a cool Northeasterly Wind hitting the region at the same time that the foehn wind is strong or that the region is under influence of a growing hot air trough in the atmosphere then there may be showers, heavy rain or hails. Still, it is quite pleasant in the region mostly in April.
3/The Central Coast of Vietnam
The Central Coast of Vietnam can be divided into 2 sub-regions:
- North of the Hai Van Pass (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue) has some hot days in April with temperatures reaching 35-38oC. These provinces are hot due to strongly influenced by the foehn wind (also called Lao Wind in Vietnam). Hue and Quang Tri have more days with pleasant weather than Quang Binh.
Quang Binh is the province that is either under impact of a foehn wind or hot growing air troughs and the province is often under constant heat strikes in April. If there is a spell of cool Northeasterly Wind hitting Vietnam, then it may rain and the temperatures get pleasant for a few days in Quang Binh; but the temperatures will get high again as the cool Northeasterly Wind gets weakened.
- South of the Hai Van Pass (Da Nang Beach, Hoi An, Quy Nhon Beach, Tuy Hoa Beach, Nha Trang Beach, Ninh Chu Beach and Mui Ne Beach) enjoys sunny weather with pleasant temperatures of 24-33oC. This is the best time for adventure tours (bike tours, eco tours, nature tours) or beach holidays in this region.
4/The Central Highlands
April is the dry season in the Central Highlands of Vietnam which often have sunny weather with temperatures from 20-34oC. Some day it is warm briefly at mid day (35-36oC) and get chilly in the morning, afternoon and evening.
The high temperatures are attributed to air troughs which often form in the atmosphere over the northwest and west of Vietnam. These hot air regions often grow and affect several regions in Vietnam due to atmospheric circulation. But the temperatures are high in low-altitude places only and most of the Central Highlands may experience warm temperatures briefly at mid day for a couple of hours. The temperatures are normally chilly in the morning and from mid afternoon.
In April, the cool Northeasterly Wind is often too weak to have any impact on the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
5/The South of Vietnam
In South Vietnam, April is the dry season and the hottest time of the year. The provinces further inland like Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Tay Ninh experience very hot (26-37oC) and dry weather in April. Those close to the coast or in the Mekong Delta may enjoy slightly lower temperatures between 24-34oC.
In inland Southern Vietnam, the places with most beautiful weather in April are around Vung Tau and the places with hottest temperatures are around Tay Ninh.
The Con Dao Islands and Phu Quoc Islands have lovely weather in April: sunny days with pleasant temperatures, 27-32oC. The sea is calm even if there is a spell of the Northeasterly Wind in Vietnam as the wind is often too weak. All water sport activities and sea exploration tours like boat trip, snorkeling, scuba-diving should bring great experiences to travelers.
6/ Where to go in Vietnam for nice weather in April?
Given the regional climate and weather patterns in Vietnam as above, those of you who do not like heat, then you may consider to skip South Vietnam and the provinces in the Central Region of Vietnam north of the Hai Van Pass (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue).
April is the best time to go to Con Dao Islands, Phu Quoc Island and the beaches in the Central Region of Vietnam (Da Nang, Hoi An, Sa Huynh, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Doc Let, Nha Trang, Ninh Chu and Phan Thiet Mui Ne).
Taking adventures in the Central Highlands of Vietnam (Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat) will be good most of the time.
April is the best time to travel in the North of Vietnam given the breezy sunny weather with pleasant temperatures. Trekking in Cao Bang, Ba Be National Park, Sapa or Mai Chau is lovely during this time. Mountain biking, motorcycling and adventure tours by car in Ha Giang is perfect in April, too.
If you plan for an adventure in the extreme Northwest of Vietnam (Son La, Dien Bien and Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau) be prepared for some days with quite warm temperatures (36-38oC at mid day). The sun is quite strong in this region in April, be sure you have enough protection if having to go out at mid day.
You who are going to Sapa may also like to know that April is a beautiful time for the weather. It is about the end of the long dry season meaning without rain water. Sapa was once a little mountain village then turned into a hot tourist destination and is now getting a big tourist city. In the town of Sapa is in serious lack of water in the dry season, especially at the end of the dry season – April. If you choose to stay at one of the villages in the Muong Hoa Valley, then it shouldn’t be a problem.
A foggy morning on Halong Bay in April
Another factor you may like to take into account when visiting Vietnam in April is that there are two public holidays in Vietnam in April each of which may last for several days. The official holidays in April in Vietnam are 10th of the 3rd Lunar Calendar (Death Anniversary of Hung Kings), 30-April (Re-unification Day) and one holiday in May - 1-May (Larbor Day). But because of observed holidays that in fact the holidays may last several days.
When having a long holiday, the Vietnamese travel a lot. This more often than not result in places to get overcrowded, lack of tourist services and decline of service quality. In 2018, Vietnam had 15.6 million foreign visitors and 80 million Vietnamese tourists. Most Vietnamese do not travel all year round, but they make trips on public holidays! Try to put your mind at work and see how crowded popular places can be. AdventureGreen follows less-traveled routes on our adventures!
