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The Best Time to Visit Hanoi

Hanoi genuinely has four seasons, which surprises people who expect tropical Vietnam. Autumn, roughly October and November, is the season locals write songs about: dry, mild, golden light on the lake. Summer is the opposite, hot and drenched, and winter gets cold enough to want a jacket, which almost nobody packs for.

See hotels in HanoiLive prices for your dates
By Alice5 min readPublished
Table of contents
The illuminated bridge to Ngoc Son temple on Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi's Old Quarter at night
Photo: Adam Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0

In Brief

When is the best time to visit Hanoi?

October and November are the best time to visit Hanoi - dry, mild at around 25-28°C, low humidity and clear skies, which is the city at its most pleasant. March and April are the next best, warm and mostly dry before the summer rains. May to August is hot, humid and wet, with peak rainfall in July and August. December to February is cool and often grey, and can drop to 15°C, which catches visitors out.

Key takeaways

  • October and November are the standout months - the Vietnamese autumn is the local favourite and it earns it.
  • Summer, May to August, brings heat above 33°C plus the heaviest rainfall of the year.
  • Winter is genuinely cool at 15-20°C and often overcast - bring a light jacket, most visitors do not.
  • Tet, the Lunar New Year in late January or February, closes much of the city for several days.

Best time to go

October-November & March-April

Cheapest time

May-August

When to avoid

July-August

Hanoi climate at a glance

Avg daytime high (°C / °F) · rainfall · season
Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peakmore drops = wetter
  • 19°66°F
    Jan
  • 20°68°F
    Feb
  • 24°75°F
    Mar
  • 28°82°F
    Apr
  • 32°90°F
    May
  • 33°91°F
    Jun
  • 33°91°F
    Jul
  • 32°90°F
    Aug
  • 31°88°F
    Sep
  • 28°82°F
    Oct
  • 25°77°F
    Nov
  • 21°70°F
    Dec

Find your month

Every month in Hanoi is rated for weather, crowds and price. Drag the slider to find your sweet spot - the greener the month, the better value the trip.

Sweet spot - best value

Cheapest window: May-August

January: $$ · Moderate crowds · 19°C, cool, grey

See January hotels
Flights to HanoiCompare fares for your month on Trip.comHotels in HanoiBook earlier for peak-season datesThings to doTours & tickets in Hanoi

Hanoi month by month

Every month rated for weather, crowds and price, so you can match the trip to the month.

Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peak
MonthWeatherCrowdsPriceWhat it's like
Jan19°C, cool, greyModerate$$Cool and often overcast with drizzle. A jacket is genuinely needed. Tet may fall late in the month.
Feb20°C, cool, dampModerate$$Still cool with a persistent fine drizzle locals call mua phun. Tet often falls here and closes much of the city.
Mar24°C, mild, pleasantHigh$$Spring arrives - warm, brighter and comfortable, and one of the best windows for combining Hanoi with Halong Bay.
Apr28°C, warm, humidHigh$$Warm and mostly dry, though humidity builds through the month. Good conditions before the rains start.
May32°C, hot, humidModerate$$Heat and humidity arrive properly and the first heavy rains fall. Prices begin to soften.
Jun33°C, hot, wetLow$Hot, sticky and increasingly wet. Sightseeing means early mornings and long air-conditioned afternoons.
Jul33°C, hot, wettestLow$Peak rainfall and peak humidity, with occasional typhoon disruption on the coast. Cheapest month.
Aug32°C, hot, wetLow$Still very wet and humid, and the month with the highest typhoon risk affecting Halong Bay sailings.
Sep31°C, warm, easingModerate$$The rain eases through the month and the humidity breaks. A good-value window before peak autumn.
Oct28°C, mild, dryHigh$$$The best month. Dry, mild, clear skies and golden light - the Hanoi autumn locals rate above everything.
Nov25°C, mild, dryHigh$$$Autumn continues, cooler and still dry. Ideal for walking the Old Quarter and cruising Halong Bay.
Dec21°C, cool, dryModerate$$Cool, dry and clear - pleasant for sightseeing if you pack a layer. Quieter than the autumn peak.

When to book Hanoi

On the table above, Jun, Jul and Aug sit in the bottom price band and Oct and Nov in the top one. Find the row that sounds like your trip.

Booking windows for Hanoi, by what the traveller wants
If you wantMonthsWhy
The best trip for the moneyMar, Apr, Sep and DecRated good above without hitting the top price band, so you are not paying peak rates for the conditions.
The lowest price, whatever the weatherJun, Jul and AugThe bottom price band. Check the weather column first, because some of these are cheap for a reason.
Peak season anywayOct and NovBusiest and dearest. This is the window where booking early changes the price, not just what is left.
To know what to skipJun, Jul and AugRated off-peak here. The low price is the compensation, not a bargain.
Check Hanoi hotel pricesSee what Mar, Apr, Sep and Dec actually costs for your dates
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • No booking fee
  • Prices on Trip.com

Time it right: Hanoi's seasonal highlights

  • Hanoi autumn in Hanoi

    Hanoi autumn

    October-November

    The season Vietnamese songs are written about - dry air, mild temperatures, clear light and street stalls selling green rice, com lang Vong.

  • Tet (Lunar New Year) in Hanoi

    Tet (Lunar New Year)

    Late January or February

    The biggest holiday of the year. Families travel home, many shops and restaurants close for several days and transport books out weeks ahead.

  • Halong Bay cruise season in Hanoi

    Halong Bay cruise season

    October-April

    The dry, calm months when overnight cruises run most reliably; summer typhoons can cancel sailings at short notice.

  • Mid-Autumn Festival

    September

    Lanterns fill the Old Quarter and mooncakes appear everywhere, with Hang Ma street lit up for the occasion.

Best time to visit Hanoi: FAQ

The timing questions travelers ask most before booking.

October, followed closely by November. The Vietnamese autumn brings dry air, mild temperatures around 25-28°C, low humidity and clear golden light, which is a genuine relief after the summer and the reason locals rate it above every other season. It is also the best window for combining the city with an overnight Halong Bay cruise, since the sea is calm and sailings run reliably. March and April are the spring equivalent and nearly as good.

Cooler than most visitors expect. December to February sits around 19-21°C by day and can drop into the mid-teens at night, often with grey skies and a persistent fine drizzle that locals call mua phun. It is not freezing, but combined with damp air and buildings that generally lack heating, it feels colder than the number suggests. Pack a light jacket and a layer - this is the single most common packing mistake people make for northern Vietnam.

Roughly May to September, peaking in July and August. The rain typically comes as heavy afternoon downpours rather than all-day drizzle, so it does not stop a trip outright, but combined with 33°C heat and high humidity it makes walking the Old Quarter hard work. The bigger practical risk is typhoons, which mostly affect July through September and can cancel Halong Bay sailings at short notice - build a spare day into the itinerary if you are cruising then.

It depends what you want. Tet, the Lunar New Year, falls in late January or February and is the most important holiday in Vietnam. Many shops, restaurants and family businesses close for several days, domestic transport books out weeks in advance and prices rise. Against that, the city is decorated, there are flower markets and the atmosphere is unlike any other time of year. Come deliberately for the culture, or avoid the dates entirely - the one thing not to do is arrive unaware.

October to April, and within that October, November and March are the standouts. Those months give you dry, calm, clear conditions, which matters enormously on a bay whose whole appeal is visibility of the limestone karsts. Summer sailings from June to September face heat, haze and genuine typhoon risk that can cancel departures. Winter cruises run but can be grey and misty, which some people find atmospheric and others find disappointing.

Two to three days covers the city: the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and the Temple of Literature, plus time for street food and an evening on the beer corner at Ta Hien. Most people then add two more for an overnight Halong Bay cruise, which is the standard pairing. Hanoi also works as the northern base for Sapa and Ninh Binh, each of which deserves a further day or two.

Staying in Hanoi? Book the area before the hotel

Picking the month is half of the decision. The other half is the area, because that is what sets how far you walk and what a room costs in Hanoi. These go into the detail:

Compare all hotels in HanoiLive rates for the dates you picked
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • No booking fee
  • Prices on Trip.com

Continue Planning Your Trip

Photo credits (3)

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.