Plan Your Trip
Best Time to Visit Hanoi
Hanoi has a genuine four-season climate, unusual for Vietnam — which means the "best" time really depends on whether you prioritise mild weather, dry days, or avoiding the cold.
Oct–Decgenerally best overall
Mar–Apralso good, occasional drizzle
Jun–Aughot, humid, wet
The short answer
Most guides (and locals) point to October to December as the sweet spot — warm days, cool evenings, lower humidity, and comparatively little rain. March and April are a solid second choice, with mild temperatures, though a fine, persistent drizzle locals call "crachin" can appear.
Month-by-month overview
- Jan–Feb — Cool and often grey, sometimes genuinely cold and damp by Hanoi standards (10–18°C isn't unusual). Tet (Lunar New Year) falls in this window most years — a fascinating time to visit, but many small businesses close for several days.
- Mar–Apr — Mild and increasingly warm, with occasional light drizzle. A good shoulder-season choice.
- May–Aug — Hot and humid, with the heaviest rain of the year, usually as short, intense afternoon downpours rather than all-day rain. Temperatures regularly exceed 32–35°C with high humidity.
- Sep — Transitional; still warm, rain starting to ease.
- Oct–Dec — Generally the most comfortable stretch: warm days, cooler nights, lower humidity, and Hanoi's most reliably dry weeks.
Festivals worth planning around
Tet (Lunar New Year, usually late January to mid-February) is Vietnam's biggest holiday — streets fill with flower markets and decorations in the lead-up, though transport gets busy and many restaurants and shops close for several days around the holiday itself.
Good to know: If avoiding rain matters more than avoiding heat, aim for November or December — statistically the driest months of the year in Hanoi.