August is between summer and autumn in Northern Vietnam, between dry season and rainy season in the Central Coast, the rainy season with pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands, Southern Vietnam.
There may be typhoons or tropical depressions which often disrupt holidays and tours in Northern Vietnam and sometimes in the North of the Central Coast of Vietnam. In these cases, boat trips on Halong Bay are often banned and torrential rain may cause flash floods and landslides, rock slides in the far northern mountains.
In the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam, the heavy daily rain may cause temporary floods in places and cities. Be extra cautious if you take part on a flooded road with running water and open sewage. Exercise good care if you travel to the Central Highlands as heavy rain poses fatal threats from flash floods and landslides.
General Weather Patterns in Vietnam in August
In August there are two main monsoons affecting Vietnam:
- The Northeast, Northwest and lowland of Northern Vietnam often have the Southeasterly Wind which brings along moisture and which makes the temperatures pleasant. The wind often causes high precipitations in these regions in August.
- The remainder of the country including the Central Coast, the Central Highlands is to have the Southwesterly Wind. This wind causes rain in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam but causes dry heat and high temperatures in the Central Coast due to the foehn effect. This wind does not often cause dry heat and high temperatures in part of the Northwest of Vietnam from late July which is attributed to more active Southeasterly Wind in Northern Vietnam. Another possible reason is more rain in the far-northern mountain caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone in late July-August.
The rain in the mountains in the far Northern Vietnam, in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam may cause places flooded temporarily.
Part of the the Central Coast of Vietnam are to undergo series of heat strikes in early August with daily temperatures surpassing 36-38oC. The hottest places include those provinces from Quang Binh, Quang Tri…. To Phu Yen.
The Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam are in the rainy season in August with daily rain (which may last a couple of days). The rain makes the temperatures pleasant mostly. But heavy rain may make streets flooded which may disrupt traffic temporarily. And it is very dangerous in case of open sewage and possible leakage current (or leakage of electricity).
What to expect from your holidays to Vietnam in August, where to go in Vietnam in August?
Taking the general weather conditions in Vietnam into consideration, for those travelers planning holidays to Vietnam or those who are on vacations in Vietnam in August, then there may be some notes as follows:
- Those planning an adventure tour, a sightseeing trip, a family vacation in the far northern mountains of Vietnam in August should expect heavy to torrential rain which may disrupt your travel plan.
Trekking trails are often muddy, slippery and those embark on adventure trips should exercise top caution. On several trekking tours, you will have to walk through bodies of running water or streams or rivers with running waters. Rocky and/or dirt paths turn extremely slippery.
- Landslides, flash floods may take place in Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Yen Bai, Mu Cang Chai, Lao Cai, Sapa, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La and Hoa Binh. Be careful with Route 32 at Mu Cang Chai. Rockslides may take place anywhere which have continual rain for a few days and which have vertical or steep rock cliffs. The route to the Muong Hoa Valley in Sapa or Route 6 at the Thung Khe Pass between Mai Chau and Tan Lac Districts of Hoa Binh Province may have rockslides. Floods and landslides have happened on Route 8 in Laos which connect with the Cau Treo Border Checkpoint with Ha Tinh Vietnam
- Families on vacation to Vietnam in the Central Coast should make sure you have sunshade and enough drinking water, especially those with kids and/or senior travelers. Outdoor visits or activities should be avoided at mid day. During this time, even the Vietnamese workers/farmers take a break from work; they would rather start work earlier or extend their work later in the day, but not during mid day.
- August is a good time for junk cruises on Halong Bay as it is often clear skies and you have lovely photos of the islands in sunshine. But it is worth noting that there may be tropical depressions or typhoons in August during the time Northern Vietnam under the impact of which, cruises or boat trips on Halong Bay are not allowed for a few days before, during and right after each typhoon.
- August is not a good time for bird watching tours as migratory bird species are not present in Vietnam, and bird parks and national parks in Vietnam are not busy with wildlife. At the Xuan Thuy National Park there maybe summer migratory bird species which come from Southern Vietnam, Cambodia… But it is not certain that the wildlife at this park is busier than normal.
- August is a good time to go for beach holidays in Vietnam and is the best time for island vacations in Vietnam. The best beaches should be in the South of the Central Coast (Quy Nhon, Phu Yen, Nha Trang, Phan Rang, Mui Ne) and South of Vietnam (Vung Tau, Long Hai).
- The weather is not predictable on the Con Dao Islands and Phu Quoc Island. In some years, it is nice in some other years there may be period of continual and heavy rain. But there is a period of nice weather on these islands in August.
- For more adventure travelers and families you may like to consider the Cat Ba Island in Northern Vietnam, Ly Son Island and Phu Quy Island in the Central Region of Vietnam. The temperatures range from tolerable to pleasant on the Cat Ba in August, and you can mostly get some nice sea breezes. On the Ly Son, the weather should be just wonderful! Cat Ba is extremely busy during the summer months and traffic jams may keep you waiting in strong sun for hours. Traveling by speedboat to the Cat Ba Island may experience rough sea. The weather is nice on the Ly Son Island in Quang Ngai Province and Phu Quy Island in Binh Thuan Province both of which are new travel destinations.
Below you can find Paradissa’s reviews and statistics of the weather in different regions in Vietnam in August 2023
At the end of July and early August 2023 there was torrential rain in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam which caused landslides and fatal accidents in these regions. These two regions had much more precipitation than normal at this time of the year.
Rainfalls measured in 20 hours (from 19:00 of 3-August-2023) : Minh Quang 132,8mm (Vĩnh Phúc); Na Ư 2 (Điện Biên) 104.0mm, Minh Quang (Vĩnh Phúc) 134.0mm, Quân Chu (Thái Nguyên) 113.0mm, Quế Võ (Bắc Ninh) 182.0mm, Cát Bà (Hải Phòng) 125.2mm, Đông Triều (Quảng Ninh) 115.2mm, Tp Bắc Giang (Bắc Giang) 103.7mm, Bến Tắm (Hải Dương) 115.0mm, Tân Thành (Thanh Hóa) 104.6mm, …
Rainfalls measured in 6 hours (from 09:00 A.M on 4-August-2023) : Minh Quang 132,8mm (Vĩnh Phúc); Linh Lai 78.0mm(Tuyên Quang), Vũ Muộn 48,2mm (Bắc Kạn); Nông Cống 45,8mm (ThanhHóa),...
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam at the beginning of August 2023:
- Northeast: rain, 25-30oC;
- Northwest: rain, 26-32oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai; 22-27oC in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau;
- Lowlands: rain, 26-32oC.
- North of the Central Coast: some clouds, rain, 28-32oC;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh to Hue: sun, clouds, isolated rain, 28-34oC in Quang Binh and Quang Tri, 28-38oC in Hue;
- Central Coast from Da Nang to: sun, clouds, 28-37oC mostly;
- Central Coast from Tuy Hoa to Quy Nhon: sun, clouds, 28-37oC ;
- Central Coast in Khanh Hoa: sun, clouds, 26-36oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: sun, clouds, 27-37oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: rain, clouds, 26-33oC ;
- Central Highlands: rain, 21-31oC;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): rain, some clouds, 26-34oC;
- West of Southern Vietnam ( The Mekong Delta): clouds, rain, 26-32oC.
In mid August, there was less rain in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam compared to late July and early August. The North of Vietnam underwent alternated weather patterns between sun, rain and clouds in the low land and rain in the mountains. The Central Coast of Vietnam continued with a heat strike.
Rainfalls measured in 6 hours (from 12:00 hours P.M of 12-August-2023) : Cốc My 1 83,4mm, Trung Chải 61,4mm (Lào Cai); Tân Thanh 61,6mm (Lạng Sơn)…
Rainfalls measured in 6 hours (from 17:00 hours of 13-August-2023) : Sinh Long 44.4mm (Tuyên Quang), Lạc Nông 44.4mm (Hà Giang), Nậm Hăn 43mm, Sì Lờ Lầu40mm (Lai Châu), …
High temperatures in the Central Coast on 13-August : Tp. Huế (Thừa Thiên Huế) 37.8oC, Tp.Quảng Ngãi (Quảng Ngãi) 37.9oC, Hoài Nhơn (Bình Định) 38.5oC,…Relative humidity at 13:00 hours was mostly around 55-60%.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in mid August 2023:
- Northeast: rain, 25-32oC;
- Northwest: rain ; 26-32, 33, 34oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai respectively; 22-31oC in Son La, Dien Bien ; 22-29oC in Lai Chau;
- Lowlands: sun, clouds, rain, 26-33oC.
- North of the Central Coast: clouds, rain, 27-33oC in Thanh Hoa ; sun, 28-35oC in the others;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh to Hue: sun, clouds, rain, 27-38oC;
- Central Coast from Da Nang to Quang Ngai: sun, clouds, isolated rain, 27-38oC mostly;
- Central Coast from Tuy Hoa to Quy Nhon: sun, clouds, isolated rain, 27-36oC ;
- Central Coast in Khanh Hoa: sun, clouds, rain, 26-35oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: rain, clouds, 26-36oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: rain, 25-32oC ;
- Central Highlands: rain, 21-31oC mostly, 21-29oC in Pleiku;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): rain, some clouds, 26-33oC;
- West of Southern Vietnam ( The Mekong Delta): clouds, rain, 24-31oC mostly, 26-33oC in An Giang.
Coming toward the end of August 2023, the weather in Northern Vietnam showed clear transition between summer and autumn. There were days of clouds and mild sun alternated with days of rain. There was more heavy rain in the far northern mountains. The Central Coast of Vietnam, mostly from Ha Tinh to Binh Thuan, continued to suffer from high temperatures.
Rainfalls measured in 24 hours (from 24 to 25-August-2023): Tân Lập 2 229.4mm, Việt Vinh 204mm (Hà Giang); Vĩnh Yên 181mm (Vĩnh Phúc); Khánh Thiện 151.2mm (Yên Bái);Quang Vinh 134.6mm (Cao Bằng); Ẳng Nưa 131.4mm (Điện Biên);...
High temperatures in the Central Coast on 25-August : Đông Hà (Quảng Trị) 37.2oC, Ba Tơ (Quảng Ngãi) 37.2oC, Hoài Nhơn (Bình Định) 36.7oC, Tuy Hòa (Phú Yên) 36.9oC.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in late August 2023:
- Northeast: rain, 24-33oC;
- Northwest: clouds, rain, 26-33 in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, 26-36oC in Lao Cai respectively; rain, 23-31oC in Son La, Dien Bien ; 23-29oC in Lai Chau;
- Lowlands: sun, clouds, rain, 26-36oC.
- North of the Central Coast: sun, clouds, isolated, rain, 27-36oC in Thanh Hoa, 28-38oC in the others;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh to Hue: sun, clouds, isolated rain, 27-36oC in Quang Binh, 28-38oC in the others;
- Central Coast from Da Nang to Quang Ngai: sun, clouds, rain, 27-37oC mostly;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: sun, clouds, isolated rain, 28-38oC ;
- Central Coast in Khanh Hoa: sun, clouds, rain, 26-37oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: sun, rain, clouds, 27-38oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: sun, clouds, 26-34oC ;
- Central Highlands: rain, some clouds, 22-31oC mostly, 21-29oC in Pleiku;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): sun, rain, some clouds, 26-35oC;
- West of Southern Vietnam ( The Mekong Delta): clouds, rain, 26-32oC mostly, 27-34oC in An Giang.
On 28-August-2023, the first spell of the cool Northeasterly Wind (Cool Air Masses) arrived in Northern Vietnam marking a definitive change of the weather patterns into autumn.
To sum up, it rained more than usual in Northern Vietnam in August 2023. The weather patterns were quite normal in the Central Coast (high temperatures), in the Central Highlands (clouds & rain), and in Southern Vietnam (clouds & rain). There was no typhoon in Vietnam in August 2023 while the forecasting agencies had been saying there would be a couple.
Disclaimer: Vietnam weather summary is for reviews of Vietnam weather by month on the basis as “it is” to the best of our knowledge. Paradissa 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. Paradissa disclaims any liability in connection with with the use of our information.
