December is winter in Northern Vietnam, the rainy season in the Central Coast, the dry season in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam.
The temperatures are cold in the north and in the Central Coast of Vietnam; chilly or cold in the Central Highlands and pleasant to warm in southern Vietnam.
In Northern Vietnam there may be snow or frost in the mountains and it is often windy all over the region. There are often new spells of the cold Northeasterly Wind hitting the North which causes rain in the first couple of days of each spell and drops in temperatures.
In the Central Coast, it is still long-lasting rain but the rain is lighter and not as torrential as that in November. And in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam, it is officially dry season with often lovely sunshine and pleasant temperatures.
The sea is rough all over Vietnam in December and sea exploration tours are not operable in some places.
Monsoons in Vietnam in December
In December there are two main monsoons affecting Vietnam:
- The Northeasterly Wind which comes from Tibet or Siberia and which makes real winter in northern Vietnam and heavy and long-lasting rainy season in the Central Coast of Vietnam. The Northeasterly Wind may be strong and in which case the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam are to have dry weather with pleasant temperatures.
- The Southwesterly Wind, which comes from the Equator which, if strong enough, causes daily short-lived and rain and pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam. In December, the Southwesterly Wind is weak at the beginning of the month and may cause short-lived and light rain in the Central Highlands or southern Vietnam. Coming towards the second half and the end of December, the Southwesterly Wind is too weak or replaced totally by the Northeasterly Wind in these two regions.
- The sea and the offshore islands are to come mostly under impact of the active Northeasterly Wind: rough sea mostly, especially during the times of typhoon or tropical depression.
What to expect from your holidays to Vietnam in December, where to go in Vietnam in December?
Taking the general weather conditions in Vietnam into consideration, for those travelers planning tours to Vietnam or those who are on holidays in Vietnam in December, then there are some notes as follows:
- December is a good time to travel to northern Vietnam where winter weather prevails : mild sunshine, windy, pleasant or very cold temperatures. It is mostly dry in northern Vietnam in December which is great for all kinds of outdoor activities. Those who embark on hiking and trekking adventures are to marvel at the amazing clouds which envelops the unreal mountainous beauty. Take precaution though as it may snow in the mountains in the last 10 days of December.
In the lowland, the winter weather in northern Vietnam are lovely for all kinds of activities : biking, sightseeing, boat cruising, trekking, birding...
December is among the best times for birdwatching in northern Vietnam given the presence of endemic bird species and migratory species. The beautiful weather does help to make birds more active and gregarious.
Those who go to the sea should know that except for Halong Bay, the sea is rough all over Vietnam. So if you have to travel by boat and vulnerable to sea sick, you are to be prepared before the journey then. It is possible that sea exploration tours like scuba-diving, snorkeling... may be disrupted due to rough sea.
- The Central Coast of Vietnam is to experience the rainy season still with pleasant temperatures. While it is rainy season in the Central Coast, the rain is much lighter in December compared to that in November.
For those who plan a trip to the Central Highlands, expect sun, cloudy and dry weather with very comfortable temperatures. The beautiful weather may make you wish to go out most of the time !
Those planning holidays to Southern Vietnam in December, then you are likely to have a great time. The temperatures are more likely to be pleasant. It may be sunny or cloudy in the region.
The beaches in Vung Tau, Long Hai and Mui Ne, Phan Thiet are good options near Saigon Ho Chi Minh City. As the temperatures may get chilly some time, these beaches are not that crowded.
Con Dao Islands, Phu Quoc Island are to have cloudy days with lovely temperatures of 26-29oC. The sea is rough though.
Below you can find Paradissa’s reviews and statistics of the weather in different regions in Vietnam in December 2024
There were landslides and rockslides at the An Khe Pass between Pleiku and Quy Nhon and Khanh Le Pass between Da Lat and Nha Trang.
1/ Vietnam Weather in the First Decade of December 2024
At the beginning of the month, northern Vietnam received the successive spells of the Northeasterly Monsoon which caused a drop in temperatures and the North started having cold winter in 2024. In 2024, winter started a month later than usual.
The Northeasterly Monsoon caused rain and cool temperatures in the Central Coast of Vietnam.
The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam still experienced isolated rain.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in the first 10 days of December 2024 :
- Northeast (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Halong Bay, Hai Phong...): sun, clouds, 15-26oC & cloud, rain, 12-17oC;
- Northwest: clouds, rain, 21-25oC & 14-20oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai ; clouds, rain 19-22 & 12-19oC in Lao Cai; sun, clouds, rain, 17-26 & 13-22oC in Son La, Dien Bien Phu; sun, clouds, rain, 11-19oC in Lai Chau.
- Lowlands (Hanoi, Ninh Binh...): sun, clouds, rain, 21-27oc & 16-24oC.
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, rain, 21-27oC and 17-24oC ;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh, Quang Tri to Hue: rain, 22-27oC & 23-26oC ;
- Central Coast from Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hoi An to Quang Ngai: rain, 22-27oC;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: rain, 24-27oC ;
- Central Coast in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: rain, 24-28boC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: clouds, rain, 24-29/31oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: clouds, rain, 24-29/30oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong): clouds, rain, 20-29oC in Kon Tum, Pleiku ; 21-27oC Dak Lak, 18-24oC Lam Dong;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): clouds, rain, 25-32oC;
- West of Southern Vietnam ( The Mekong Delta : Long An, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Chau Doc, Kien Giang): clouds, rain, 25-32oC;
Con Dao Islands had clouds and rain with pleasant temperatures of 26-30oC.
Phu Quoc Island enjoyed clouds, some isolated rain with pleasant temperatures of 25-30oC ;
2/ Vietnam Weather in the second decade of December 2024
At the beginning of the second decade of December in 2024, northern Vietnam received the successive strong spells of the Northeasterly Monsoon which caused further drops in temperatures and the North entered a colder period of the winter.
The Northeasterly Monsoon caused rain and cool temperatures in the Central Coast of Vietnam.
The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam still experienced isolated rain with pleasant temperatures. Part of the Central Highlands to the north still had heavy rain due to the strong Northeasterly Wind.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in the second 10 days of December 2024 :
- Northeast (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Halong Bay, Hai Phong...): sun, clouds, some rain, 7-20oC ;
- Northwest: sun, mostly clouds, some rain, 9-20oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai ; 5-19oC in Lao Cai; sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 4-23oC in Son La, Dien Bien Phu, 2-17oC in Lai Chau.
- Lowlands (Hanoi, Ninh Binh...): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 11-21oC.
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): clouds in Thanh Hoa, rain, in the others 11/13-21oC ;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh, Quang Tri to Hue: rain, 17-24oC ;
- Central Coast from Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hoi An to Quang Ngai: rain, 19-24/26oC;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: rain, 22/23-26oC ;
- Central Coast in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: rain, 23-26/28oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: some sun and clouds, rain, 23-27oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: sun, clouds, rain, 23-28oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong): sun, clouds, rain, 21-27/26oC in Kon Tum, Pleiku ; 19-23oC Dak Lak, 16-24oC Lam Dong;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): sun, clouds, rain, 23-31oC;
- West of Southern Vietnam ( The Mekong Delta : Long An, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Chau Doc, Kien Giang): sun, clouds, rain, 23-30oC;
Con Dao Islands had clouds and rain with pleasant temperatures of 25-28oC.
Phu Quoc Island enjoyed sun, clouds, some isolated rain with pleasant temperatures of 24-28oC ;
11-December-2024
07:00 hours: Rainfalls in 24 hours: Đồn Biên phòng Lăng Cô 176mm (Thừa Thiên Huế), Bà Nà 327mm (Đà
Nẵng); Phước Hiệp 145mm (Quảng Nam); Trà Nham 236mm (Quảng Ngãi); Canh Liên 162mm (Bình Định); Sông Cầu 217mm (Phú Yên); Đại Lãnh 110mm (Khánh Hòa),...
14-December-2024
07:00 hours: Rainfalls in 24 hours: Triệu Ái 158mm (Quảng Trị); Lộc Tiến 214mm (Thừa Thiên Huế); Suối Đà 188mm (TP.Đà Nẵng); Tam Trà 217mm (Quảng Nam); Ba Điền 232mm (Quảng Ngãi); Hồ Quang Hiển 149mm (Bình Định); Sông Hinh4 127mm (Phú Yên); Đập đầu mối Hoa Sơn 167mm (Khánh Hòa); Lợi Hải 167mm (Ninh Thuận); Hiếu 147mm (Kon Tum); Cư KRóa 225mm (Đắk Lắk),...
15-December-2024
13:00 hours: Rainfalls in 24 hours: Núi Thành 131mm, Tam Trà 112mm (Quảng Nam); Bình Tân 165mm, Ba Liên 125mm (Quảng Ngãi); Xã Ea M doan 112mm (Đắk Lắk);…
3/ Vietnam Weather in the last decade of December 2024
At the beginning of the last decade of December 2024, there was a renewed spell of the cold Northeasterly Wind hitting Vietnam and a tropical depression forming in the southern East Vietnam Sea. The North was to have colder temperatures and the Central Coast had more rain as a result. The temperatures were chilly or pleasant in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in the last 10 days of December 2024 :
- Northeast (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Halong Bay, Hai Phong...): sun, clouds, some rain, 7-20oC ;
- Northwest: sun, mostly clouds, some rain, 9-20oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai ; 11-21oC in Lao Cai; sun, clouds, 8-21oC in Son La, Dien Bien Phu, 7-19oC in Lai Chau.
- Lowlands (Hanoi, Ninh Binh...): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 11-22oC.
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): clouds, 12-22oC in Thanh Hoa, rain, in the others 14-22oC ;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh, Quang Tri to Hue: rain, 18-22oC ;
- Central Coast from Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hoi An to Quang Ngai: rain, 18-23/24oC;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: rain, 21/22-26oC ;
- Central Coast in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: rain, 21-24oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: some sun and clouds, rain, 22-27oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: sun, clouds, 21-27oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong): clouds, rain, 14-26oC in Kon Tum, Pleiku ; 16-25oC Dak Lak, 17-24oC Lam Dong;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): clouds, some rain, 23-31/30oC;
- West of Southern Vietnam ( The Mekong Delta : Long An, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Chau Doc, Kien Giang): clouds, some rain, 21-29/31oC;
Con Dao Islands had clouds and some rain with pleasant temperatures of 25-29oC.
Phu Quoc Island enjoyed sun, clouds, some isolated rain with pleasant temperatures of 24-30oC ;
At the end of the last decade of December 2024, there were a renewed spells of the cold Northeasterly Wind bringing temperatures in northern Vietnam cold and causing heavy rain in the Central Coast of the country.
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.
