January is winter in Northern Vietnam. The period from second half of December through the first half of January is often the coldest time of the year in this region.
Generally speaking, January is a good time for trekking trips in the far northern mountains of Vietnam as well as adventure tours in the region. Those plan to climb the high mountains, then expect very cold temperatures which may be close to water freezing point.
The Central Coast is still in the rainy season in January but the rain starts getting lighter at the end of the month. Places in the South of the Central Coast (from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet) often enjoy sunny days alternated by cloudy days, or days with some short-lived light rain. The temperatures are quite pleasant in the South of the Central Coast and this is a good time for beach vacations in Mui Ne.
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam enjoy the most beautiful time of the year: sunny days with pleasant temperatures. This is a great time for beach holidays in Ho Tram, Long Hai and Vung Tau City, or family tours in the Central Highlands and in the Mekong Delta.
The Northeasterly Monsoon prevails in all of Vietnam in January which causes rough sea. If you plan to travel to Vietnam’s offshore islands like Cat Ba Island, Cu Lao Cham, Con Dao, Phu Quoc...then expect rough sea waves which sometimes disrupt boat transport and sea tours...
Below you can find our review and statistics of the weather in different regions in Vietnam in January 2023.
1/North Vietnam
The North of Vietnam had great weather in January 2023: mostly sunny days with very pleasant temperatures in the lowland and cold yet tolerable temperatures in the mountains. The temperatures were 16-24oC in the mountains, 18-21oC in the lowlands.
In mid January 2023 there was a strong spell of Winter Monsoon hitting northern Vietnam bringing the region into another cold and dry period.
The recorded temperatures were
- Northeast: 8-18oC;
- Northwest: 9-19oC;
- Lowland: 12-18oC.
The last week of January 2023 marked two spells of cold air mass blowing through Vietnam. The North had some cloudy days with strong winds, but mostly sunny days with pleasant temperatures.
2/The North of the Central Region (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh)
The North of the Central Region of Vietnam had some rain. The temperatures were 18-21oC.
The spell of the cold wind at mid month brought some rain and low temperatures to the region. The temperatures were 14-18oC.
The Northeasterly Monsoon at the end of January caused some rain and cloudy days.
3/ The Central Coast of Vietnam (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan)
The region had mostly rain, some cloudy days and some sunny days to the south (from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet). The temperatures were
- From Quang Binh to Hue: 19-22oC;
- From Da Nang to Quang Ngai: 21-26oC
- From Nha Trang to Phan Thiet: 22-28oC.
The spell of Winter Monsoon at mid month brought rain and low temperatures to the region.
The temperatures were
- From Quang Binh to Hue: 19-22oC;
- From Da Nang to Quang Ngai: 21-26oC.
- From Quy Nhon to Nha Trang : 21-26oC.
- From Phan Rang - Thap Cham to Phan Thiet: 23-31oC.
The Northeasterly Monsoon at the end of January caused some rain.
4/ The Central Highlands of Vietnam (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong)
The Central Highlands had mostly sunshine with pleasant temperatures of 16-28oC.
The cold wind at mid month only made the weather nicer: sunny and dry. The temperatures were 15-26oC.
5/The South of Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, Vung Tau, Dong Nai, and the Mekong Delta)
The South of Vietnam experienced irregular weather in January 2023 with daily short-lived rain. Normally it is dry season with warm temperatures. The temperatures were 23-27oC in the Mekong Delta, 23-29oC in Ho Chi Minh City. These temperatures were lower than normally found with several chilly days.
At mid month, South of Vietnam continued to enjoy nice weather: some short-lived irregular rain, and temperatures of 22-32oC.
Thanks to the strong cold air masses from the North that it was chilly and pleasant temperatures in southern Vietnam at the end of January 2023.
