January is winter in Northern Vietnam, the rainy season with cold temperatures in the Central Coast, the dry season with pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands and 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 the rainy season but the rain is much lighter and there are days with clouds and without rain. And in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam, it is dry season with often lovely sunshine and pleasant temperatures.
The sea is rough all over Vietnam in January and sea exploration tours are not operable in most places.
Monsoons in Vietnam in January
In January 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 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 or chilly temperatures.
- The sea and the offshore islands are to come mostly under impact of the active Northeasterly Wind: rough sea mostly.
What to expect from your holidays to Vietnam in January, where to go in Vietnam in January?
Taking the general weather conditions in Vietnam into consideration, for those travelers planning trips to Vietnam or those who are on holiday in Vietnam in January, then there are some notes as follows:
- January 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 January 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 first 10 days of January.
In the lowland, the winter weather in northern Vietnam are lovely for all kinds of activities : biking, sightseeing, boat cruising, trekking, birding...
January 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... are to be disrupted due to rough sea.
- The Central Coast of Vietnam is to experience the rainy season still with pleasant or cold temperatures. While it is rainy season in the Central Coast, the rain is much lighter in January compared to that in November, December. There are days that the Central Coast enjoys dry weather.
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 January, 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 sometimes, 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 January 2025
1/ Vietnam Weather in the First Decade of January 2025
At the beginning of the month, northern Vietnam and the Central Highlands enjoyed crisp winter weather with some mild sunshine, some light rain in the Central Coast, pleasant temperatures in southern Vietnam.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in the first 10 days of January 2025 :
- Northeast (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Halong Bay, Hai Phong...): sun, clouds, 9-22/23C ;
- Northwest: sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 11/12-24oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai ; 11-21oC in Lao Cai; sun, clouds, 8-21oC in Son La, Dien Bien Phu; sun, clouds, 6-19oC in Lai Chau.
- Lowlands (Hanoi, Ninh Binh...): sun, clouds, 13-26oC.
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 11-25oC ;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh, Quang Tri to Hue: clouds, rain, 16-22oC ;
- Central Coast from Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hoi An to Quang Ngai: clouds, rain, 17-23oC;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: clouds, rain, 21/22-24oC ;
- Central Coast in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: clouds, some isolated rain, 19-24boC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: clouds, some isolated rain, 21-28oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: clouds, some isolated rain, 21-28oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong): clouds, 13-27oC in Kon Tum, Pleiku ; 17-23oC Dak Lak, 13-25oC Lam Dong;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): sun, clouds, rain, 21-33oC;
- 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, 21-30/31oC;
Con Dao Islands had clouds and rain with pleasant temperatures of 26-30oC.
Phu Quoc Island enjoyed sun, clouds, 25-29oC ;
2/ Vietnam Weather in the second decade of January 2025
At the end of the first decade of January 2025, there were successive spells of the Northeasterly Wind which caused dry and cold weather in northern Vietnam and some rainy weather in the Central Coast of Vietnam. The Central Highlands had pleasant temperatures and dry weather. Southern Vietnam had pleasant temperatures.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in the second 10 days of January 2025 :
- Northeast (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Halong Bay, Hai Phong...): sun, clouds, 6-21C ;
- Northwest: sun, clouds, 8-18oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai ; 8-21oC in Lao Cai; sun, clouds, 4-20oC in Son La, Dien Bien Phu; sun, clouds, 4-19oC in Lai Chau.
- Lowlands (Hanoi, Ninh Binh...): sun, clouds, 9-22/23oC.
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, 8-23oC in Thanh Hoa, some rain in Nghe An and Ha Tinh, 10-22oC ;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh, Quang Tri to Hue: clouds, rain, 15-20oC ;
- Central Coast from Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hoi An to Quang Ngai: clouds, rain, 17-22oC;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: clouds, rain, 19/20-24oC ;
- Central Coast in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: clouds, some isolated rain, 19-22oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 21-27oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: clouds, 21-30oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong): sun, clouds, 12-26oC in Kon Tum, Pleiku ; clouds, some isolated rain, 17-23oC Dak Lak ; clouds, isolated rain, 13-26oC Lam Dong;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): sun, clouds, some rain, 22-32/33oC;
- 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, some rain, 21-30/31oC;
Con Dao Islands had clouds with pleasant temperatures of 24-29oC.
Phu Quoc Island enjoyed sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 23-31oC ;
3/ Vietnam Weather in the last decade of January 2025
In the last decade of January 2025, there were successive strong spells of the Northeasterly Wind which caused fog and cold temperatures in northern Vietnam, light rain in some places in the Central Coast, pleasant temperatures and dry weather in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam.
Regional weather patterns in Vietnam in the third 10 days of January 2025 :
- Northeast (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Quang Ninh, Halong Bay, Hai Phong...): clouds, isolated light rain, 6-22C ;
- Northwest: clouds, some isolated light rain, 8/9-21/22oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai ; 9-19oC in Lao Cai; sun, clouds, 8-26oC in Son La, Dien Bien Phu; sun, clouds, 5-21oC in Lai Chau.
- Lowlands (Hanoi, Ninh Binh...): sun, clouds, some isolated light rain, 11-25/26oC.
- North of the Central Coast (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh): sun, clouds, some light rain 11/12-24/25oC ;
- Central Coast from Quang Binh, Quang Tri to Hue: clouds, rain, 14/16-26/27oC ;
- Central Coast from Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hoi An to Quang Ngai: sun, clouds, rain, 16/17-26oC;
- Central Coast from Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa: sun, clouds, some isolated light rain, 18-26oC ;
- Central Coast in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa: sun, clouds, 19-27oC ;
- Central Coast Ninh Thuan: sun, clouds, 19-29oC ;
- Central Coast Binh Thuan: sun, clouds, 19-29oC ;
- Central Highlands (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong): sun, clouds, 12/14-32oC in Kon Tum, Pleiku ; sun, clouds, 14-32oC Dak Lak ; sun, clouds, 12-27oC Lam Dong;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh): sun, clouds, 19-33/34oC;
- 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, 19/22-32oC;
Con Dao Islands had clouds with pleasant temperatures of 24-28oC.
Phu Quoc Island enjoyed sun, clouds, some isolated rain, 23-30oC ;
26-January-2025
There were successive spells of the Northeasterly Wind hitting northern Vietnam which caused the temperatures in the region to the coldest levels in the winter season of 2024-2025. There was snow and frost in several places in the Far North: Y Ty (Lao Cai), O Quy Ho (Sapa, Lao Cai), Meo Vac (Ha Giang).. .
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.
