Weather in Vietnam in January: Where to Go, by Region

January in Vietnam is cool in the north, mild and drying out in the centre, and hot and dry in the south. Hanoi averages 14 to 20°C with about 20 mm of rain, Hue 17 to 24°C as the wet season tails off, and Saigon 23 to 32°C with almost no rain. Sapa can drop near freezing at night. In 2027, Tet falls on 6 February, so January itself runs at normal prices.

That last point matters more than most January guides admit. Plenty of them still say Tet "usually falls in January or February". In 2027 it does not touch January at all, which leaves the whole month open until the travel rush that starts in its final days.

January weather by region, in numbers

The figures below are long-term averages from Vietnam's national climate normals (via the Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology and the WMO), with ranges where stations disagree. Treat them as what a normal year looks like, then check the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting in the week before you fly.

The pattern is simple once you see it. The north is in its short winter, the centre is coming out of the rainy season it has been in since September, and the south is in the best stretch of its dry season.

Northern Vietnam in January: cold enough to need a real jacket

Hanoi's 14°C average low sounds mild on paper. It does not feel mild. Humidity sits around 80%, most old houses and guesthouses have no heating, and the sky is grey for long stretches: Hanoi gets about 74 hours of sunshine in the whole of January, roughly two and a half hours a day. Cold surges from China push nights below 10°C a few times most winters.

None of this stops anyone seeing the city. The drizzle is light, the streets are walkable, and the cold is the reason a bowl of pho at 7am tastes the way it does.

Hanoi averages about two and a half hours of sun a day in January. Photo: Didier Omnes / Google Maps.

Sapa and the far north

Sapa sits at about 1,500 metres, and in January that means daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 6°C, with frost possible. The rice terraces are bare brown earth, not green, so anyone who has seen the photographs should adjust expectations. Snow is rare and never something to plan around. The biggest fall in recent memory came in January 2016, when Sapa dropped to minus 5°C overnight. Our guide to snow in Vietnam covers where and how often it really happens.

The upside is fewer people on the trails and homestays at their quietest. If the cold is the draw, the Hanoi to Sapa travel guide lays out the sleeper bus and train options. Ha Giang is colder still, and the loop roads are slick in fog.

Ha Long Bay in January

Ha Long runs about 15 to 20°C, dry, and frequently misty. The mist is the trade-off. Some mornings the karst islands disappear completely, and a cruise booked for the views can turn into a cruise of grey outlines. Swimming and kayaking happen, but the water is cold enough that most people skip the swim. Overnight cruises are cheaper than in November and December, which is the reason to go anyway. The Ha Long Bay cruise guide compares one night against two.

Central Vietnam in January: the rainy season winding down

The centre is the region people get wrong in January. Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang take most of their rain from September to December, and January is the tail of that. Hue still averages about 130 mm and rain on half the days, and early January is usually wetter than late January. Da Nang is drier, about 80 mm. Highs reach the mid twenties, so it is warm enough for a T-shirt between showers.

Beaches are the casualty. The sea off Da Nang and Hoi An is rough for much of the month, and lifeguards often fly red flags. Come for the old towns and the food, and treat a swim as a bonus.

Kumquat trees like this one go on sale in late January as Hoi An dresses for Tet. Photo: Yosh / Google Maps.

Phong Nha in January

Phong Nha sits between the cold north and the drying centre, and January there is cool and changeable: highs around 22°C, nights around 16°C, and anywhere from a dry month to a damp one depending on the year. The national park and its caves, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, are open, and the floods of October and November are over.

Every Jungle Boss tour runs in January. The only two that close in the year, Bach Ma and Do Quyen Waterfall, shut from September to November and reopen on 1 December. What changes in January is the temperature of the water. River crossings and cave pools are cold, and the first wade on a cold morning makes people gasp. A dry layer for the end of the day is worth packing.

Prices checked October 2026. A night of camping in the jungle in January is cold rather than sticky, which a lot of people prefer, and the leeches are far less active than in the wet months. The Phong Nha cave tours compared page sets the options side by side.

Southern Vietnam in January: the easy choice

Saigon averages 32°C by day and 23°C at night, with rain on about two days in the month. Humidity is at its lowest of the year, which makes the heat easier than it is in April. The Mekong Delta is the same story, and the boat trips run on calm water.

Phu Quoc is where January is close to perfect: 31°C, calm seas on the west coast, about five rainy days. It is also the most expensive the island gets, and resort prices roughly double compared with the rainy months. Phu Quoc travel tips covers which side of the island to stay on.

Phu Quoc gets rain on about five days in a normal January. Photo: hieu nguyen / Google Maps.

Where to go in Vietnam in January, by trip length

The country is about 1,650 km long, and January makes the north and south feel like different seasons. Most people should pick one end and add the centre, rather than try to see everything.

Going north to south in January is the better direction. You end up somewhere warm, and the centre has more time to dry out by the time you reach it. For the month-by-month view, our best time to visit Vietnam guide sets January against the rest of the year, and Vietnam in December covers the month before, when the centre is still wet.

From Hue, the train to Dong Hoi for Phong Nha takes about three hours.

From Hue, Phong Nha is an easy hop, and the Hue to Phong Nha travel guide lists the bus, train and car options.

Tet and festivals in January 2027

Tet 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, with the public holiday expected to run 4 to 10 February. That means January 2027 has no Tet closures. What it does have is the build-up, and it starts earlier than people expect.

• Kitchen God Day, 30 January: families release carp into rivers and lakes to carry the kitchen gods to heaven. It marks the start of the real pre-Tet rush.
• Last week of January: trains, buses and domestic flights fill up as people head home. Fares rise sharply, and sleeper berths go first.
• Hoi An full moon: the monthly lantern night falls around 21 January.
• Flower markets: peach blossom in Hanoi and kumquat trees in the south go on sale through the second half of the month.

If your trip runs into February, read what is open during Tet 2027 before booking transport. Book anything you need for 1 to 10 February by November.

What to pack for Vietnam in January

Pack for two climates if you are going north and south. The common mistake is bringing only summer clothes and buying a fake down jacket in Hanoi on day two.

• A warm jacket or fleece for Hanoi evenings, plus a hat and gloves for Sapa or Ha Giang
• A light rain jacket for Hue, Hoi An and Phong Nha
• Quick-dry clothes and a dry set for the end of a cave day, because the river water is cold
• Sunscreen and a hat for the south, where the sun is strong even in winter

A January night at camp is cool rather than sticky, which a lot of people prefer.

The jungle trek packing list covers shoes and clothing for the caves in detail.