Weather in Vietnam in March 2027: Dry South, Grey North

The weather in Vietnam in March is dry and warm in the centre and south and cool and grey in the north. Da Nang averages 28°C and 25 mm of rain, Saigon around 33°C with almost none. Hanoi is 23°C with drizzle on about nine days and only 46 hours of sun all month. Phong Nha is dry enough for the caves.

Weather in Vietnam in March: the region table

All the figures below come from one dataset, the long-term station tables in Vietnam's national building climate standard, QCVN 02:2022/BXD. They are averages, not a forecast. Read across for the temperature in Vietnam in March, station by station, with rain and sunshine beside it. The tables have no Hoi An, Phong Nha or Saigon station, so those rows borrow Da Nang, Dong Hoi and Can Tho.

The sun column is the surprise. Hanoi gets 46 hours of sun in March, its dullest month of the year, while Can Tho gets 281. Rain days in the north are mostly drizzle: Hanoi averages about nine days of it and 47 mm in total. The QCVN 02:2022 climate tables carry the decimals for every station.

Averages hide the swings. The March record is 37.2°C at the Hanoi station and 38.5°C at Can Tho. For the year as a whole, see the best time to visit Vietnam.

Hanoi weather in March, plus Halong and Sapa

Hanoi in March is mild, 23°C by day and 18°C at night, and damp. Humidity averages about 85%, and on the worst days walls and floors sweat. Locals call it nom. Some guides quote 24°C to 27°C for Hanoi in March; the station's long-term average high is 23.2°C, so pack for the lower number.

Hanoi's dullest month: 46 hours of sun on average.

Halong is calm but murky: 43 hours of sun, mist on about four days and sea at around 20°C, too cold for most swimmers. Cruises sail, but the long views across the bay often disappear. If the bay is the highlight of your trip, April is clearer. Our guide to Halong Bay weather month by month shows how quickly the fog clears in spring.

Sapa is cold at night, 11°C, and foggy on about 15 days of the month. The terraces are bare until planting starts in May, so March is for walking, not for rice photos. Further north-west, plum and peach blossom comes out around Mu Cang Chai and Ha Giang. The Sapa or Halong Bay comparison helps if you only have time for one.

Fog on about 15 days of March, and the terraces still bare.

Ninh Binh's paddies are flooded and freshly planted in March, so the boat trips at Trang An and Tam Coc run between bright green fields. It is about two hours south of Hanoi by road; the Ninh Binh guide compares the boat routes.

Where to go in March: the centre

March is when the central coast comes good. Da Nang averages 25 mm of rain on five days and 182 hours of sun, and the sea is about 26°C to 28°C, warm enough to swim by the middle of the month. Hoi An is at its most comfortable, about 28°C by day, before the heat of May. The Hoi An weather guide goes month by month.

An Bang beach, a short ride from Hoi An's old town.

Hue is a little behind. It still gets 51 mm on ten days, mostly in short showers, and it is warm enough at 28°C for a full day at the citadel.

The Hoi An lantern festival falls on Sunday 21 March 2027, the 14th day of the second lunar month. The old town switches off its electric lights from the evening and people float paper lanterns on the Hoai River. Every other night is in our list of Hoi An lantern festival dates for 2027, with the boat prices.

Phong Nha in March: the cave season opens

Dong Hoi averages 43 mm of rain in March on 11 days, mostly light, with highs of 25°C. The rivers have dropped since the winter, the trails dry out and the air is cool. That makes March slightly drier than April, 43 mm against 61 mm, which few people expect. Every Jungle Boss tour runs, including Bach Ma and the two Do Quyen Waterfall tours. Our Phong Nha travel guide covers getting there.

By March the tracks around Phong Nha have dried out.

For the full expedition, the Kong Collapse Top Adventure runs 5 days and 4 nights for VND 35,000,000, prices checked November 2026. It leaves on Tuesdays and Fridays with up to 10 people, takes no one under 16 and needs a health check before departure. You camp at Dai A Cave, at the bottom of the Kong sinkhole and at the mouth of Pygmy Cave. Our guide to multi-day cave expeditions compares the shorter options.

The south in March: Saigon, the Mekong and Phu Quoc

The south is in the middle of its dry season. Can Tho averages 15 mm of rain on two days and 281 hours of sun, about nine a day, with highs of 33°C. Saigon feels hotter, and the UV is strong. Do the markets and the Mekong boats before 10 am.

Phu Quoc is at its best: 32°C, 61 mm of rain, 257 hours of sun and a calm sea on the west-coast beaches. Showers start to build towards the end of the month. The Phu Quoc guide helps pick a beach.

Phu Quoc's sea is calm through March.

Festivals and holidays in March 2027

Tet falls on 6 February in 2027, and its holiday ends on 10 February, so March is clear of it. The Perfume Pagoda festival, south of Hanoi, opens on the 6th day of the lunar year, 11 February 2027, and runs into the third lunar month. March weekends are its busiest. In 2026 the scenic-area ticket was 120,000 dong and the boat 110,000.

International Women's Day on 8 March is widely marked with flowers and restaurant bookings, but it is not a day off. There is no public holiday in March. The Hung Kings holiday falls on 16 April 2027 and Thanh Minh, the grave-sweeping day, on 5 April, so both land in April this year. The Vietnam in April guide covers them and the 30 April holiday rush.

What to wear in Vietnam in March

• A light fleece or jacket for Hanoi evenings, and a warmer layer for Sapa, where nights drop to about 11°C.
• Summer clothes for the centre and south, where days reach 28°C to 33°C.
• A thin rain shell for northern drizzle.
• Sunscreen and a hat for Saigon, the Mekong and Phu Quoc.
• Trainers or trail shoes that grip on damp stone for Hanoi pavements and cave paths.

Crowds and prices in March

March sits between the winter peak and the April and May shoulder. Foreign visitors are still arriving in numbers, so Hoi An, Da Nang and Phu Quoc hotels fill and prices hold. Book central coast rooms a few weeks ahead. The north is quieter, apart from the Perfume Pagoda at weekends. Check the national weather service before a Halong cruise if fog is forecast.

A Phong Nha day trek needs no booking weeks out. It leaves every day. The Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley trek costs VND 1,950,000, about US$74, with pickup around 8:00 AM, and takes children from 9. Prices checked November 2026.