VIETNAM CLIMATE

VIETNAM CLIMATE

Located in both a tropical and a temperate zone, Vietnam Climate is characterized by strong monsoon influences but has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. The regions located near the tropics and in the mountainous regions are endowed with a temperate climate.

The monsoon climate also influences to the changes of the tropical humidity. In Vietnam, there are generally two seasons, the cold season occurs from November to April and the hot season from May to October. The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern is almost unnoticeable, averaging 3ºC. The most noticeable variations are found in the north where differences of 12ºC have been observed. There are essentially four distinct seasons, which are most evident in the northern provinces (from Hai Van Pass toward to the north): Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Every year there are 100 rainy days and the average rainfall is 1,500 to 2,000mm. The humidity ranges around 80%. The sunny hours are 1,500 to 2,000 and the average solar radiation of 100kcal/cm2 in a year. Because Vietnam is affected by the monsoon, that why the average temperature is lower than the other countries which are located in the same longitude in Asia. The annual average temperatures range from 22oC to 27oC.

In comparing with these countries, the temperature in winter is colder and in summer is less hot in Vietnam. Under influence of monsoon, and further because of the complicated topography, the climate in Vietnam always changes in one year, between the years, or between the areas (from North to South and from low to high). The climate in Vietnam is also under disadvantage of weather, such as typhoons (advantage there are 6-10 storms and tropical low atmosphere in year, floods and droughts are threatening the life and the agriculture of Vietnam).

Regional climate

Based on geographic and climatic conditions, there are 7 different climatic regions in Vietnam : Northwest, Northeast, North Delta (Red River Delta), North Central (North Central Coast), South Central (South Central Coast), Central Highlands, and the South

Generally, these 7 different climatic regions are grouped into 2 main types: The North (includes Northwest, Northeast, North Delta (Red River Delta), North Central (North Central Coast)) which includes all areas north of the Hải Vân Pass and the South (South Central Coast, Central Highlands and the extreme south) which includes all areas south of the Hải Vân Pass.

These climatic regions are based on time of rainy season and other climatic elements such as insolation, sunshine, temperature, precipitation, and humidity. The diverse topography, wide range of latitudes (Vietnam spans over 15° of latitude), and influences from the South China Sea lead to climatic conditions varying significantly between regions.

Northwest

The Northwest region includes the provinces of Lai Châu, Sơn La, and Điện Biên. The climate is characterized by cold, dry (little drizzly rain), sunny winters in which hoarfrost is common in many years. Summers are hot and rainy, coinciding with the rainy season although there are is a high frequency of hot, dry days caused by westerly winds.

Valleys are sheltered from wind, leading to a longer dry season and lower annual rainfall. The dry season usually lasts for 4–5 months. The average annual amount of sunshine hours is 1,800 to 2,000. Owing to diverse terrain and climate in this region, this leads to different types of forests being present

Northeast

The Northeast region includes the northern and northeastern provinces: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, and Quang Ninh. The climate is strongly influenced by the northeast monsoon. Winters are cold, cloudy (little sunshine) that is characterized by drizzle. The cold comes earlier than other provinces. Summers are hot and rainy that coincide with the rainy season. However, unlike the northwest, dry conditions are rare due to a low frequency of westerly winds. The rainy season usually lasts from May–September although its duration can vary from 4 to 10 months. In the Hoang Lien Son mountains, winters are cold where snowfall and hoarfrost can occasionally occur. These mountains have the highest rainfall in the country. The average annual amount of sunshine hours is 1,400 to 1,700.

Mean annual temperatures in the coastal areas are around 23 °C (73 °F) in which the coldest month has a mean temperature of 16 °C (61 °F) and the hottest month has a mean temperature of 28 °C (82 °F).  Average annual rainfall in coastal areas is approximately 1,800 mm (71 in).

North Delta (Red River Delta)

The North Delta includes the provinces of Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Ninh Binh. Winters are characterized as being cold with large amounts of drizzle and few sunshine while summers are hot, rainy with few dry days. Hot, dry conditions caused by westerly winds during summer are rare. The region has a positive water balance (i.e. the precipitation exceeds the potential evapotranspiration) for 10 months of the year. The average annual amount of sunshine hours is 1,400 to 1,700

Mean annual temperatures in the coastal areas are around 23 °C (73 °F) in which the coldest month has a mean temperature of 16 to 17 °C (61 to 63 °F) and the hottest month has a mean temperature of 28 to 30 °C (82 to 86 °F) . Average annual rainfall in coastal areas is approximately 1,600 to 1,700 mm (63 to 67 in)

North Central (North Central Coast)

The North Central Coast includes the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thừa Thiên-Huế. Winters are characterized by cold, cloudy weather with frequent drizzle, being under the influence of the northeast monsoon Summers are characterized by hot, dry weather owing to westerly winds. The region averages between 1,500 and 1,700 hours of sunshine per year.

Mean annual temperatures are around 24 to 25 °C (75 to 77 °F) in which the coldest month has a mean temperature of 17 to 20 °C (63 to 68 °F) and the hottest month has a mean temperature of 29 to 30 °C (84 to 86 °F). Average annual rainfall in coastal areas is approximately 2,000 to 2,900 mm (79 to 114 in). The rainy season occurs in the last 6 months of the year with September and October having the highest rainfall.

South Central (South Central Coast)

Da Nang City, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, and Binh Thuan are the provinces that are part of the South Central Coast region. Winters are warm and sunny while summers are hot and dry owing to a high frequency of the westerly windsThe average annual amount of sunshine hours is 2,000 to 2,500.

Mean annual temperatures are around 25 to 27 °C (77 to 81 °F) in which the coldest month has a mean temperature of 22 to 25 °C (72 to 77 °F) and the hottest month has a mean temperature of 28 to 30 °C (82 to 86 °F). In contrast to the North Central Coast, the temperature difference between the coldest and hottest months is much smaller. Average annual rainfall in coastal areas is approximately 1,900 mm (75 in) although some areas in the southern parts of the region receive between 800 to 1,100 mm (31 to 43 in). As one progresses southward, the rainy season shifts away from the end of year (occurs more earlier) and vice versa. In general, the rain season starts in September and ends in December or January. Northern parts of the region (Quang Nam and Quang Ngai) receive more rainfall than in the southern parts of the region (Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan).

Central Highlands

The Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) includes Kon Tum Province, Gia Lai Province, Dak Lak Province, Dak Nong Province, and Lam Dong Province. Owing to the higher altitude, temperatures are lower than other regions at comparable latitudes. Winters are dry while summers are characterized by high rainfall. The average annual amount of sunshine hours is 2,000 to 2,500.

The average annual temperature is 21 to 23 °C (70 to 73 °F). During winter, mean temperatures can fall below 20 °C (68 °F). The coldest month is January where minimum temperatures can occasionally fall below 0 °C (32 °F). The highest temperatures occur in late winter and early summer. This is usually during March and April.

The South

The South corresponds to the Southeast region, and the Mekong Delta region. It also includes some parts of Binh Thuan Province. The climate of the south is strongly influenced by the southwest monsoon. The climate of this region is characterized by high temperatures year round and sunny weather. Mean annual temperatures in coastal areas are around 27 °C (81 °F) that is fairly even throughout the year with little difference between the coldest and hottest months of the year. Average annual rainfall in coastal areas is approximately 1,500 to 2,500 mm (59 to 98 in) in which the rainy season is between May to November. The average annual sunshine hours ranges from 2,400 to 3,000. Sunshine hours are higher in the northeastern parts of the region where they exceed over 2,700 hours per year while in the west, it is around 2,300 hours per year.

THE CLIMATE IN HANOI

Hanoi has four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. But it is able to be divided into two main seasons: the rainy season from May to September (it’s hot, heavy rain), and the dry season from October to April (it’s cold, little rainfall). The annual average temperature is 23.2oC, but in winter the average temperature is 17.2oC. The lowest temperature ever recorded was 2.7oC in 1955. The average summer temperature is 29.2oC, with the highest ever recorded being 42.8oC in 1926. On average, there are 114 rainy days a year with around 1,800mm of rainfall.

Although the winter monsoon is originally dry, because it comes from the Asian continent, the clash with the mild and moist air of the Gulf of Tonkin generates a compact cloudiness, and light but frequent rains. Therefore, during winter the sun rarely shines in Hanoi, and although the temperature is spring-like, a journey to this city would not be so pleasant. Here are the sunshine hours per day in Hanoi: as you can see, it is a dull city, because even in summer the sun does not shine very often, due to the summer monsoon. There are about 1,450 hours of sunshine per year.

In spring, in northern Vietnam the temperature gradually rises, and the sun comes out every so often in April, but then from May to October it’s the rainy season, and the weather becomes hot and humid, with downpours in the afternoon or evening. In Hanoi, the wettest months are July and August, with about 300 mm (12 in) of rain per month. The maximum temperature is around 33 °C (91 °F), but the humidity makes the heat annoying, and sometimes it can even reach 37/38 °C (99/100 °F), with peaks of 39/40 °C (102/104 °F) in May and June.
In October and November, when the monsoon withdraws, there is another period which is quite pleasant, before the return of the cool and dull weather in December.
Here is the average precipitation in Hanoi.

THE CLIMATE IN HAI PHONG

Haiphong is influenced by a tropical monsoon climate too. There are 4 seasons and the annual average temperature is between 23oC and 24oC. Rainfall total is between 1,600 and 1,800mm. The weather is warm throughout the year.

THE CLIMATE IN QUANG NINH – HALONG BAY

The climate is symbolic of the climate of North Vietnam; featuring all four seasons. In summer (from May to September), it’s hot, humid and rainy, while monsoons flourish. In winter (from October to April), it’s cold, dry, and sees little rainfall. The average temperature is over 25oC. Annual rainfall totals between 1,700 and 2,400mm.

THE CLIMATE IN HUE

This features a tropical monsoon climate with l four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The spring is cool and warm, the summer is hot, the autumn is cool and the winter is cold. The average temperature is 25oC. The best time for tourists is from November to April next year.

THE CLIMATE IN DANANG

Here are the average temperatures in Da Nang.

In Da Nang, it rains less than in Hue, but the rains are still abundant from September to December. Here is the average precipitation.

In the central part of Vietnam, the sun shines more often than in the north and in Hanoi, both in winter (even though it does not go beyond 4/5 hours per day), and in summer, when it shines for a good number of hours (especially from May to July).

In the central part of Vietnam, the sea is warm enough for swimming all year round, although it drops to 23 °C (73 °F) in February at Hue, and to 24 °C (75 °F) from January to March at Da Nang, while it never drops below 26 °C (79 °F) at Nha Trang.

Continuing south, the rainfall pattern remains more or less the same at Quang Ngai and Duc Pho, while further south precipitation drops below 2,000 mm (80 in) per year. In addition, winter temperatures gradually increase, and the likelihood of cold air coming from the north decreases.

THE CLIMATE IN KHANH HOA – NHA TRANG

The climate here is oceanic tropical monsoon but is quite mild. The average annual temperature is 26.5oC. Annual rainfall totals over 1,200mm.

Here are the average temperatures of Nha Trang.

In this area, where the coast begins to be exposed to the south-east, precipitation drops below 1,500 mm (60 in) per year. Here is the average precipitation in Nha Trang.

In Nha Trang, the sun often shines for a long period, from February to August, and for a total of 2,500 hours a year.

To the south of this area, in the Binh Thuan province, the rains are even less abundant: in Phan Thiet just 1,150 mm (45 in) of rainfall per year, which are not very few, but they are concentrated in a few months, while for a long period the rains are scarce so that the landscape is semi-arid, and in the Mui Ne area even sand dunes are found.

THE CLIMATE IN LAM DONG – DALAT

The climate here is cold, with an average annual temperature of 18oC. Dalat is a city town, the climate is temperature and there are the beautiful natural landscapes with the waterfalls, lakes and pine groves, and is well known as Vietnam’s flower city.

THE CLIMATE IN HO CHI MINH CITY

The climate is divided into two seasons, with the rainy season lasting from May to November. The average annual temperature is 27.5oC without winter, and yearly rainfall totals 1,979mm. Tourism is convenient for all 12 months of the year.

Here are the average temperatures of Ho Chi Minh City, near the Mekong Delta.

In Ho Chi Minh the rains are abundant from May to mid-November, with a maximum in September, and they amount to about 1,900 mm (76 in) per year. Here is the average precipitation.

In Ho Chi Minh the sun frequently shines in the dry period, from December to April.

In southern Vietnam, the sea is warm all year round.

THE CLIMATE IN VUNG TAU

The climate here is tropical monsoon. The average annual temperature is 27oC, rarely stormy, rich in sunshine. Vung Tau is without winter so resorts can active throughout the year.

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