March to April and September to November. Month by month below, with the weather, what's on and what it costs to fly there from your city.
Most sources point to autumn, September to November, and spring, March to April, for mild temperatures and lower humidity.
5 of the 8 travel guides we read name these months.
Average high and low in Hanoi, and days with rain
JanuaryChecking fares…Chilly, misty and atmospheric; bring a warm jacket.The coolest month, with an average low of 14°C.Winter (December and January) is a low-season stretch because of the cold.Tet (Vietnamese New Year)
FebruaryChecking fares…Tet, the Lunar New Year, falls in February in most years.Many restaurants, shops and businesses close around Tet.Tet is Vietnam's biggest domestic travel period, so lodging and flights tighten.Perfume Pagoda Festival
Best timeMarchChecking fares…Consistently one of the best months, with the Tet crowds gone.Peak season for the light drizzle locals call rain dust.Peach blossoms and red silk cotton trees are in full bloom.
Best timeAprilChecking fares…Another excellent month, warm and mostly clear.The last month before heat and heavy rain arrive.The Perfume Pagoda spring festival runs through April.
MayChecking fares…The heat turns up and afternoon thunderstorms begin.May and June share the highest average temperature, 34°C.
JuneChecking fares…Peak heat: sweltering, sticky and wet.One source calls June the hottest month in recent years.West Lake lotus season
JulyChecking fares…Frequent heavy downpours and possible travel disruptions.Summer is hot, humid and rainy, the least comfortable time for walking-heavy sightseeing.
AugustChecking fares…The rainy season peaks, with torrential sudden showers.August has the most rain days of the year.
Best timeSeptemberChecking fares…Rain tapers off and the autumn transition begins.Lanterns and mooncakes appear as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches.Shops and attractions can close around National Day on 2 and 3 September.Mid-Autumn Festival on Hang Ma street
Best timeOctoberChecking fares…Called the golden month, with ideal weather for exploring outdoors.Autumn is a cooler, lower-humidity stretch that suits photography and street food.One guide notes October crowds in contrast with a quieter March.
Best timeNovemberChecking fares…Crisp, cool and dry.Tourism high season includes November.One guide gives November to June as the best weather and November to February for festivals.
DecemberChecking fares…Cold but cosy, with very low rain.December is the driest month, with about one rain day.Hanoi gets extremely cold from December to February, with no indoor heating.Weather: Hanoi averages from Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology (1991 to 2020 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.
Live fares from your airport. Watch them and we alert you when they drop.
Festivals and seasons through the year
Cancún
The Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Miami
Myrtle Beach
Prague
Bali
Maui
Montreal
Venice
Aruba
New Orleans
Nashville
Disney World
New York
Rome
San Diego
Phuket
Boston
Dubai
Seoul
Florida
Lisbon
Los Angeles
Chicago
Paris
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Edinburgh
Napa
Sydney
Hawaii
Scotland
Punta Cana
Savannah
Washington, DC
Mexico City
Zion National Park
Turks and Caicos
Puerto Vallarta
Honolulu
Banff
Yosemite
Tulum
The Bahamas
Sedona
Seattle
Santorini
Buenos Aires
London
Charleston
Rio de Janeiro
Palm Springs
Yellowstone
Amsterdam
Toronto
Key West
Orlando
Europe
Austin
Machu Picchu
Cabo San Lucas
Niagara Falls
Colorado
Oregon
Arizona
Acadia National Park
Galapagos
Lake Tahoe
Montana
Kauai
Okinawa
US Virgin Islands
Amalfi Coast
Santa Fe
Destin
Curacao
Utah
Joshua Tree
Patagonia
St. Thomas
Florida Keys
Smoky Mountains
Copenhagen
Death Valley
Mallorca
Madeira
Cape Town
Ibiza
Zanzibar
Lake Como
Madrid
New Mexico
Tennessee
Vermont
Wyoming
Bryce Canyon
Oahu
St. Martin
Hilton Head
Dolomites
Cape Cod
San Antonio
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dublin
Catalina Island
Athens
Asheville
Texas
South America
Shenandoah National Park
Phoenix
North Carolina
Medellín
Cairo
Budapest
Arches National Park
St. John
South Carolina
Reykjavik
Mykonos
Milan
Houston
Canary Islands
Big Island of Hawaii
Atlanta
The Caribbean
St. Barts
South Dakota
Rhode Island
New England
Nassau
Lima
Kyoto
Koh Samui
Colorado Springs
Chiang Mai
Stockholm
Porto
Montego Bay
Michigan
Melbourne
Louisiana
Kuala Lumpur
Kruger National Park
Jeju
Florence
Dallas
Zurich
Tampa
St. Kitts
Osaka
Munich
Moorea
Kailua-Kona
Everglades
Door County
Cusco
Calgary
Boracay
Bonaire
Swiss Alps
St. Croix
Seville
San Juan Islands
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Mazatlán
Manila
Kentucky
Isla Mujeres
Guam
French Riviera
Fort Lauderdale
Cinque Terre
Asia
Algarve
Virginia
Tenerife
Sapporo
Nairobi
Mumbai
The Hamptons
Grand Teton National Park
Finger Lakes
Charlotte
Bogotá
Auckland
Maine
Bora Bora
Olympic National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Big Bend National Park
Mackinac Island
Sint Maarten
Nantucket
Outer Banks
California
Big Sur
Crater Lake
Scottsdale
Nice
Mount Rainier
Cozumel
Badlands National Park
Salt Lake City
Denali
Philadelphia
Tucson
Provence
Guadalajara
Albuquerque
Upper Peninsula
Sonoma
Memphis
Idaho
Da Nang
Cotswolds
Arkansas
St. Louis
Capri
Glacier National Park
Barcelona
Vancouver
Denver
Istanbul
Riviera Maya
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Santiago, Chile
Naples, Italy
Central America
Minneapolis
Sarasota
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pittsburgh
Helsinki
Pensacola
Johannesburg
Brisbane
Málaga
Phu Quoc
Perth
Dubrovnik
Corpus Christi
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Torres del Paine
Czech Republic
Ho Chi Minh City
Anchorage
Boise
Louisville
Juneau
Quito
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Canyonlands National Park
Baja California
Blue Ridge Mountains
Fort Myers
Detroit
Kansas City, Missouri
Kathmandu
Reno
Cebu
Brussels
Guangzhou
Chattanooga
Antalya
Daytona Beach
Cairns
Hilo
Alabama
Connecticut
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Capitol Reef National Park