Vietnam in November: Weather, Where to Go and Where to Avoid, Region by Region

1. The short answer: where to go in November and where to skip

In November, Vietnam’s weather goes in opposite directions at the same time. The north has some of its driest and clearest weeks of the year. The central coast, from Hue down to Nha Trang, is still in its rainy season, which peaks in October in most places and in November in Nha Trang. The far south is coming out of its rainy season and gets drier week by week.

Where November works well

Go north. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba and Ninh Binh are dry, cool and mostly clear, which is why this is the main cruise season in Ha Long. Ha Giang has its buckwheat flowers. In the southern highlands, Da Lat is at the end of its rainy season and the wild sunflowers are out. On the south coast, Mui Ne has turned dry and the kitesurfing season is starting.

Where it depends

Sapa is dry enough for trekking but cold and often foggy. Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc and Con Dao are in a changeover month: showers still happen, especially early on, and the second half of November is usually better than the first. Mang Den is starting its dry season.

Where another month is better

Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An get their second-heaviest rain of the year after October, Phong Nha is in its flood season, and Nha Trang has its single wettest month. If your trip is about beaches, or you cannot afford to lose a day to weather, plan these places for another season. If you are flexible and do not mind rain, they are cheaper and quieter now, and we explain how to handle them further down.

For the bigger picture, start with our Vietnam travel guide, then the regional guides to the north of Vietnam, the central region and the south of Vietnam.

2. Why the north is dry while the centre is wet

One idea explains most of this. From November, cold air from the north comes down over Vietnam more often and more strongly. Forecasters call this the northeast monsoon. It is the same wind for the whole country, but it behaves differently depending on where it lands.

The same wind, two results

Over the north, this cold air brings dry weather. Hanoi and the coast around Ha Long get few rainy days and a lot of clear sky. The fine, misty drizzle that northern Vietnam is known for barely shows up in November. It comes later, mostly from January to March.

Further south, the same wind crosses the sea and runs into the Truong Son mountains, which run along the central coast. The air is pushed upward and drops its water on the coastal side. That is why Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang have their rainy season in autumn and early winter, while the north and the south get their rain in summer.

Storms and the end of the southern rains

Typhoons and tropical depressions that reach Vietnam in October and November tend to come ashore in the centre. Late in the season the south cannot be ruled out either. In the south, the summer rains brought by the southwest monsoon usually end in the middle or second half of November. So November there is the month the dry season arrives, not a month that is dry from start to finish.

In practice: enjoy the north, pass through the centre quickly or skip it, and reach the south as late in the month as you can.

A few days before you travel to the centre or the islands, check the forecasts and storm warnings from the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. If a tropical depression is on its way, move the beach days to the end of your trip.

3. All the places in this guide at a glance

The table below puts every place in this guide side by side, with the long-term November averages. These are normal values over many years, not a forecast. A single November can be wetter or drier than the average.

November weather, place by place

Source: the climate tables in Vietnam’s national building standard, QCVN 02 on natural conditions for construction. The Ho Chi Minh City row comes from the older edition of the same standard.

How to read the table

The difference between the rows is large. The wettest places on the central coast get many times more November rain than Ha Long or Hanoi, and they get it on most days of the month rather than in a few storms. That is the main reason for the verdicts in this guide.

The temperature column matters too: Sapa and Ha Giang need a proper jacket, while the south stays warm. Two rows need a note. Mang Den has no weather station, so we give no figures. And the Ha Giang station sits in a low valley in town. Up on the plateau, where people actually go to see the flowers, it is far colder.

4. Hanoi: cool days, white daisies and wild sunflowers

November is the end of autumn in Hanoi and the first hint of winter. Days are mild and comfortable for walking around the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake📍Map. Mornings and evenings are cool enough for long sleeves. Rain is light, and the grey drizzle that Hanoi gets in late winter is still weeks away.

White daisies on the streets

The flower of the season in Hanoi is the small white daisy that Vietnamese call cúc họa mi. It blooms in November and December. Vendors carry big bunches on bicycles and motorbikes and sell them at the roadside, and people buy them to take photos with or to put at home. The flowers are grown in the farming villages of Tay Tuu and Nhat Tan, and Au Co Street in the Tay Ho district is a good place to find sellers.

You may read that November is the time for hoa sữa, the milk flower with a strong scent. Its peak is actually from mid-September to early October, so by November only a few trees are still flowering.

Wild sunflowers at Ba Vi National Park

West of the city, the slopes of Ba Vi National Park📍Map turn yellow with wild sunflowers. According to the national park’s visitor guide, the season runs from late October to early December, and the flowers are fullest through most of November. Adult entry is 60,000 VND, with lower prices for students, children and visitors over sixty.

On peak weekends there are queues at Ba Vi from early morning. Go on a weekday if you can, and leave Hanoi early.

Teachers’ Day

Vietnam marks Teachers’ Day on the twentieth of November. It is not a public holiday. Students bring flowers to their teachers, so flower prices go up in the days before, and that is about the only effect on visitors. For how Hanoi compares with the south as a base, see Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, and for the city itself, our Hanoi travel guide.

5. Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba and Ninh Binh: the main season

November is one of the best months for Ha Long Bay. It is among the driest times of the year in the bay, and the sea fog that can hide the islands is rare. The fog season is late winter and early spring, roughly February to April. This is why November is the start of the busy cruise season.

Cruising Ha Long Bay in November

Days on deck are pleasant. Nights on the water get cool, so bring a light jacket for dinner outside. Swimming is possible but many people find the water cold. Many boats leave from Ha Long International Cruise Port📍Map.

There is no rule that stops cruises for the whole of November. What does happen is that when a tropical storm or depression is near, the port authority stops giving boats permission to sail, day by day. Check the cancellation terms when you book, so you know what happens if your sailing day is stopped.

Good cruise boats fill up early in November. Book a few weeks ahead, and read our guide on how to choose a Ha Long Bay cruise before you pay.

Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay📍Map share Ha Long’s weather. There is no weather station on Cat Ba itself, but the nearest station, in Hai Phong, also records very little rain in November. Cat Ba town📍Map is quieter than Ha Long and a good base for kayaking in Lan Ha Bay. See our Cat Ba Island guide, and the Hai Phong guide if you are passing through the city.

Ninh Binh

In Ninh Binh the rice has already been harvested, so the fields around Trang An📍Map and Tam Coc are not the golden colour you see in photos from earlier in the year. What November does offer is cool, mostly dry weather for walking, cycling and the boat trips through the limestone caves. It is an easy day trip, as our guide to Ninh Binh from Hanoi explains.

6. Sapa: dry enough to trek, but cold

Sapa sits high in the mountains, and in November it is cold. Rain is not heavy, which makes it a reasonable month for trekking, but fog and fine drizzle are common and the nights are close to what many readers would call winter.

What the terraces look like

The rice terraces around Sapa ripen and are cut in September. In November the fields are bare stubble, not gold. If the golden terraces are the reason you are going, go in September instead. If you want to walk between villages in cool weather, November is fine.

Fansipan and the cold

The summit of Fansipan📍Map is much colder than the town. In some years there has been frost on the peak by late November, but that varies a lot from year to year, so treat it as a possibility rather than something to plan around. On foggy days the view from the top may be nothing but white.

Sapa is much colder than Hanoi. Hotels in town are not always well heated, so bring a warm fleece or down jacket, a waterproof layer and warm socks, even if the rest of your trip is in summer weather.

The town centre around Sapa Lake📍Map is where most hotels and trekking guides are. Our Sapa travel guide covers the trekking routes, and how to get from Hanoi to Sapa compares the train and the buses.

7. Ha Giang: the buckwheat flower season

Ha Giang, in the far north on the Chinese border, is one of the best places in Vietnam to be in November. Administratively it is now part of Tuyen Quang province, but travellers and most signs still call the area Ha Giang. The draw this month is the buckwheat flower, known in Vietnamese as tam giác mạch.

When the flowers bloom

The province plants buckwheat fields in several rounds, so there are flowers somewhere from October to December. According to the Tuyen Quang provincial newspaper, the fields look their best in early November. Depending on the field, the flowers range from white to pink and red.

A buckwheat flower festival is held in Dong Van town around late October or early November. Reports on the exact dates differ, so check local news closer to the time rather than planning around a fixed day. The Dong Van old quarter📍Map and the Lung Cu flag tower📍Map at the northern tip of the country are the usual stops on the loop.

Cold on the plateau

The Dong Van plateau is well over a thousand metres up, so it is much colder than the town of Ha Giang, where the weather station is. Most people see the area by motorbike, either riding themselves or on the back of a local driver’s bike, and the wind on the bike makes it feel colder again.

If you do the loop by motorbike, bring gloves, a warm jacket that blocks wind and a rain layer. Mornings on the high passes can be much colder than the town.

Our Ha Giang Loop guide explains the route, how many days to allow and how to choose between riding and a driver. Rooms in Dong Van and Meo Vac can fill up during the flower weeks.

8. Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An: why most people wait, and how to go anyway

For the central coast, November is the second-wettest month of the year after October. Da Nang has more rainy days in November than in any other month. In both Hue and Da Nang, the heaviest single day of rain on record fell in November. Most of the time hotels, restaurants and sights work as usual, though shops in flooded streets close until the water goes down. What you cannot count on are dry beach days.

Hue and Da Nang

In Hue it rains on most days of the month. The Imperial City📍Map is fine with an umbrella, but the royal tombs outside town are muddy and much less pleasant. In Da Nang, My Khe Beach📍Map has high waves and rip currents in November, and swimming is often unsafe. The city itself keeps working, and there are plenty of indoor things to do. See our Hue guide, the Da Nang travel guide and our month guide to Da Nang in November.

Hoi An and the floods

Hoi An sits on the Thu Bon River, and in the rainy season the river overflows into the old town, starting with the streets along the water near the Japanese Covered Bridge📍Map. When that happens, the water usually goes down within a day or two and the shops open again. In recent years the old town has flooded several times between late October and November.

If Hoi An floods while you are there, the riverside streets of the old town can be under water for a day or two. Read our guide to the Hoi An flood season before you book, and keep a spare day in your plans.

The full moon night in Hoi An

On the fourteenth night of each lunar month, the old town turns off its electric lights and uses lanterns instead. This still happens in November. Because it follows the lunar calendar, the date moves every year. The Hoi An Centre for Cultural Heritage Management has details on the full moon nights, and our guide to the Hoi An lantern festival explains what to expect. In the rain the evening feels different, with fewer people outside.

If you still want to go

The centre in November can work if your dates are flexible, you have a plan for rainy days, and you like lower prices and fewer people. It does not work if the beach is the point of the trip or your schedule cannot slip. Our guide to Da Nang and Hoi An in the rainy and typhoon season has more detail, and the best time to visit Da Nang shows which months are drier. The Hoi An travel guide covers the old town in any season.

9. Islands and caves in the centre: Cu Lao Cham, Ly Son and Phong Nha

The small islands and the cave country of central Vietnam depend on calm water and dry weather even more than the cities do. In November most of them are hard to reach or partly closed.

Cu Lao Cham

The good season for Cu Lao Cham📍Map, the island group off Hoi An, is roughly March to August. For the rest of the year the sea is rough and most tour boats do not run. There is no official notice closing the island for the season. Instead, on most days the boats simply do not get permission to sail. In practice, a day trip in November is unlikely.

Do not pay in advance for a Cu Lao Cham trip in November unless the operator will refund you when boats are not allowed out. Our Cu Lao Cham day trip guide explains how the trips work in the good months.

Ly Son

Ly Son Island📍Map, off Quang Ngai, has its windiest months in November and December. When the cold northeast wind is strong, ferries can stop for several days in a row. If you go, leave spare days at the end so you are not stuck on the island before a flight.

Phong Nha

Phong Nha has its flood season from roughly September to November. Wet caves and multi-day expeditions may close in that period, and the Hang En expedition usually closes from mid-September to November. Before you go, ask which tours are running from the Phong Nha Cave entrance📍Map area in the week of your visit.

If caving is the reason for your trip, wait until the dry months. If Phong Nha is one stop on a longer journey, check with your tour operator a few days ahead. Our Phong Nha caves guide lists which tours run in which months.

10. Nha Trang: its wettest month of the year

A lot of people ask about Nha Trang in November, so here is the plain answer: November is the rainiest month of the year in Nha Trang, wetter even than October. Nearby Cam Ranh, where the airport is, also has its wettest month now.

Nha Trang gets more rain in November than in any other month. If you want sun and calm sea, choose Mui Ne or Phu Quoc instead, or come to Nha Trang from late winter onwards.

The sea and the island tours

The Nha Trang Bay management board says the rough-sea season usually runs from the ninth lunar month until around Tet. On days with high waves it advises people to stay out of the water. Swimming is not formally banned on those days, and the advice is worth following. According to a report from the Vietnam News Agency, warning signs on the beach are written in Vietnamese, English, Russian and Korean, and lifeguards patrol every day from early morning into the evening. Stay near the lifeguard posts on Tran Phu Beach📍Map.

When the weather is bad, island tour boats do not get permission to leave the harbour, so book island and snorkelling trips with a free cancellation option.

The mountain road to Da Lat

The Khanh Le Pass, the direct road between Nha Trang and Da Lat, was closed for a long time after a major landslide. It now opens only in daylight, from early morning until early evening. In November, check that it is open before you set off, and do not plan to drive it after dark.

If you are going anyway

Plan around things that do not need the sun: the mud baths and hot springs, VinWonders, the Po Nagar towers and the food. Our guide to Nha Trang in the rainy season has a list. The Nha Trang travel guide covers the city, and Nha Trang in December explains how things improve the following month.

11. Da Lat and Mang Den: the rains end and the wild sunflowers bloom

In the southern highlands, November is the month the rainy season ends. In Da Lat, the rain drops to less than half of October’s and falls again in December, and there are more hours of sun than the month before. The air is fresh during the day and cold at night and first thing in the morning.

Wild sunflowers around Da Lat

The yellow wild sunflower, dã quỳ in Vietnamese, starts to bloom in Lam Dong in late October, is at its fullest in November, and fades from late November into December. It flowers in two or three rounds and each round is short. VnExpress reported the best roadsides in recent seasons: the Prenn area, the roads towards Don Duong, Duc Trong and Lien Khuong, and Highway 20 near Di Linh. A motorbike or taxi from Xuan Huong Lake📍Map out along those roads is enough; you do not need a tour.

One thing to get straight: the Da Lat Flower Festival is held in December, and there is no official festival in Da Lat in November. The Da Lat city information portal publishes the festival programme.

Roads into Da Lat

The passes into Da Lat, including Mimosa, Prenn and Khanh Le, have been cut by landslides after heavy rain in the past. After a big storm in November, check the road you plan to use before leaving. Our Da Lat travel guide covers where to stay and what to see.

Mang Den and Chu Dang Ya

Mang Den, in the former Kon Tum province (now administratively part of Quang Ngai), is a high pine plateau well over a thousand metres up, so it is cooler than the lowland town of Kon Tum. Its dry season runs from November to April, and wild sunflowers line the roads in November and December. Dak Ke Lake📍Map is the usual centre of a visit. Read our Mang Den guide for how to get there.

In neighbouring Gia Lai, the slopes of Chu Dang Ya volcano📍Map are also covered in wild sunflowers, and a sunflower festival is held there around the middle of the month.

12. Mui Ne: dry, windy, and the start of kitesurf season

Mui Ne and Phan Thiet change a lot between October and November. November gets only about a third of October’s rain, and most days are sunny. It is a good beach option reachable from Ho Chi Minh City, and a sensible swap if you were thinking of Nha Trang.

Kitesurfing starts

The northeast wind starts to pick up in November, and that opens the kitesurfing season. The strongest winds come in January and February. November, when the wind is only starting to build, is a good time to learn, and so are March and April. Kite schools line the beach road, and lessons run most days.

Swimming and the beach

The same wind brings waves. If you want calm water for swimming, Mui Ne is at its calmest from May to August. In November, expect wind and some surf, especially in the afternoon. Families with small children may prefer the more sheltered spots or the hotel pool.

Away from the water, the red sand dunes📍Map and the white dunes further north are easy half-day trips by jeep, and the dry weather makes this a good month for them. Go at sunrise or late afternoon, when the sand is cooler.

Our Mui Ne and Phan Thiet guide covers the beaches, the dunes and the kite schools.

13. Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta: the last of the rainy season

In Ho Chi Minh City, November is the tail end of the rainy season. Afternoon downpours become less frequent as the month goes on, and by the end of November most days are dry. Bring an umbrella for the first half, but the rain rarely lasts long. Walking around Ben Thanh Market📍Map and District 1 is comfortable, if warm.

Flights into Ho Chi Minh City

International flights to Ho Chi Minh City have long used Tan Son Nhat Airport, close to the city centre. Some flights may move to the new Long Thanh International Airport, which is much further out, so check which airport is printed on your ticket before you plan the transfer. Our guide to Long Thanh Airport explains the differences, and the Ho Chi Minh City travel guide covers the city itself.

The Mekong as the water goes down

In the Mekong Delta the high-water season, which peaks from late September into October, is ending, and the water starts to fall. Around the high spring tides in early November, some low streets in Can Tho can still flood for a few hours. The Cai Rang floating market📍Map runs as usual, and the rivers are full, which makes boat trips pleasant.

Ooc Om Boc and the Khmer boat races

The biggest event in the delta this month is the Ooc Om Boc festival of the Khmer community, with its Ngo boat races. It is held at the full moon of the tenth lunar month in the former Soc Trang province, which is now part of Can Tho city. Long wooden boats, each paddled by dozens of rowers, race on the water near Nuoc Ngot Lake📍Map. Because it follows the lunar calendar, the date moves within November from year to year. Can Tho newspaper publishes the programme each year.

For more on the region, see our guide to the south of Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.

14. Phu Quoc: the dry season arrives during the month

Phu Quoc is the place where people most often get November wrong. It is not yet the full dry season. It is the month the rainy season ends. Rain drops to less than half of October’s, and December is much drier again. Humidity falls too. The end of November is usually better than the start.

Which coast to stay on

As the monsoon changes direction, the west coast, with Duong Dong📍Map, Bai Truong and Ong Lang, often becomes calmer. The east coast, including Bai Sao Beach📍Map and Bai Khem, can get more wind and waves at this time. This comes from local operators rather than official data, so treat it as a tendency, not a rule. If you are choosing a hotel for November, the west coast is the safer bet. Our Phu Quoc hotel guide compares the areas.

Island hopping and jellyfish

Boat trips to the An Thoi islands in the south of Phu Quoc are steadiest in the dry season, so late November is a better time for them than early November. Our Phu Quoc island hopping guide explains the routes. Jellyfish become more common from late November to mid-December, with the most around early December. Ask the boat crew before you jump in.

Prices and roadworks

Room prices start to climb towards high season from the end of November, and are highest over Christmas, New Year and Tet. There are large roadworks on stretches of road between the airport and the south of the island. No closures have been announced, but allow extra time when you head to the airport.

For the full picture, see the Phu Quoc travel guide and the best time to visit Phu Quoc. If you are choosing between the islands and the centre, Da Nang or Phu Quoc compares them.

15. Con Dao: check the boats before you plan

Con Dao, the island group off the south coast, has the same changeover weather as the rest of the south in November. Rain is easing, but the wind grows stronger through the month and is close to twice as strong as in October. That affects the sea crossing more than the beaches.

Getting there

The fast boat between Vung Tau and Con Dao has stopped running because of a breakdown, and the operator says it is suspended until a new announcement. VietnamPlus reported the suspension. Boats still run from Tran De port📍Map, in the former Soc Trang province, now part of Can Tho city. Flights to Con Dao leave from Ho Chi Minh City.

Do not assume the Vung Tau fast boat is running. Before you book anything on Con Dao, check the ferry schedule, and in windy weather be ready for sailings from Tran De to be cancelled too.

On the island

Once there, most of what people come for, the prison history sites in Con Dao town📍Map, the national park and the beaches, works in November. Choose sheltered beaches on windy days. When the sea is rough, flying is the more reliable way in and out.

Our Con Dao travel guide covers the sites and the ways to get there. Whatever you decide, check how the boats are running before you go.

16. The November calendar: flowers and festivals

November does not have a single big national festival for tourists, but there is a lot happening, most of it outdoors and tied to the season. Many events follow the lunar calendar, so they move from year to year. We give the rough time of month rather than exact dates.

What is on and where

Events that belong to other months

Two events often get placed in November by mistake. The Da Lat Flower Festival is in December. The Kate festival of the Cham people is in October. Neither is a reason to travel in November.

Flower seasons shift a little with the weather each year, so if one field is the reason for your trip, look for recent photos in the week before you go.

For the lunar events, look up the full moon for your month and you will know roughly when the Ooc Om Boc races and the Hoi An full moon night fall.

17. Vietnam Culture Day: a new holiday in late November

Vietnam now has a new day off in November. The National Assembly passed a resolution making the twenty-fourth of November Vietnam Culture Day, and workers get the day off with full pay. The resolution has legal force, so this is a permanent holiday, not a one-off. The Vietnamese government newspaper announced it.

What changes for visitors

The same resolution allows public cultural and sports venues to waive or reduce their entry fees on the day. Which places do this is decided by the authorities that run them, so check with a museum before assuming it is free.

The bigger effect is on crowds. It is a single day, but when it falls next to a weekend, many Vietnamese families will take a short trip. Whether the government joins it to a weekend to make a longer break is decided each year, so we cannot say in advance how long it will be.

How to plan around it

If your trip includes the days around the twenty-fourth, book trains, buses and popular hotels a little earlier than usual, especially in places close to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City such as Ninh Binh, Ha Long, Da Lat and Mui Ne. Everywhere else, it will not change much.

18. Crowds and prices in November

November comes just before the busiest stretch of the Vietnamese travel year: Christmas, New Year and then Tet. That makes it a good month for prices in most of the country, with a few exceptions.

Where it is cheap and quiet

The central coast is in its low season. Hotels in Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue cut their prices, and the old towns are much less crowded.

Where to book early

The north is in season. The better Ha Long Bay cruise boats fill up early, and hotels in Hanoi’s Old Quarter are busy. On Phu Quoc, prices start to move up to high-season levels from the end of the month, so a stay in the second half of November costs more than one at the start. Our guide to where to stay on Phu Quoc compares the areas.

Winter visitors from Russia

Winter charter flights and regular routes from Russia and other CIS countries start in the autumn and run until spring. November is when Nha Trang and Phu Quoc begin to see more Russian visitors, and some hotels and restaurants there cater to them in particular.

If you are going to Phu Quoc in late November, book the room as soon as your dates are fixed. Prices on the island move up from the end of the month.

19. What to pack, and entry rules

Packing is the trickiest part of a November trip that covers both ends of the country. In the mountains of the north you need a warm jacket. In the south you want shorts and sun cream. If you are doing both, bring clothes for two seasons.

Clothes by region

Entry rules in short

Entry rules depend on your passport, so we will not give one rule for everyone. Citizens of a list of twelve countries, including South Korea, Japan, Russia and several European countries, can stay up to forty-five days without a visa under government resolution 44/NQ-CP. Other countries have their own visa-free arrangements.

Everyone else can apply for an e-visa, which is open to all nationalities and allows stays of up to ninety days, single or multiple entry. Apply only through the official e-visa portal, not through lookalike sites that charge extra. Phu Quoc also has its own visa-free entry for foreigners who fly straight to the island and stay there.

Our guides to Vietnam entry requirements and the Vietnam e-visa go through each case step by step. For data on the road, see our Vietnam eSIM guide.

20. Sample November itineraries

The simplest way to plan a November trip is to spend most of it in the north, then fly south for the beach, and pass over the central coast. Here are three routes that fit the weather.

One week in the north

1. Days one and two Hanoi: the Old Quarter, the lake, and a morning at Ba Vi if the sunflowers are out.
2. Days three and four Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay on an overnight cruise.
3. Days five and six Ninh Binh for boat trips through Trang An and cycling around Tam Coc.
4. Day seven Back to Hanoi. To add Sapa or Ha Giang, allow three or four more days.

Two weeks, north and south

1. First week Hanoi, Ha Long, and then either Ha Giang for the buckwheat flowers or Sapa for trekking.
2. Flight south Fly straight from Hanoi to Phu Quoc or to Ho Chi Minh City for Mui Ne, and skip the central coast.
3. Second week Beach days, placed as late in the month as your dates allow.

Highlands and the south

If you are starting in the south, go from Ho Chi Minh City up to Da Lat for the sunflowers and cool air, down to Mui Ne for the beach and the dunes, then back to Ho Chi Minh City, with a day in the Mekong Delta at the end.

If you really want the central coast in your November route, add one spare day and have a rainy-day plan for each stop: museums in Hue, cooking classes in Hoi An, the mud baths in Nha Trang. Put the central stop in the middle of the trip, not right before your flight home.

On a route like this you will use mobile data for maps, ride-hailing apps and weather warnings, so it is worth sorting out before you land.

21. November compared with October and December

If your dates are flexible by a few weeks, it helps to see how November sits between the months on either side of it. Each region changes in a different direction.

Region by region

Rain month by month

The pattern is clear. The south and Da Lat get much drier from October to December. The centre is wettest in October and still very wet in November, except Nha Trang, where November is the worst. The north is good in all three months but gets colder and greyer from December, and the drizzle season follows early in the new year.

So if you can choose, late November or early December suits a trip that mixes the north and the south. For the centre, it is better to wait until spring. Our month guides to Nha Trang in December and the best months for Da Nang go into more detail, and the best time to visit Phu Quoc does the same for the island.

22. Who November suits, and who should pick another month

November is a good month for Vietnam as long as you choose the right part of the country. Here is how it works out for different kinds of trips.

November is a good choice if

You want the north in its best weeks, with the buckwheat flowers and wild sunflowers, cool weather for walking, and a beach in Mui Ne or Phu Quoc late in the month. See our Ha Giang Loop guide and the Ha Long Bay cruise guide to start planning.

Pick another month if

Your trip is built around the beaches of Da Nang, Hoi An or Nha Trang, around caving in Phong Nha, or around island trips to Cu Lao Cham. November is one of the worst months for all of these. Spring and early summer are much more reliable for the central coast.

In between

If you want Phu Quoc or Con Dao, November works, but the second half of the month is better than the first, and on Con Dao the boats decide a lot. If you want Sapa, November is dry enough to walk but cold, and the terraces are already harvested.

Whatever you choose, keep a day free somewhere in the plan, check the forecast before each move, and pack for two seasons. Start with the Vietnam travel guide for the rest of the planning.

Vietnam in November: common questions

Read the full Vietnam travel guide

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