North Vietnam in January

North Vietnam in January can be wet, very, very, wet. It can also be cold. But it depends where you go. We’ll explain the weather in North Vietnam in January and tell you where you should, and shouldn’t, go in winter.

Travel in North Vietnam in January

On this January trip to Vietnam, we had dry, cool weather in Hanoi and Ninh Binh. Perfect weather for exploring in comfort. The weather in Da Nang was fairly dry, but windy with high seas, but it poured with rain while we were in Hoi An. We cancelled our trip to Sapa, as we were told there was heavy fog up there and that it was too cold. Ha Long Bay didn’t appeal under winter grey skies.

Ha Naoi and Da Nang are officially in Central Vietnam, but if you’re flying into Hanoi, you’re likely to go there, so we include them in this post. Find out how to travel between Hanoi and Hoi An here.

January is a good time to see the Tet decorations in Vietnam. You will see flowers and fruiting trees all over the country. While the Tet holiday itself can be a tricky time to travel in Vietnam, before and after Tet is a very beautiful time. Tet this year(2026) is in February, as we enter the year of the fire horse.

Hanoi in January

Things to do in Hanoi are mostly not weather-dependent. Hanoi is about seeing the sights, visiting museums, experiencing street life, eating and drinking in this incredible city. It’s one of the best places to see in Vietnam. We have a guide to Hanoi here. We particularly recommend a food tour like this.

However, the typical side trips from Hanoi, Sapa & Cat Cat Village, Ha Long Bay, and the Ha Giang Loop, are weather-dependent, and we wouldn’t choose to do these in January.

The “best” time to visit Hanoi, is officially Autumn, September, October and into early November. Temperatures will be warm and skies clearer. Temperatures drop quite significantly in December and January, but humidity remains low, and rainfall doesn’t typically increase by much.

We think January is an excellent time to visit Hanoi, with average temperatures at a comfortable 17 °C. You can wear jeans, closed shoes and a light fleece or long-sleeve top and be fine. If you plan to visit Sapa and Ha Long Bay, avoid January.

Sapa in January

People visit Sapa forhill tribe villages, light hiking, waterfalls, views and the cooler climate at elevation. Obviously, that cooler climate doesn’t appeal in winter!

We cancelled our plan to visit Sapa in Jan because of fog. We don’t mind the cold, and if there was snow, we would have gone, but not being able to see the views through low cloud made it a bit pointless. We got this information from talking to a traveller who had just got back from Sapa, not the promotional websites telling you that January in Sapa is a “winter wonderland”.

If you’re looking for accurate info, scroll on past the AI and promo sites and find the travel blogs written by humans with firsthand experience.

To be clear, we have visited Sapa before, years ago, it’s not on the blog, and we weren’t overly keen to return. There has been a lot of development up there and we thought it probably wasn’t worth going these days. Again, other travel bloggers have been telling us this for years. We weren’t devastated that we didn’t go, and happily went somewhere else instead.

Ha Long Bay in January

Ha Long Bay cruises, again, are about views of limestone karst scenery. In January you may not get this, and the seas could be rough. January is not a good time to visit Ha Long Bay. The best time is spring and autumn to avoid high temperatures, high seas, and crowds.

We have taken an overnight Halong Bay cruise and weren’t keen to do it again.

Ninh Bin in January

Hue in January

Hue is the most southerly of the coastal cities in Vietnam’s north-central coast, and it’s a great place to go. It’s famous for food and Imperial ruins, plus day trips to Khe Sanh and the DMZ, Phong Na caves, and more.

If you plan to take the scenic Hai Van Pass, south to Da Nang from Hue, it’s probably not a great time. The “scenic” part may be absent.

Da Nang and Hoi An in January

The dry season in Da Nang and Hoi An is January to August. The wet season is September to December. January can still be wet, particularly early January, and when we were last there in January the rain was bad. Possibly bad luck, possibly our changing climate.

We still had a great time, but if you plan to visit beaches they will probably be closed. Outdoor activities may be hard to manage, and the flooding along the Old Town waterfront at high tide may be more than normal.

The highest chance of flooding in Hoi An is in October and November. We were living in Hoi An during the floods, so it’s not something that bothers us, we know that life goes on. But you won’t be able to visit the Old Town during floods. Floods do not happen every year, and it’s possible they could happen in January.

If it rains, you can still have a great time, of course, we did. Happiness comes from within, and there are plenty of great restaurants to hole up in. Mango Rooms is worth a look, plus the cheaper local restaurants and markets.

It’s Always a Great Time To Visit Vietnam!

Vietnam is amazing, one of our favourite countries to visit. You can visit at any time of year, so long as you consider where to go and manage your expectations. For us, flights to Vietnam are cheaper in January, and the crowds aren’t as bad. So if you’re planning to go, go, maybe, we’ll see you there.

If you'd like to hire a car during your stay, use this car rental comparison tool to find the best deal!

We also suggest you take a look at this company to get a quote for all kinds of the more tricky adventure or extended travel insurance.

Try Stayz / VRBO for an alternative way to find rentals on homes/apartments/condos in any country!