Adapting to weather in Hanoi – Do’s and Don’ts

Many tourists, especially Westerners, find it difficult to adapt to weather in Hanoi because it’s very much different from their countries’. Vietnam is a minority among the South East Asian countries with a diverse climate. Particularly, Vietnam has 2 climate types divided by the Central-North and the South. Hanoi and most of the Central-North basically have 4 seasons, in which summer starts from May to Aug, fall is from Sep to Nov, winter from Nov to Jan, spring is from Feb to Apr. However, the weather is not clearly identified by the temperature and signs of season changing. Summer is very hot and humid. The highest temperature may reach 40 Celcius degrees, even 50 – 60 Celcius degrees on road surface, which is literally sizzling and boiling. The winter, on the other hand, is usually from 10 – 20 Celcius degrees, which is mostly like autumn in a Wester country but beware of the dryness making the weather extremely frigid and uncomfortable.

So hereby are some Do’s and Don’ts to adapt to the unforeseeable weather in Hanoi for you to follow:

What to do:

• In summer, try to get hydrated. Drink 2 – 2.5 liters of water because you’re probably sweating all the time. The boiling weather might defeat you, especially if you come from a Western country or… Canada.
• Do whatever locals do, such as wear a sun-protection cloth or at least wear suncream or long-sleeve shirt on a hot sunny day. The strong sunlight and its UV beam are likely to burn you alive.

• Add some salt to your water will help compensate the one lost in your sweats
• Fall is the most ideal season to travel because most of the days, the weather is cool and dry. Find out the best tours for fall here!
• Use lotion and wear a mask to avoid dryness in winter cracking your skin
• Between October and February, always bring with you an umbrella or raincoat because the rain might come anytime.

• It’s easier to get flu during wet seasons, so bring some medicine with you if traveling during this time

What to avoid:

• In summer, avoid going outside between 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm in the very hot days
• Hanoi is easy to get flooded after a heavy rain, and who knows what is hiden under the muddy water. Also, you will easy to get wet, so try not to go outside, especially by motorbike during the rain, it might be dangerous.