Vietnam, seen by locals
Vietnam, planned month by month.
Vietnam is 1,650 km long with three different climates. Find out where the weather is on your side when you travel — then see what to visit and what to eat there, from people who live here.
When are you going?
Right now
Where the weather is good in November
NorthGreatHanoi
Red River Delta
A thousand-year-old capital that still lives on the sidewalk.
NorthGreatBac Ninh
Red River Delta
Craft villages, ancient pagodas and UNESCO-listed Quan Ho folk song.
NorthGreatCao Bang
Northeast mountains
Karst peaks, jade rivers and Southeast Asia's grandest border waterfall.
NorthGreatBa Be Lake & Bac Kan
Northeast mountains
Vietnam's largest natural lake, and stilt-house homestays on its shore.
The whole country at a glance
Where to go in November
Pick a month — the map recolours every destination by how good the weather usually is.
- Great
- Good
- Fair
- Wet / extreme
- 1HanoiGreat
- 2Bac NinhGreat
- 3Cao BangGreat
- 4Ba Be Lake & Bac KanGreat
- 5Vung TauGreat
- 6Mui Ne & Phan ThietGreat
One country, three climates
When the north is cool and grey, the south is dry and sunny. When the central coast floods in autumn, Hanoi has its best weather of the year. Every month is a good month somewhere — the trick is knowing where.
North
Hanoi
Best: February–April, November–December
Central
Da Nang
Best: January–May
South
Mui Ne & Phan Thiet
Best: June, August, November–March
- Great
- Good
- Fair
- Wet / extreme
Explore by region
Eat like a local
Every region has dishes you will not find anywhere else in Vietnam.
Ready-made routes
Realistic travel times, and a weather rating for every month.
Stories
All stories arrow_forward
Chau Doc & An Giang · 1 October 2026
An Giang in the flood season: the Mekong at its gentlest
Every autumn the Mekong spills over the fields of An Giang. Locals wait for it all year — and it is one of the most beautiful times to visit.
Da Nang · 24 September 2026
Chicken rice, central Vietnam's comfort food
Golden turmeric rice, shredded free-range chicken and a pile of herbs: why com ga is the dish locals in Hoi An and Da Nang eat on repeat.
Bac Ninh · 17 September 2026
Bac Ninh beyond the day trip: eleven stops in the cradle of Kinh Bac
Ancient pagodas, royal temples and villages of woodcarvers, bronze-casters and bamboo weavers — all within an hour of Hanoi.
Tips for your travel month
Tell us when you are going and we will send what to expect and where to go that month.
Seen by locals
Written, photographed and filmed by people who live in Vietnam — not stitched together from stock libraries.
Honest about the weather
Ten years of climate data for every destination, so you know about the floods and the chill before you book.
Beyond the usual loop
From the Mekong's Khmer pagodas to Cao Bang's border waterfall — places most guides skip.