Is It Monsoon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam? Rainfall and Weather by Month

Is It Monsoon?
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam JANUARY
27°
★★★
Peak season
22° to 32°
Cool & Dry
The most comfortable stretch of the year, with the lowest humidity and the least rain.
☀️ Sunscreen✨ Best sightseeing weather
28°
★★★
Peak season
23° to 33°
Peak Dry Season
Still dry and pleasant, though the heat is already creeping back up from January's low.
📅
Tet, late January to mid-February
Vietnamese New Year, the country's biggest holiday. Nguyen Hue Street fills with a massive flower display and fireworks light up the Saigon River on New Year's Eve, while many shops and restaurants close for several days around it. The exact date shifts each year with the lunar calendar.
☀️ Sunscreen😷 Dry-season haze possible
29°
★★★
Shoulder season
24° to 34°
Hot & Dry
Dry season holds, but the heat is climbing fast toward the hottest months of the year.
🥵 Stay hydrated☀️ Sunscreen
30°
★★★
Shoulder season
26° to 35°
Peak Heat
The hottest month of the year, with the first pre-monsoon showers starting to appear.
🥵 Heat protection☔ Light rain jacket
30°
★★★
Shoulder season
26° to 34°
Monsoon Arrives
The rains set in fast, though the heat barely lets up.
☔ Umbrella essential🥵 Heat protection
29°
★★★
Shoulder season
24° to 33°
Steady Monsoon
Rain is a regular fixture now, with downpours arriving most afternoons.
☔ Umbrella handy🦟 Insect repellent
28°
★★★
Off-peak season
24° to 33°
Deep Monsoon
Rain falls on most days, and flooding is a real possibility in low-lying streets after heavy downpours.
☔ Heavy rain gear⚠️ Flash-flood aware
28°
★★★
Off-peak season
24° to 33°
Peak Wet Season
Among the wettest months of the year, hot, humid, and prone to sudden street flooding.
☔ Heavy rain gear⚠️ Flash-flood aware
28°
★★★
Off-peak season
24° to 32°
Wettest Month
The rainiest month of the year, with downpours most afternoons and the highest humidity too.
☔ Heavy rain gear⚠️ Flash-flood aware
28°
★★★
Shoulder season
24° to 32°
Rains Persist
Still one of the wetter months, though slightly cooler than the peak of summer.
☔ Umbrella handy🦟 Insect repellent
28°
★★★
Shoulder season
23° to 32°
Rains Ease
The monsoon rains become rare, though a late-season typhoon is still possible.
☔ Light rain jacket🌀 Late typhoon possible
27°
★★★
Peak season
22° to 32°
Cool & Clear
The coolest month of the year and mostly sunny, though a fading risk of a tropical cyclone lingers.
☀️ Sunscreen✨ Best sightseeing weather
Drag through the year Jan
⭐️
Jan
⭐️
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
⭐️
Dec
This month
Rainfall
15 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8 hrs/day
62% of daylight hours
Humidity
70%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
5 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
9 hrs/day
69% of daylight hours
Humidity
68%
Comfortably humid
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
10 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
9 hrs/day
69% of daylight hours
Humidity
68%
Comfortably humid
Wind
13 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
51 mm
5 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8 hrs/day
62% of daylight hours
Humidity
71%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
221 mm
18 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6.5 hrs/day
50% of daylight hours
Humidity
78%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
310 mm
19 rainy days this month
Sunshine
5.5 hrs/day
42% of daylight hours
Humidity
82%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
295 mm
23 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6 hrs/day
46% of daylight hours
Humidity
83%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
269 mm
22 rainy days this month
Sunshine
5.5 hrs/day
42% of daylight hours
Humidity
83%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
13 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
325 mm
23 rainy days this month
Sunshine
5.5 hrs/day
42% of daylight hours
Humidity
85%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
264 mm
21 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6 hrs/day
46% of daylight hours
Humidity
84%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
114 mm
12 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6.5 hrs/day
50% of daylight hours
Humidity
80%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
51 mm
7 rainy days this month
Sunshine
7.5 hrs/day
58% of daylight hours
Humidity
75%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
★★★ peak season, ★★☆ decent shoulder months, ★☆☆ true off-peak, based on rain frequency, heat, and haze.
Seasons at a glance
🌟
Peak season: Jan, Feb, Dec
Ho Chi Minh City's most comfortable stretch: the coolest temperatures of the year (relatively speaking, this is still the tropics), the lowest humidity, and the least rain. December carries a small, fading risk of a late-season tropical cyclone, and by February the heat is already creeping back up, but this is as good as the weather gets here. Expect the busiest, priciest hotel rates of the year too.
🌤️
Shoulder season: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov
This tier spans quite different halves of the year. March and April are still officially dry season, but the heat becomes intense, regularly climbing toward the year's hottest days, and April's first showers signal the monsoon is close. May, June, and October sit within the wetter half of the year, rain is frequent, but conditions haven't reached the deepest, most saturated stretch of the monsoon yet. November sees the rains largely retreat, though a late typhoon is still possible into early December.
☔
Off-peak season: Jul, Aug, Sep
The heart of the monsoon, when rain falls on the majority of days and September, the wettest month of the year, can bring flooding to low-lying parts of the city. Humidity peaks here too. Hotel prices drop to their lowest point of the year to match.
Good to know
✈️
Tan Son Nhat sits right in the city
Vietnam's busiest airport (SGN) is only about 7km from the city center, closer and more convenient than most big Asian airports.
😷
Dry season is actually the smoggiest
Counterintuitively, air quality tends to be worse from November to February than during the rainy season. With no rain to clear the air, particulates from heavy motorbike traffic build up more in the dry months.
🌊
Streets can flood fast in the rainy season
Heavy downpours combined with high tides regularly flood dozens of low-lying streets 10 to 30cm deep. It usually drains within about half an hour of the rain stopping, but it can stall traffic in the meantime.
🚇
The Cu Chi Tunnels are a popular day trip
This underground tunnel network from the war sits about 60km northwest of the city, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours each way by road, usually visited as a half or full day tour.
Top attractions
1
Ben Thanh Market
The city's most iconic market, recognizable by its clock tower, with around 3,000 stalls selling everything from produce to souvenirs alongside street food stands.
2
War Remnants Museum
A sobering, widely visited museum covering the Vietnam War through photography and artifacts, with decommissioned tanks, planes, and helicopters in the courtyard.
3
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
A red-brick, twin-towered cathedral built by French colonists between 1863 and 1880, free to visit and just across from the historic Central Post Office.