Travel
Vietnam
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Northern Vietnam
The north has four distinct seasons. Autumn (September–November) is dry and cool and the best time for almost everywhere; mountain winters can drop below 5°C, and Sa Pa occasionally sees frost. Hà Nội is the gateway: Ninh Bình is about 2 hours by car, Hạ Long about 2.5 hours on the expressway, while Sa Pa, Hà Giang and Cao Bằng are best reached by overnight sleeper bus or by driving yourself. The terraces of Mù Cang Chải and Sa Pa turn gold from late September into early October; Hà Giang's buckwheat flowers bloom in October–November.
Central Vietnam
Central Vietnam is long and narrow and keeps its own weather: roughly February–August is the dry season with calm seas, while September–December brings the rains and typhoons, and some years Huế and Hội An flood. Đà Nẵng is the hub, with an international airport — Hội An is about 30 km away, Huế about 100 km through the Hải Vân tunnel or over the pass. Quy Nhơn, Nha Trang and Mũi Né run down the southern coast, each with its own airport or railway station. Đà Lạt and Buôn Ma Thuột sit on the highlands and are much cooler, with a dry season of roughly December–April. Phong Nha is cave country, and expedition tours usually run only in the dry season.
Southern Vietnam
The south is hot all year with two seasons: dry from about December to April and wet from May to November — though the rain usually comes as an afternoon downpour that clears, so travel carries on. Hồ Chí Minh City is the gateway: Vũng Tàu is about 2 hours away, Cần Thơ 3–4 hours by road, and Phú Quốc and Côn Đảo are quickest by plane. The Mekong Delta is at its best in the flood season (roughly September–November) around Châu Đốc, An Giang, and in the mid-year fruit season in Bến Tre and Cần Thơ. Visit Phú Quốc in the dry season, when the west coast is calm.