What's the weather like in Ha Long Bay?
Temperature
Ha Long Bay has warm temperatures throughout the year with hot temperatures in the summer month and warm temperatures in the winter months. The summer months of June, July and August see the highest average temperatures at 29°C. The winter month of January sees the lowest average temperature at 17°C which is still a very pleasant temperature to enjoy days out in this popular holiday destination. Temperatures can reach a low of 14°C in the winter month of January but that it the coldest temperatures will get in Ha Long Bay in the whole year.
Rain
The month with the highest rainfall is the summer month of August, seeing an average of 265mm falling over an average of 16 days. The month with the lowest rainfall is the winter month of January which only sees 3mm of rain falling over an average of 10 days. The maximum hours of sunshine in Ha Long Bay is 8 hours in the months of March, April, May, June, November and December while the lowest hours of sunshine is 6 hours in August.
Sea Temperature
The sea temperature stays fairly even throughout the year ranging from 26°C in the summer month of August to 29°C in the months of December, January, February, March and April. Because of the hot average temperatures and very warm sea temperatures throughout the year, this destination is a very popular choice for many holidaymakers.
Flight Time
Ha Long Bay is located on the north east coast of Vietnam and can take anywhere between 15 hours to 24 hours to fly to from the UK, but if course the duration will vary depending on where you are flying from and how many stops between flights there are.
Summer weather in Ha Long Bay
Temperature
The summer months in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam starts from June till August and see the highest average temperatures throughout the year. Starting in June, the average temperature is 29°C which remains the same into July and August. During the summer months, high temperatures can reach up to 30°C to 32°C with evening lows of 24°C to 25°C. Even if you see lower temperatures at some point during your stay, 24°C is still very warm and enough to go and so all the things you planned to do. However, you can always check the weather forecast before booking anything for a day out.
Rain
Starting in June, the average monthly rainfall is 172mm falling over an average of 15 days but moving into July the average monthly rainfall increases to 201mm falling over an average of 15 days. In August, the average monthly rainfall increases again to 265mm falling over an average of 16 days which is the most rainfall in the year.
Sunshine Hours
June will also have 8 hours of sunshine which is the highest in the year and allows for plenty of time to spend outside. The hours of sunshine start to decrease to 7 hours in July and again to 6 hours in August which is the lowest amount of hours in the year. In June and July, the average sea temperature is a very warm 27°C but this decreases slightly to 26°C in August but is still very warm.
Autumn Weather in Ha Long Bay
Temperature
The autumn months in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam starts from September till November and see ongoing pleasantly warm weather. Starting in September, the average temperature is 28°C which decreases to 25°C in October and again to 22°C in November. During these months, temperatures can still reach a high of up to 24°C to 31°C and a low of 18°C to 24°C in the evenings. Whether the temperatures are at their highest, lowest or anywhere in-between, you will still be able to enjoy everything about Ha Long Bay including the many day cruises and caves.
Sunshine Hours
In September and October there are 7 hours of sunshine each day to enjoy, which then increases to 8 hours in November which is the highest amount sunshine hours in the year along with December, March, April, May and June.
Sea Temperature
Nonetheless, September and October sees an average sea temperature of 27°C which is very warm so swimming is still very possible during these winter months. The chance of there being a cloudy day is 54% in September, which then decreases to 49% in October and again to 41% in November which is the lowest chance of a cloudy day in the year.
Winter Weather in Ha Long Bay
Temperature
From December until February experiences the lowest average temperatures in the year for Ha Long Bay but the temperatures are still very pleasant. Starting from December, the average temperature is 19°C which then decreases to 17°C in January which is the lowest average temperature of the year. The average temperature then increases again to 18°C in February. Nevertheless, the winter months can have temperatures reaching a high of 20°C to 21°C whilst lows of 14°C to 15°C at night are the lowest annual temperatures but are still pleasant enough.
Sea Temperature
The average sea temperature in these winter months is a very warm 29°C which is the highest in the year along with March and April. December will see a 56% chance of a cloudy day which then increases massively to 72% in January and again to 78% in February which is the second highest chance of a cloudy day in the year. Throughout the winter there are still 7 to 8 hours of sunshine per day which is actually higher than the summer month of August.
Spring Weather in Ha Long Bay
Temperature
Spring in Ha Long Bay starts in March and sees lovely hot temperatures throughout. In March the average temperature is 20°C which then increases to 23°C in April and again to 28°C in May which is the second highest average temperature of the year. There are also peaks of 23°C to 30°C and lows of 18°C to 24°C which has noticeable improved since the winter months.
Rain
While temperatures may have improved since the winter months, spring sees a higher rainfall with the average monthly rainfall in March being 53mm falling over an average of 13 days, increasing to 57mm falling over an average of 13 days in April and then again in May to 175mm falling over an average of 14 days.
Sunshine Hours
The spring months will see 8 hours of sunshine per day which is the highest in the year along with June, November and December which also sees 8 hours of sunshine per day. Starting in March and April, the average sea temperature is a very warm 29°C which is the highest in the year along with December, January and February. This then decreases to 28°C in May but is still very warm.
If you would like to see how these averages are calculated please visit this page.
Weather Hazards
From the months between and including August to November, there may be infrequent typhoons. If you have booked a stay one of the cruises, call them as it may be cancelled due to the bad weather.