When to go · Hanoi
Hanoi in December
Good month. Cool; bring a layer.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Good
- Temperature
- 22° / 16°
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 5
- Crowds
- High
- Vietnam overall
- Prices
- High
- Vietnam overall
Verdict
Cool; bring a layer.
Weather in December
- HanoiHighs around 22 °C, lows around 16 °C, rain on about 5 days
- North, Vietnam · Hanoi, Hạ Long, Ninh Bình, Sa Pacool
Four seasons: cool grey winters (Sa Pa can reach 0 °C), humid hot summers with storms Jul–Sep; Hạ Long cruises cancel on storm warnings.
Winter season
Cool, grey and cosy: hot phở weather, Christmas crowds at St Joseph's, flower markets before Tết.
Watch: Smog on still days; unheated rooms.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Daisy season (cúc họa mi)
About mid-November to mid-December · Flower bikes around the Old Quarter and Phan Đình Phùng
Photographers stop traffic; flowers ₫50,000–100,000 a bunch.
Christmas Eve
24 December · St Joseph's Cathedral, Nhà Chung
Streets around the cathedral jammed from dusk; midnight mass overflows.
New Year countdown
31 December · Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Opera House square
The walking-street zone widens and cars are cut off: expect a long walk to any taxi after midnight.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Vietnam overall
- High
- Prices · Vietnam overall
- High
Vietnam overall: North and south dry, centre wet; Christmas to New Year lifts beach prices.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
What to pack
- Layers: a fleece or light jacket