May is summer in northern Vietnam and the Central Coast of Vietnam, the rainy season in the Central Highlands and South of Vietnam.
There are often short-lived torrential rains in northern Vietnam in May. Flash floods and landslides may take place in the far northern mountains due to heavy rains. The extreme North-West of Vietnam gets less influence of the foehn wind which makes the temperatures more tolerable than in April.
The Central Coast normally experiences high temperatures (above 35-36oC) with occasional short-lived thunderstorms in May.
The Central Highlands normally have cloudy days with daily thunderstorms and pleasant temperatures. The temperatures are mostly 21-30oC.
The South of Vietnam normally has stable daily weather pattern: sun, clouds and afternoon thunderstorms. The temperatures are lovely, 27-34oC.
Vietnam’s weather in May 2019 reflected the standard regional weather patterns in the country mostly but there was a drastic change in the North that it rained much more than usual and the temperatures were very pleasant, much nicer than the norm.
It was also very unusual that the North had the cool northerly wind which is normally available during the winter time only. This wind formed as there were several high-pressure cold air masses moving southwards across the northern border with China. It is these cold air masses and the high pressure air troughs in the North made up mostly the weather conditions in northern Vietnam in 2019.
Below is our review and statistics of the weather in different regions in Vietnam in May 2019.
1/North Vietnam
The region had unusual northerly wind for most of the month, a brief heat strike in the third week of the month made the temperatures high in the North for 3 days the most. Then it was the northerly cool wind for the rest of the month. No typhoon came to northern Vietnam in May 2019.
- The Northeast of Vietnam (Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Ba Be National Park…) had mostly cloudy and rainy days. There were quite a few torrential rains with havoc in Cao Bang and Ha Giang. The heat strike came in the third week along with strong sunshine and high temperatures of 26-39oC for 3 days. The temperatures were lovely for most of the month, 20-30oC.
Dong Van Karst Plateau was had mostly cloudy and rainy days. Mostly it was cool air in the plateau, 16-24oC. For three days of the third week that there was a heat strike and there was bright sun and high temperatures of 21-29oC.
- The eastern Northwest of Vietnam (Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai) had mostly cloudy weather and with short-lived torrential rains. The temperatures were mostly 20-32oC and 25-34oC in Lao Cai. There were 2 heat strikes in the eastern North-West of Vietnam in the third and fourth week with bright sunshine and high temperatures of 26-39oC and 26-37oC respectively. Torrential rains across the region were found in the fourth week through the end of May 2019.
Sapa had stable weather in most of May with rains and clouds, 13-22oC. The third week, when the North was suffering from a heat strike, Sapa had bright sun and the temperature were slightly higher, 16-27oC.
Mu Cang Chai had mostly sun, clouds and rains with lovely temperatures most of the time, 17-26oC. For a few days of the third week during the heat strike in northern Vietnam that it was bright sunshine in Mu Cang Chai and slightly higher temperatures of 21-31oC.
- The extreme North West of Vietnam (Son La, Lai Chau and Dien Bien) had mostly cloudy days and thunderstorms and the temperatures were mostly 22-34oC. There were 2 heat trikes in the region: 1 in the first week with clouds and high temperatures of 35-36oC and in the third week with strong sun and high temperatures of 28-41oC for 3-4 days. In the fourth week and the rest of the month, it was torrential rains and lovely temperatures of 20-30oC.
The Moc Chau Plateau enjoyed mostly cloudy days with thunderstorms and lovely temperatures, 18-26oC. For a couple of days in the third week it was with bright sunshine and dry, 22-28oC.
- The low lands in northern Vietnam (Halong Bay, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh) enjoyed mostly lovely weather in May 2019. It was mostly half sunny and half cloudy days with occasional short-lived rains and lovely temperatures, 22-31oC. For a couple of days each in the third week and fourth week that it got up to 28-39oC and 26-37oC. But it rained mostly in the fourth week through the end of May.
2/The North of the Central Region (Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh)
The region mostly had mixed weather with clouds, sun and thunderstorms. The temperatures were mostly 26-32oC. But there were 3 heat strikes: The first week, a few days of the third week and second half of the fourth week. During the heat strikes, the temperatures were 27-26oC, 29-39oC and 27-36oC respectively. The sun was red hot in the third week. There were torrential rains in Thanh Hoa and clouds and rains in the other provinces for the rest of the month.
3/ The Central Coast of Vietnam (Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan)
- Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue had sunny days mostly with some clouds and rains. The temperatures were constantly high, 28-41oC. The sun was especially strong during the heat strike in the third week.
- Da Nang, Hoi An and the provinces to the south of the Hai Van Pass (Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen) enjoyed mostly sunny and cloudy weather with some thunderstorms. The temperatures were constantly high, 28-38oC. It was bright sunshine in the third week when there was a heat strike.
- Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan: The weather was mostly stable and very pleasant with sunshine, clouds and rains, 28-35oC mostly, 27-36oC for a couple of days in the second and third week of May.
4/ The Central Highlands of Vietnam (Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong)
The Central Highlands enjoyed a lovely May: cloudy days with rains often. The temperatures were so lovely, 21-32oC.
Da Lat had a lovely May in 2019 with clouds and rains and pleasant temperatures, 17-24oC.
5/The South of Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, Vung Tau, Dong Nai, and the Mekong Delta)
The South of Vietnam had a lovely May in 2019 that everyday was with stable weather: sun, clouds and rains. The temperatures were mostly lovely, 27-34oC.
The Con Dao Islands and Phu Quoc Island came through May in stable weather: sunshine, cloudy days and rains. The temperatures were mostly 28-31oC.