October is autumn in northern Vietnam; is the rainy season with tolerable or pleasant temperatures in the Central Coast, the high rainy season with pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands, and the high rainy season with pleasant temperatures in Southern Vietnam.
In northern Vietnam, October is the time of sun, clouds, occasional rain, pleasant, temperatures. It may get chilly in the far-northern mountains in the early morning, late afternoon, and evening.
The Central Coast often has rain and pleasant temperatures. The Southwesterly Monsoon (or locally known as the Westerly Wind or Lao Wind) is a foehn wind in this region. But there are other factors like to Tropical Convergence Zones and air troughs which are more dominant and which are to cause the weather more rainy or the temperatures more pleasant in October.
Since there are several climatic weather factors at work in October that are more likely to change the normal weather conditions in the Central Coast of Vietnam.
The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam often have heavy rain and mostly pleasant temperatures in October due to the active Southwesterly Monsoon from the Equator.
The sea is rough Vietnam in October which is much worse during the time of a typhoon, and sea exploration tours are more likely not operable in most places. There may be typhoons in Vietnam in October which would more likely affect the Central Coast of Vietnam.
Again, Vietnam is a narrow country with a long coastline and the country is to be affected tremendously by any change in sea temperatures and/or climate change. This is the reason that the weather patterns in Vietnam nowadays may vary from year to year and could be totally different from the norm.
Recap of Vietnam Weather in 2026
1/ In January of 2026
it is found that the weather patterns were not normal:
- Winter in northern Vietnam was mostly with pleasant temperatures, only two periods with cold temperatures and each was for 4-5 days. The region enjoyed autumn-like weather from October 2025 through January 2026.
- The Central Coast of Vietnam had sun mostly after the first week of January 2026. It is normal that this region starts having dry season from late February. The temperatures were very pleasant.
- The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam had lower temperatures than normal: 8oC and 14.3oC respectively.
- Southern Vietnam had torrential rain for a day in the middle of the dry season.
2/ In February 2026
All of Vietnam enjoyed mostly dry weather with pleasant sun and temperatures. Quite a few plant species started yielding flowers 1 to 1.5 month later than normal. So did the presence of migratory birds.
3/ In March 2026
There were unseasonable rain in the Central Coast, in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam. There were hails and strong gusts of wind in Ha Giang, Son La, Yen Bai Provinces which are very unusual.
The lowland of northern Vietnam experienced some rain and mostly dry weather and the extremely moist air was not found in the region as compared to normal.
4/ In April 2026
We did not find the moist air in most of northern Vietnam at the beginning of the month as normal. This is rare.
There was rain in the Central Coast, in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam in April which was extremely different from normal as it was supposed to be a dry time.
In Son La, there was hail which destroyed houses and crops.
In the Northwest of Vietnam, there was rain and the temperatures were pleasant mostly. This is not the norm that it is dry and bright sun, high temperatures.
In Long An and Dong Thap Provinces in the Mekong Delta, rain accompanied by strong winds destroyed hundreds of houses.
5/ In May 2026
The North had two brief heat strike each of which lasted 2-3 days in the second and last decades of May 2026. The region also had some weak spells of the Northeasterly Wind in the first and second decades of the month. The second spell of the weak and cool wind was just in time to put an end to the first heat strike in the region.
There were floods in Quang Ninh and Cao Bang Provinces in the second decade of May 2026 which are rare.
Rainy season started in southern Vietnam in the third week of May 2026 which is quite late compared to normal.
Southern Vietnam experienced hot temperatures throughout May. Normally when the region has the rain of the rainy season, then the temperatures turn pleasant or tolerable mostly.
6/ In June 2026
Northern Vietnam suffered from 3 heat strikes in June 2026, each of which lasted for about 3 days. The heat strikes in the second and third decades were extremely bad with high temperatures in the North reaching 40oC and those in the North of the Central Coast reaching over 42oC.
In the second decade of June 2026, there was a brief spell of the cool Northeasterly Wind which put an end to the ongoing carnage of the heat strikes in the North and in the Central Coast. The "Winter Wind" hitting northern Vietnam in June, which is in mid summer, is extremely rare.
For the last 4 days of June 2026, pleasant temperatures returned to northern Vietnam caused by rain across the region, while a heat strike still went on to most of the Central Coast of the country.
There was a flood in Cao Bang in the last decade of June 2026 which is not usual.
The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam had rain and heavy rain for most of June and the two regions enjoyed mostly pleasant temperatures. Southern Vietnam had some days with intense sun and warm temperatures.
There was no typhoon affecting the inland of Vietnam in June 2026.
7/ In July 2026
- Northern Vietnam enjoyed pleasant weather with mild sun, clouds, breezes, short-lived rains, pleasant temperatures throughout the month.
- Typhoon Maysak (Typhoon No. 1 in 2026) made landfall at Mong Cai in the first decade of July.
- It rained more in northern Vietnam and North of the Central Coast of Vietnam (15-30%) compared to normal.
- Typhoon Noul (No. 2) made its way into mainland China and did not have much impact on Vietnam in the last decade of July.
- There was hot days alternated by days with tolerable or pleasant temperatures in the Central Coast. There were isolated rains in the region.
- The Central Highlands had rain and pleasant temperatures.
- Southern Vietnam had sun, rain, warm temperatures and pleasant temperatures.
8/ In August 2026
- Torrential rain caused floods in Lao Cai City at the beginning of the month.
- There were two typhoons in the East Sea: Typhoon No. 3 (coded Kujira) made its way northeastward and did not have impact in Vietnam; Typhoon No. 4 (Narra) travel back and forth slowly in the Gulf of Tonkin before traveling northward to China and this typhoon caused torrential rain and floods in Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen and Bac Giang.
- The Central Coast had rain, yet the temperatures remained hot.
9/ In September 2026
- Typhoon No .5 (Saudel) in the Gulf of Tonkin made landfall in China but the impact was torrential rain all over Vietnam.
- The first spell of the Northeasterly Monsoon was much earlier than normal.
- A tropical depression in the second week made landfall in Quang Tri causing torrential rain the region and flood from Nghe An to Da Nang.
Later torrential rain in the North of the Central Coast caused flood in Vinh City, Nghe An Province.
- In the last days of September 2026, hide tidal water combined with heavy rain caused flood in several places including Dong Nai, Saigon Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho,...
- Generally speaking more rainfall was found in the North while less rainfall was found in the South of Vietnam in September. And the temperatures were highern in most places in Vietnam in September 2026 compared to the same time in other years.
- Birding tours did not provide good experiences as it should have been in September 2026: fewer birds and long-lasting rain in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam.
Monsoons in Vietnam in October
In October there are two main monsoons affecting Vietnam:
- The Southeasterly Monsoon which blows mostly in northern Vietnam which causes moist air and pleasant temperatures.
- The Northeasterly Monsoon which blows either through the inland or via the coastline in the North into the inland of northern Vietnam and the Central Coast of Vietnam.
- The Southwesterly Monsoon which comes from the Equator and which causes daily rain in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam.
- The Westerly Wind, which is actually the Southwesterly Wind blowing through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand before hitting the Central Coast of Vietnam, is a foehn wind. This wind causes brighter sun, dry air and hot temperatures in the affected regions. But there are often air troughs, tropical convergence zones, tropical depressions,... with axis across the Central Coast that are more dominant factors than the foehn wind. It is often the case that the everprence of inter-tropical convergence zones that cause heavy rain in this region in October. And normally the inter-tropical convergence zones work with the Northeasterly Monsoon to cause long-lasting and heavy rain in the Central Coast this month.
The Terrain and Climatic Factors Impact on the Weather in Vietnam in October
1/ The mountain ranges in Vietnam often runs from the northwest to the southeast
Most mountains in Vietnam follows this direction with the exception of the Truong Son Mountain Range which runs from the North of the Central Coast to the west of the Central Highlands, or along the north-south axis.
In October, the ever presence of inter-tropical convergence zones over the Central Coast causes rain in this region. There are occasional spells of the Northeasterly Monsoon which blows inland from the sea. The high mountains in the Central Coast helps to block clouds with moisture: long-lasting and heavy rain. The dominant factors also make impact of the foehn wind to a minimum.
2/ Hot Air Regions in the Troposphere, Air Troughs, Tropical Convergence Zones, Clockwise Cyclonic Circulation (by Storms or Tropical Depressions)
Given the presence of the inter-tropical convergence zones that causes rain in the Central Coast and the active Southwesterly Wind in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam that there are normally no hot air regions in the troposphere to the west of Vietnam.
In case of a typhoon or tropical depression, the clockwise cylonic circulations help to push moisture and clouds to the Central Coast of Vietnam which are blocked by high mountains to the west of the region. These factors work together and create synergy: rain in the Central Coast and in southern Vietnam. And it is more likely that the combination of these factors causes dry, pleasant and breezes weather in the North.
It is possible that in case of tropical depressions or typhoons that the wind speeds are violet and strong which may push moist clouds to the North and cause rain in this region. Again, northern Vietnam is to expect spells of the Northeasterly Monsoon in October which should nullify any typhoons or tropical depressions.
The Central Coast of Vietnam is a narrow strip of land (the narrowest part of 40km) with high mountains to the west and low flat coastal plain: the terrain is steep and in case of heavy rain, expect devastating consequences.
The Southwesterly Monsoon is more active and it causes heavy rain in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam in October.
Southern Vietnam also experience high tidal water in September and October which may combine with heavy rain to cause flooded streets in several places.
The Mekong Delta region may experience flood due to heavy rain and high tidal water. But this is an interesting time to travel through this region given that there are several seasonal dishes available this time only, abundant wildlife thanks to abundant food supply.
What to expect from your holidays to Vietnam in October, where to go in Vietnam in October?
Taking the general weather conditions in Vietnam into consideration, for those travelers planning tours to Vietnam or those who are on holiday in Vietnam in October, then there are some notes as follows:
- October is a fine time to visit Vietnam given the dry and pleasant weather mostly in northern Vietnam and amazing wildlife in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. Even in rainy season visiting tourist attractions in southern Vietnam is possible.
In northern Vietnam, it is often a good time from the beginning of October to go on trekking tours, biking tours to the far northern mountains.
All trips through the lowland of the North are more likely to experience beautiful weather with caressing sunshine, pleasant temperatures. This does not apply to the time when there is a typhoon hitting the region.
October is getting to be a fine time for birding in the North of Vietnam and it is the beginning of the bird migratory season. This is not a good time to go on birdwatching tours in the Central Coast due to frequent and heavy rain.
There are more bird species in Vietnam in October but it is a high rainy time in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam this month. If you are well-prepared for the rain, your birding experiences in these two regions should be fruitful.
All local resident birds in Vietnam are out of the period of nesting and mating and they could turn gregarious at times. But food is mostly abundant given frequent rain. Birds are not desperate to come out for food but yet they turn more joyful and it is easier to sight them than in the hot summer months.
It is more likely that sea exploration tours like scuba-diving, snorkeling... are not operable in most places. And be vigilant for safety conditions and expect rough sea if you plan to travel to offshore islands.
The beaches in the Central Coast from Quang Binh to Nha Trang: Nhat Le, Cua Viet, Da Nang, Hoi An, Quang Ngai (Sa Huynh), Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Doc Let, Nha Trang... are often empty because of rainy weather.
The beaches in Vung Tau, Long Hai and Mui Ne, Phan Thiet are good options near Saigon Ho Chi Minh City. But expect rough sea and daily rain. A typhoon in October could cause disruption to boat trips and flights between the inland and the islands across Vietnam.
Con Dao Islands, Phu Quoc Island are to have cloudy or rainy weather with lovely temperatures of 26-30oC.
The sea could be rough in October, but island vacations or sea exploration tours are to be operable.
Below you can find Paradissa’s reviews and statistics of the weather in different regions in Vietnam in October 2026
1/ Vietnam Weather in the First Decade of October 2026
2/ Vietnam Weather in the second decade of October 2026
3/ Vietnam Weather in the last decade of October 2026
Disclaimer: Vietnam weather summary is for reviews of Vietnam weather by month on the basis as “it is” to the best of our knowledge. Paradissa does not guarantee the accuracy of our monthly reviews of Vietnam Weather. Our Vietnam Weather Reviews by month must not be used for making travel decisions or for any other purposes. Paradissa disclaims any liability in connection with with the use of our information.
