Vietnam weather, typhoons and Tet: regional seasons, warnings and 2027 holidays

Pick your month by region, not for the whole country. Avoid the central coast from September to early December, and book Tet 2027 (6 February) transport now: Vietnam Railways has been selling Tet tickets since 5 September.

When are you going?

• Central coast (Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An), September to early December: storm and flood season, peaking September to November. Storms meeting cold air and the Truong Son mountains can cause widespread flooding. The East Sea averages 4.5 storms a year, about 1.9 of them reaching Vietnam.1VietnamNet, citing the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (opens in a new tab)vietnamnet.vn
• South (Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta), about May to October: the wet season, with the rainy season starting in the first half of May in a typical year.2Tuoi Tre News (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn
• North (Hanoi), December to February: cool and damp. A typical December averages about 21 degrees C, and a cold front can pull nights down to about 15 degrees C. January and February can bring wet, chilly days and lows under 10 degrees C.3Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)ovietnam.vietnamnews.vn Pack a jacket.
• Winter smog: still air raises the pollution index in Hanoi in winter.4Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)ovietnam.vietnamnews.vn
• Tet, 4 to 10 February 2027: shops close and transport sells out; plan for it.

If a typhoon or flood is coming

1. Track it on the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting’s tropical cyclone page (opens in a new tab), the official source. The agency’s English pages are thin, so also watch local news and your hotel.
2. Move central coast days until after it passes. Storms in October and November are fully possible.5VietnamNet (opens in a new tab)vietnamnet.vn
3. Refund or change a train ticket at dsvn.vn (opens in a new tab): individual tickets cost 20,000 VND to change and 10% of the fare to refund at least 24 hours before departure.6Vietnam Railways (opens in a new tab)dsvn.vn

If you’re travelling over Tet

• Tet Day is 6 February 2027. The government approved a seven-day break for civil servants from 4 to 10 February, returning 11 February.7VnExpress International (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• Private employers set their own breaks: 5 to 11, 4 to 10 or 3 to 9 February.8VnExpress International (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• Book trains now. About 300,000 Tet tickets went on sale on 5 September for 23 January to 25 February 2027, on 57 trains.9VietNamNet (opens in a new tab)vietnamnet.vn Buy on dsvn.vn (opens in a new tab); each person can book 10 tickets each way.
• Book flights now. Vietnam Airlines Group put nearly 3.7 million Tet tickets on sale on 25 August for 22 January to 20 February.10VOV (opens in a new tab)english.vov.vn Vietjet is selling 3.1 million seats, about 2 million of them domestic.11VOV (opens in a new tab)english.vov.vn
• Expect closures. At Tet 2025, many local restaurants, Hoi An tailors and most Hanoi shops closed, some for six days. Taxis were hard to hail, and intercity buses took a break. Ride-hailing still worked, with waits of 15 to 20 minutes.12VnExpress International (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net
• Peak-period train changes cost more. Refunds in the peak period cost 30% on set dates and trains, and must be made 24 hours before departure.13VietNamNet (opens in a new tab)vietnamnet.vn

Public holidays in 2027

Only these 2027 holidays have been announced.14Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn Dates for civil servants are shown; shops and tourist sites often follow them.

New Year’s Day (1 January), Reunification Day (30 April), Labour Day (1 May) and Hung Kings Commemoration Day (a lunar date) are also public holidays; the government has not yet announced their 2027 days off.

If it doesn’t go to plan

• Tet train sold out? Check dsvn.vn (opens in a new tab) again; the railway said it may add trains from 5 to 8 February depending on demand.15Saigon Giai Phong (opens in a new tab)sggp.org.vn Otherwise fly: both airlines say they will add capacity as bookings come in.16VOV (opens in a new tab)english.vov.vn
• Flights full? Flights between 21:00 and 05:00 make up about 17% of Vietnam Airlines Tet flights;17VOV (opens in a new tab)english.vov.vn look at those.
• Nothing open on Tet Day? Plan meals ahead and ask your hotel what is open.18VnExpress International (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net