Vietnam in May — is it worth going and where? Weather and reviews, air and water temperature, is it possible to swim, prices for tours, air tickets and hotels. Where is the best place to vacation in Vietnam in May, what to see and what to do – says Eurotraveler.
Holidays in Vietnam are exotic, some say. On the contrary, if you’ve already become boring, others say, you need to try something else.
That being said, almost everyone equally agrees that traveling to Vietnam during May is not the best idea. That is, if at the beginning of the month there is still nothing, then at the end – just “ugh”.
Because it is at this time that the southwest monsoon appears on the scene in Southeast Asia. Like a vacuum cleaner sucking up masses of moist air in the vast Indian Ocean and transporting them to China and Mongolia.
It is obvious that along the way warm and powerful rains all transit countries will be gifted.
Vietnam is no exception. However, this is not always the rule! More precisely, not so – not entirely the rule!
Since the climatic conditions in the northern and central parts of the country differ from the southern ones. And, even more so, with the island of Phu Quoc.
If you’re still unsure about visiting Vietnam in May, check out our detailed review of the best times of the year to visit this Asian country. Well, let’s move on to the details!
Weather in Vietnam in May
If we talk about the northern regions of the country, then at the end of spring it can be really rainy there. Although it is warm and even hot.
For example, in the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi in May, the air temperature tends to be +30 degrees Celsius during the daytime. Sometimes it’s +35, sometimes even +40 °C and above.
What is really hard to bear, especially against the backdrop of constantly high humidity
Evenings and nights are more pleasant – about 24-25 degrees Celsius. So, in theory, tourists who venture to the north of Vietnam in late spring will have the opportunity to take a break from the heat.
The probability of a sunny day is 15 percent. In most cases, you will see a cloudy sky overhead.
Cat Ba
Precipitation is quite abundant and frequent. Not quite tropical (you shouldn’t expect floods, but that will happen by summer). But still, for 8-10 days a month it pours from the sky or even pours like a bucket.
It seems quite possible to swim on the same Cat Ba island. Since the South China Sea in May at this latitude warms up to +26-27 °C.
But which of the refined European or American holidaymakers would be willing to climb into muddy water after a rainstorm? And will he even go to the wet bank?
After all, they then go to the tropics so that the turquoise sea and dry golden beaches loom before their eyes?!
However, it will be possible to see Hanoi and feast your eyes on the views in every sense of the wonderful Ha Long Bay. Equally, having settled in this point of Vietnam in May, you can see other attractions.
As for air ticket prices, a transit (via China) flight from Moscow to Hanoi and back will cost ~600 € per person. And renting a room for two in a very good hotel in Cat Ba will cost 100 €… per week.
Danang
It’s hot here even in early May: about +30-32 °C. And it’s quite stuffy, although the rains that abundantly water Halong Bay and the outskirts of Hanoi in May, central Vietnam in most cases fly by without stopping.
Precipitation is possible for 5-7 days, meteorologists cautiously report. And their total monthly volume – 70-80 mm – is not at all scary.
Sunny days are outnumbered by cloudy ones. But they are much more frequent compared to the northern part of the country.
The sea warmed up to +26-27 at the start of the month. And up to +28-29 °C – in its middle and end. Which, not even in theory, promises regular bathing.
In general, in Da Nang in Vietnam you can have a good rest on the beach in May. If, of course, you are able to easily (at least not difficultly) tolerate high humidity. And you won’t be bothered by constant temperatures of +30 degrees Celsius or higher (at night about +25 °C).
As for entertainment, everything is also good. Here is what a tourist should see in central Vietnam.
Hotel prices will also not surprise you. Or, on the contrary, they will surprise you. In the best possible way!
Nha Trang
The most famous and popular resort in Vietnam. The one where perhaps 80 percent of all foreigners visiting the country go purposefully.
In general, mass tourists (especially from China) have mastered these shores long ago and firmly. But if you want to have a good rest without any hassles, choose not the central beach of Nha Trang.
Anyway, to the point!
In May, the weather in Nha Trang in Vietnam presents, if not idyllic, then a very pleasant picture. Not exactly what a northerner frozen over the winter would like to see. But close, very close!
It rains infrequently (3-4 times a month), fluffy white clouds walk across the sky, the sun is hot. By noon the atmosphere warms up to +29-32 degrees Celsius – sometimes the temperature stays at +35 for a week.
In the evenings, a pleasant coolness descends on the resort in the form of +25-26 °C. It’s a pleasure to walk in this weather, thinking about the past day and making plans for the next!
Sea? It is warmed up to the point where swimming is no longer very refreshing: in early May up to +28-29, and closer to summer – already up to +30 and above degrees Celsius.
Have you decided that you want to go? Hello! Just check out the prices for air tickets first – in early May, a trip from Moscow to Nha Trang and back in transit through China will cost ~900 €!
But prices in local hotels in May are very reasonable. And even a stop in such a famous and very popular place as the 5-star Vinpearl Hotel with its own large water park will not ruin you.
In many hotels, even those located near the beach, you can find a spacious room for two for only 30 €.
Phan Thiet and Mui Ne
Both of these resort towns in Vietnam, starting around mid-spring, are not very well suited for a beach holiday. Because in most cases it is too windy.
But a traveler, especially a family traveler, is still not a seagull who would like to swing on the waves for a week without a break. Surfers, however, can appreciate such “exciting” conditions.
The air in Phan Thiet in May is warmed up to +30-32 °C. It rains lightly, but there are quite a lot of cloudy days: up to 12-14 per month.
The water is cloudy, it is recommended to swim in the morning or before sunset. There are few tourists.
And the contingent is specific. More and more surfers and paragliders!
Hotel prices are average (for Vietnam). And renting a room near the coastline in Phan Thiet in May will cost the equivalent of 30-35 € per day.
Resort
Vung Tau
just 100 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, we wisely will not consider it at all (and we do not advise you to). First of all, because there are enough places in Vietnam where you can have a good rest at sea.
But on
Fukuoka
Let’s go into more detail. In May it is hot here (up to +32-34 °C) and not exactly dry: meteorologists are frightening with a high probability of rain.
Although in reviews you can often find something like: “at the end of May it was sunny and warm, we swam without a break.” One way or another, the probability of a sunny day is low (no more than 20%). On the contrary, the average monthly precipitation is high – up to 170-200 mm.
The sea is very warm: maybe +30, or maybe even +32 °C. Which is actually more upsetting than pleasing. Because it is literally impossible to cool down while swimming in a water area of such a temperature.
Despite all of the above, prices in hotels in Phu Quoc in May are for some reason at least not lower than in Nha Trang (from 30 € per night). And this – considering the weather conditions – is surprising!
Tour prices
Attract attention! And they even provoke you to go on a trip.
After all, in the same Nha Trang in Vietnam at the beginning of May you can relax for a week for 140-150 thousand rubles for two!
For this money you can count on direct flights – which is very important! And also for accommodation in a good hotel and breakfast.
If you choose Phu Quoc (for example), you will have to pay about the same. However, flights will only be transit. And that means you will get very tired on the road.
Here is how long the flight from Russia to Vietnam takes.
Things to do
The May weather does not impose any special restrictions on movement in Vietnam. And even Hanoi and the Ha Long Islands in the north of the country can be explored. If you are lucky with the weather!
Those who venture to Da Nang can organize a particularly rich excursion program for themselves. You just have to remember that the heat and high humidity in Vietnam in May are not just words.
One way or another, the easiest way from Da Nang is to go see the huge Son Doong cave and sail to the Cham Islands. And also get to the former imperial residence in Hue and the ancient city of Hoi An, protected by UNESCO due to its pure authenticity.
An excursion from Nha Trang to Dalat will definitely provide a lot of positive impressions. And the islands (Monkeys, for example, or Orchids) near the most popular of Vietnamese resorts are worth deigning to visit!
Just a must-do activity here: a ride on the cable car over the sea to Hon Tre Island and a visit to the Vinpearl water park.
In theory, those who come to Phan Thiet on vacation may get bored. But only if they don’t go to Ho Chi Minh City-Saigon, one of the most colorful metropolises in Southeast Asia.
As for Fukuoka, this island by nature itself was created for a beach holiday. Although it will offer a number of entertainments (cruises, fishing, cable car, walks into the jungle) that will diversify the leisure time of the holidaymaker.
- The most interesting places to visit in Vietnam
- What documents do you need to take with you on vacation to Vietnam?
- Where can you go to the sea in Russia in May?
© Eurotraveler
