If you are looking for the best time to visit Ha Long Bay then let me tell you, there is no such time that you would want to miss going to Ha Long Bay. You might be confused, aren’t you? Well, it always depends on you what kind of traveler you are. You might be a budget traveler or are in search of the best opportunities to enjoy your trip where cost is not your topmost priority. Here I will put forward every possible best time to visit Ha Long Bay to suit your requirements and complement your priorities the most. Furthermore, this will give you the advantage to pre-plan for the best time to visit Ha Long Bay. Wouldn’t that be great to already be knowledgeable about what you can avail during your entire trip? Without wasting a single minute, let’s get straight to the best times to visit Ha Long Bay.
Best time to visit Ha Long Bay- Pleasant Weather
If you are looking for the best time to visit Ha Long Bay in terms of weather, Summer and Autumn are the two exclusive choices you can decide on for the maximum opportunities to enjoy your trip. These seasons will provide you with unlimited activities you can hang on to make your trip one of the most memorable traveling experience. March, April, September, and October are the months these seasons fall in.
Best Time to visit Ha Long Bay- On Budget
If you are restricted to budget and looking for the best time to visit Ha Long Bay to get hands-on some budget-friendly deals, May to September is what you need to book for your vacations. This is an offseason as lesser international travelers visit Ha Long Bay. These months are less crowded that turns out to be an excellent time for you to get most in your budget. Even though the sun shines bright in this season, this gives you the perfect reason to enjoy water-based activities. The best part is, you get high discounts and offers to reserve yourself a cruise, they give the promotional discounts to attract travelers, It is a win-win situation. Wait, there is one more exciting news, due to less crowd, you can have the beach all by yourself to enjoy and capture the best moments.
Well now that I have given you a brief guide about what can be the best time to visit Ha Long Bay for you, I will now guide you through each of the months so you can carry out a detailed plan for what is the exact time that will suit you the best either it is an off-season or on-season.
A month-by-month guide to visit Ha Long Bay
January
In January the weather of Halong is quite cold ranging from 13 degrees to 26 degrees with humidity lies between 60% to 70%. However, despite the usual freezing and extremely windy weather in this month, you can still encounter a few sunny days that make the scene picture perfect. The reason why it is an on-season for travelers as it is less humid and cooler than the summers that give them a sense of pleasure.
Although the weather in January is chilly, it has high tourist rate. If you are not fond of Vietnam’s hot weather, this cold breezing month is heaven for you to visit but remember, there is one disadvantage, you may not be able to take on water activities like swimming and diving due to extreme temperature. You may still enjoy the view of heartfelt beaches, stress-relieving sights like diverse shaped caves and mountains.
February
Early days of February are cooler than the rest of the month while a lot comforting than January that is about 15 degrees and above. The temperature starts increasing from the mid to late February ranging from 23 degrees to 28 degrees and the sun is quite brighter during this time. The average rain in this period falls from 200 to 300mm.
February is a lot crowded as it is a festive month and an on-season. In this month, Vietnamese locals prepare for and celebrate Tet Holiday. It is the best time to visit Ha Long Bay if you have an eye towards the cultural beauty; you can sense the Vietnamese heritage in every passing street during this month. However you might miss out on spending time on a cruise as some of the cruises keep the house closed on Holidays but do not worry, you might still be able to enjoy the most important Vietnamese event, the Lunar New Year party that some cruises host.
March
March is best known to visit Halong due to its warm, fresh and airy weather that fluctuates between 18 degrees to 34 degrees in the earlier days of this month. In the mid of March, the temperature rises and has warmer, sunny days that range between 21 degrees the lowest to 34 degrees the highest. In this month the average humidity occurs around 75% and 255mm of rainfall. In the last days of March, the weather turns cooler and northeastern monsoons reflect occasionally that makes this month even more worthwhile.
March, likewise February is trailed by Tet Holidays hence, it is crowded. You will experience spiritual and religious festival during this time of the month and it is highly recommended to visit Yen Tu Religious complex or Yen Duc village to take a trip to festivals.
April
April is known to be the ideal, the best time to visit Ha Long Bay. The climate is mild, no extreme winters nor harsh summers but the occasional strong winds, it is just the right time to enjoy the spring in Ha Long Bay. There is a reason why tourists find it the best time to visit Ha Long Bay, apart from the pleasant weather, it the ideal time to cruise this month. The temperature ranges from 18 degrees to 36 degrees in April and the average humidity is 75%. As compared to March, the rainfall increases by 20mm.
April is the best time to visit Ha Long Bay due to its warm and pleasing weather but it is better to avoid the last couple of days of this month because of huge showers of locals as it intersects with Vietnam’s National holiday. Furthermore, there is an expected increase in prices.
May
May is where the spring ends. It is the month where there are weather fluctuations and it is always better you check the weather forecast beforehand to prevent any inconvenience that may occur. With temperature, humidity and precipitation also increase, it may feel more like summers. This weather is unpredictable and the temperature ranges from about 29 degrees to 40 degrees with humidity spins around 70-80% but infrequent rains.
Even though May seems an off month, but it is one of the best time to visit Ha Long Bay due to very few tourists crowding and that you can avail promotional discounts on cruises. Moreover, it is the best time to kayak, swim and dive on Bay due to infrequent rains and the heated summer is a little far to arrive.
June
June is the typical start of the summer where the temperature spins between 31 degrees to 39 Degrees. The market at this time is quite busy due to domestic tourists. The beaches in this month are quite cool and breezy due to which the sunshine feels good to get a little tan without burning you to roast. The rainfall is quite high up to 1000mm and that too very frequent.
Due to the crowd on weekends of families and students, as the summer vacations begin, it is recommended to go out on weekdays as there will be less crowd then.
July
Likewise June, July is also heated but with more risen temperatures recorded however the nights are a little less warm than sweltering day time that is 28 degrees and 38 degrees respectively. June is evermore humid than July that is about 77% and the precipitation increases up to 1200mm. This month happens to be stormy and rainy and hold high chances of flooding. Due to this a lot of cruises undergo shutdown to prevent accidents. If you decide to go in this month, do not forget to check weather forecasts. The average number of stormy days in the last 5 years is 3 days in July.
August
In August the temperature drops 3-4 degrees compared to the previous month as inclining towards fall. The maximum temperature rises to 36 degrees. August is quite comforting and enjoyable due to 1000mm light showers that make this month a blessing and about the same 75% average humidity as the previous months. This light rainfall does not affect the cruising and you can still enjoy your best time on the boat as it only keeps the weather more pleasuring. What makes this month the best time to visit Ha Long Bay is that you have no restrictions over water activities like swimming, scuba diving, rowing, and kayaking.
September
September brings fall with it and you can have your time in this cool and soothing weather even though the temperature fluctuates between 26 degrees to 36 degrees but remains pleasant. The breezy sea, less humidity, and the sun’s gentle kiss make the cruise trip perfect. Rain occurs quite low in this month.
Tuan Chau Island, Ba Trai Dao beach, Luon Cave, Vung Vieng, Floating Fishing Village are worth sighting the pearls of Bay that is a must in this month. Moreover, water activities like swimming and squid fishing would be a precious memory to make.
October
October is one of the best time to visit Ha Long Bay as it’s cooler than September and has pleasing weather with fresh breezes blowing that makes the trip a perfect memory. Beautiful sunshine in the fall takes the cruise journey to a wonderful experience. The temperature at night is cooler than in the daylight 24 degrees and 28 degrees respectively. The average humidity in 72% and rainfall is 600mm. The end of this month takes a turn to chilly winters hence northeastern monsoon is expected.
This month can be enjoyed doing water sport activities and going for a cruise trip with eyeing those overwhelmingly impressive attractions of Bay.
November
In early November, tourists can have their moment with cooler and pleasant sunshine but than the weather takes a turn to extremely cold windy breezes with a significant decrease in humidity while an increase in monsoons. It is advised to bring some warm clothes with you if you are planning to visit Ha Long Bay in November. There are days with mild weather when you can enjoy water activities.
December
December is the month when winter hits hard in Halong and has a drastic drop in temperature ranging from 17 degrees to 26 degrees. The weather is quite dry and chilly especially at night time that is not only cooler than daytime but also longer night hours however the day hours are from 7:00 am till 5:00 pm. The average humidity is 70% and rain drizzles in this month.
Despite the extreme weather, it is the on-season for tourists due to the New Years Eve and Christmas that gives the worth of experience as the cruises organize themed parties and GALA dinners.
Public holidays in Vietnam
If you want a less crowded vacation in Vietnam, you probably would want to avoid these days when there is a flood of domestic travelers.
| Public Holiday | Date |
| International New Year | January 1 |
| Lunar New Year (Tet Festival) | January 1-3 in lunar calendar (January 25 – 27 in 2020) |
| Hung King Festival | March 10 in lunar calendar (April 2 in 2020) |
| Liberation Day | April 30 |
| Labour Day | May 1 |
| National Day | September 2 |
Past weather conditions recorded in Ha Long Bay
I hope you found this article “When is the best time to visit Ha Long Bay?-Travellers Guide” helpful and share with the ones you are planning your Ha Long Bay trip with. Check out the best time to visit Galapagos Islands.