When to go

Ho Chi Minh city lies in the tropical climate region near the equator. Like southern provinces, it has a high temperature all the year and two distinct seasons, the dry and the rainy. The rainy season lasts from May to November and the dry season from December to April. According to records of the meteorological observatory at Tan Son Nhat airport, the city’s climate has the following features:

Rich radiation, averaging 140Kcal/cm2/year. The average time of sunshine is 160-270 hours a month. The mean temperature is 27oC, the peak temperature 40oC and the lowest temperature 13.9oC. April has the highest temperature on average, at 28.8oC. The time between mid-December and January has the lowest temperature on average, at 25.7oC. There are more than 330 days with an average temperature of 25-28oC a year. The temperature and sunshine are favorable for vegetation growth and cultivation and accelerates the decomposition of organic substances in wastes, thus reducing pollution.

High rainfall, averaging 1,949mm a year. The highest rainfall was in the year 1908, with 2,718mm, and the lowest in the year 1958, with 1,392mm. Ninety percent of the rainfall is in the rainy season from May to November, and the highest rainfall is in June and September. There is little rainfall in January, February and March. However, rainfall is not distributed evenly. It tends to increase in the southwest-northeast axis. Most districts in the inner city and in the north usually have higher rainfall than districts in the south and southwest.

Humidity averages 79.5% per year. The average humidity in the rainy season is 80% and the highest 100%. The average humidity in the dry season is 74.5% and the lowest 20%.