When it’s hot it’s hot, when it’s not it’s not

oops!!! This post is from Feb 20. I did not realize that it did not get posted

As I closed for the night, the main door latch broke off in my hand. Huh!! Always something. We are still fully booked and things are going well. I think I will need to find a night receptionist quickly, Sleeping in the hotel and getting up very early everyday is slowly taking its toll. For the first time since I got here, I was forced to have a 20 minute nap. The streets are still alive with the New Years celebrations. There are dragon dancers showing up at random locations causing traffic jams as curious onlookers stop to gape at the martial arts spectacle. I do

A trap in Chu Chi

 not know how they do it. I see the same young men displaying their arts all day and evening long, and it looks very tiring. They are beaded with sweat by noon and a person can see the pain of the efforts in their faces, but still they persist. I have to admire them.

A bit of weather front has moved in and Nha Trang has cooled to a chilly 26 degrees. A pair of Swedes that were staying with us found the cloudiness not to their liking, so they have moved on south hoping to break through the

Hands up

front. I wish them luck. From what I have been able to see, the mildest and calmest climate is here in Nha Trang. Oh…… about the climate (oooooo ya gotta love my segways 😉

Vietnam is over 3000 Km long so temperature can vary quite a bit depending on the season. I have been asked many times when the best time to travel to Vietnam is. That is a bit of a difficult question, but I will do my best to give you a clear answer.

Loom in muslim village

in Vietnam there are two seasons, the cold season occurs from November to April and the hot season from May to October. The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern parts of Vietnam is almost unnoticeable, averaging only around 3ºC. It is much more noticeable in the North where differences of 12ºC are not uncommon. In the northern regions, the rainy season from May to September (it’s hot, heavy rain), and the dry season from October to April (it’s cold, little rainfall). The annual average temperature is in the 20 to 25 degree range, but in winter the average

Paddling on the Mekong

temperature is around 16 and can go as low as 3 degrees. There is over 100 days of rain fall making it hard to hit the best weather.

The south is a sharp contrast There is almost no noticeable difference in seasons and it is not as stormy as the north. It can get quite hot during the summers, especially in the Mekong. From Ho Chi minh City all the way up the coast, the climate is generally similar with the exception of Nha Trang. Nha Trang is blessed with some of the mildest weather in the world. The rainy season only lasts about one month, and then, it may only rain for a week or two with sunny afternoons and stormy mornings. Nha Trang is surrounded by a number of mountains that shelter it from storms and weather fronts. The climate is mild all year around with an average temperature of 26-28

Future boat driver

 degrees. Most if not all of the typhoons that hit Vietnam veer slightly to the north and miss Nha Trang. Other areas as close as 10 Km can be devastated, while this locale remains untouched. That is probably why the ancient Cham people thrived here.

So here it is in a nutshell…. Depending where you want to spend your time will influence your decision. If you intend  to spend most of your time touring south and central Vietnam, I would suggest winter Maybe January of February. It will be fairly dry and the temperatures mild at 26 – 32 degrees. However, travel to the north is not so pleasant at this time. It can be chilly but tolerable in Halong Bay, but it can be darn right miserable if you plan to go to SAPA. If only coming to the center and Nha Trang in particular, almost any month is good. Just remember that October-November is the rainy season. The north is a little trickier. If you do not want to be cold, summer is the best, however, is becomes rainy and hot.

South Mekong Girls

In my opinion, if a person wants to do an entire country tour from top to bottom, April – June may be the best months. There is a good chance that the warmer weather has set in the north and the south is not in its hottest time. For myself, I do not mind January through March. I would much rather deal with a little chilliness than be confined to air-conditioned hotel rooms. I hope this answers some of your questions. If you have more specific questions…. Please ask

Todays photo’s brought to you by Brad

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4 thoughts on “When it’s hot it’s hot, when it’s not it’s not

  1. Those traps were not meant to kill but to wound and expend more soldiers to help and care for the wounded and to be a psycological deterent….I wouldn’t think of going down those holes.

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