Private journeys built around the hotels
Plan · Seasons
When to go, month by month
The region has no single good season. Hanoi is at its coolest when central Vietnam is at its wettest; Angkor is kindest when the south-central coast is still rainy. This page puts the places our journeys use on one calendar.
At a glance
The calendar
● ideal · ◐ workable · ○ hard. Based on the usual pattern of dry and wet seasons; any single year can differ.
Three patterns explain most of it. Northern Vietnam has a cool, mostly dry winter and a hot, wet summer. Central Vietnam has its main rain and flood season from about late September to December. Cambodia and Laos share a dry season from about November to April, hottest in March to May, and a rainy season from about May to October.
Which journey in which month
| Months | Journeys that fit well | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| November | Cambodia & Laos in Slow Luxury | Central Vietnam still wet; Hoi An legs risky |
| December – January | Slow Luxury; Grand Stays from late December | Peak rates and early sell-outs around the holidays |
| February – March | All four journeys | Lunar New Year closures and prices; haze in Laos from March |
| April | Heritage Hotels; North to South; Grand Stays | Very hot at Angkor; Lao and Khmer New Year in mid-April |
| May – August | North to South; Heritage Hotels | Hanoi hot and humid; rain in Cambodia and Laos |
| September – October | Few routes fit well | Central Vietnam floods begin; Cambodia and Laos still wet |
The journey pages carry their own month notes: Indochina Grand Stays, Vietnam Heritage Hotels, Cambodia & Laos in Slow Luxury and North to South.
What the season does to the hotels
On a trip built around the stays, season matters in two ways the weather charts do not show. First, rates. Late December, early January and the Lunar New Year push room rates up across the region, and small hotels of twenty to thirty rooms or suites can be full months ahead. Second, how the hotel is used. In the hot months you spend more of the day inside it; a pool and shade matter more than a view of the street.
The rainy months bring lower rates at many hotels and quieter sites, and they are not all bad. At Angkor, mornings are often clear in the rainy season. In Luang Prabang the waterfalls run hard and the hills are green. The case against them is mostly central Vietnam in October and November, where floods can close roads and the old town of Hoi An.
Holidays that change the trip
- Lunar New Year (late January or February): shops and restaurants close for several days in Vietnam, domestic travel peaks and rooms fill. Lovely to see, difficult to plan around.
- Christmas to early January: the busiest weeks for international travellers at the region's resorts.
- Mid-April: Lao and Khmer New Year bring water festivals to Luang Prabang and Siem Reap. Expect to get wet and expect closures.
Our destination pages give a month chart for each place, with the bad months named and what they still offer.
If your dates are fixed
Most travellers do not choose their month; school holidays, work and flights choose it. In that case we build the route around the month rather than the other way round. In October, for example, we keep the trip in the north of Vietnam and in Laos and Cambodia, where the rains are easing, and leave Hoi An out. In July we put more nights on the south-central coast and fewer in Hanoi.
Plan your trip
Tell us your month
We will reply with the places that suit it and the stays we would choose.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is there one month that suits all four journeys?
February and March come closest. Hanoi is cool, Hoi An is drying out, and Angkor and Luang Prabang are still in the dry season, though haze can start in Laos in March.
Should we avoid the rainy season entirely?
Not in Cambodia and Laos, where rain usually comes in afternoon bursts. Central Vietnam in October and November is the one we plan around.
How far ahead should we book for peak season?
For late December, January and the Lunar New Year, as early as you can, especially for hotels with fewer than thirty rooms or suites.
Related
Read next
Plan · Hotels
Where to stay
Our comparison of luxury stays by setting, size, season, minimum nights and when not to choose them.
View this journey
Destinations
Destinations
Hanoi, Hoi An, Siem Reap and Luang Prabang: nights, seasons, access and when to skip.
View this journey
Journeys
Tours
Four sample private journeys from 9 to 16 days, each with stays and hotel changes counted.
View this journey
Example journey
Indochina Grand Stays
16 days, five stays, three countries: Hanoi, Halong, Hoi An, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang.
View this journey
Example journey
Cambodia & Laos in Slow Luxury
9 days, two stays, one hotel change: four nights near Angkor, four in Luang Prabang.
View this journey
Destinations · Vietnam
Hoi An
Hoi An: old town or beach villa, four nights, the dry months and the flood season.
View this journey
Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
A month, how many are travelling and any hotel you already want are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a first draft that names every hotel and room category.