August is summer in northern Vietnam, is the dry season with hot temperatures in the Central Coast, is the rainy season with pleasant or chilly temperatures in the Central Highlands and rainy season with pleasant temperatures in southern Vietnam.
It is worth noting that with global climate change, and Vietnam is a long and skinny country with a long coastline, the weather patterns in Vietnam in a given year may be drastically different from the norm.
And it was dramatically different in 2025 as we found that the dry season in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam was much less dry than normal. The Central Coast of Vietnam suffered from a typhoon in June with flooded places from Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam Provinces.
There was rain all over Vietnam in June and July 2025. Northern Vietnam seemed to have been experiencing a much shorter summer than normal with very pleasant temperatures mostly and only a short few days with high temperatures above 35oC.
There were sudden gusts of winds in the North, in the Central Coast, in the Central Highlands and in the South of Vietnam in July 2025. Strong winds may capsize boats on Halong Bay and blow away metal roofing sheets which are hazardous for households and dangerous to passersby. In cities, sudden strong gusts of winds might cause dangers to those on motorbikes, scooters, bicycles.
August is a time with possible typhoons in northern Vietnam (and not unlikely in the Central Coast of Vietnam). In case of a typhoon, expect disruption in traffic between islands and the inland all over the country, halting of cruises on Halong Bay and in several places in all over Vietnam; expect torrential rain in the affected region: it could be flooded cities in the Central Coast, flash floods and landslides in the far northern mountains of Vietnam.
Heavy rain causes flooded streets, and for cities with open sewers and steep terrain, flooded streets have strong currents which are extremely dangerous to everyone taking part in traffic in the rain. It has happened that a man who could swim was swept into a sewer with a strong current and he was accidentally saved by passersby.
Some bird species in the Central Highlands started nesting and mating from March 2025 which was quite unusual. For bird watchers, August seems slightly better a time for birding than in June or July. But again, sometimes rain is more long-lasting in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam that requires more patience. Given it may be wet, cloudy, and gloomy your bird photos may look less beautiful.
Monsoons and General Weather Patterns in Vietnam in August
1/ The General weather patterns in Vietnam in August
In August, northern Vietnam has more tolerable or pleasant temperatures than July and it may rain more too.
In the Central Coast of Vietnam, August is often the dry season with hot temperatures (35oC or higher).
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam are more likely to have cloudy weather with daily rain which may last from 1 hour to 4 hours. The temperatures in August are to be pleasant mostly. In places with high altitudes in the Central Highlands, the temperatures may be chilly or cold. It is normal that it rains a lot in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam in August.
2/ Monsoons in Vietnam in August
The prevalent winds which affect different places in Vietnam in August :
- The Southeasterly Wind, which affects northern Vietnam, causes pleasant temperatures and possibly showers.
- The Central Coast of Vietnam comes under the influence of the Westerly Wind (a foehn wind) from Laos which is dry and warm. This same wind is less likely have impact on some places in the Northwest of Vietnam as compared to the period May-June.
- The Southwesterly Wind, which comes from the Equator, causes daily rain and pleasant temperatures in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam. The rain lasts from 1 hour to 4 hours.
Adventure Travel, Nature Tours, Bird Watching Tours, Photo Tours in Vietnam in August
1/ Hiking Tours, Mountain Trekking Tours
August is not a good time time for trekking tours or mountain hiking trips in northern Vietnam and in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. This is because of either hot (in northern Vietnam) or rainy weather.
It is often warm or hot and humid in northern Vietnam and this makes it not suitable for long distance hiking. There are occasional rain in the region that the trekking trails are quite muddy or slippery.
In the Central Highlands, it is the rainy season that makes trekking or hiking tours not operable due to either muddy trails or flooded tracks.
2/ Adventure Tours
The lowland of Northern Vietnam including Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh is a good place for general adventure holidays in August. It may be humid or it may be short-lived rain in this region, most tours in the region are still operable.
In the Central Coast of Vietnam, it is more likely to be hot in August. But general adventure tours such as walking or country road biking are still fine as this is done mostly in the shade or by the sea with some breezes.
In the Central Highlands, it is daily rain. If you plan for adventure tours by car, then your tours should be fine still. The air is fresh and the temperatures are very pleasant mostly.
Southern Vietnam is to experience pleasant temperatures mostly and there is daily rain. All adventure tours such as walking, cultural exploration, boat trips... are to be done without much difficulties.
It is good to know that some streets in Saigon Ho Chi Minh City, in Dong Nai and Binh Duong may be temporarily flooded after each heavy rain which may pose dangers from electricity leakage, open sewers... Some flooded streets in Dong Nai and Binh Duong may have strong currents that could sweep away people and vehicles.
3/ Birding Trips and Bird Watching Tours
August is not a perfect time for bird watching in Vietnam: in the North of Vietnam, in the Central Coast, in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam. The reason is that it is hot in the North and in the Central Coast, and it is rainy season in the Central Highlands and in southern Vietnam. Most migratory bird species are not present. Compared to June-July, August is a better birding time as many bird species have come out of mating and nesting period. In northern Vietnam, the temperatures are pleasant sometimes that makes us more gregarious also.
But for those who can not change your trip to a different time, then it is still possible to observe resident birds in all birding sites in Vietnam. Besides, the rain in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam in August last from 1 to 4 hours per day mostly, and you can always have the rest of the day for bird watching.
Sites for birdwatching in Vietnam in August :
- Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh): resident birds, some bird species have nesting and mating time in August.
- Van Long Nature Reserve (Ninh Binh): resident and migratory storks and waterfowls.
- Xuan Thuy National Park in Nam Dinh Province : water birds, some migratory species.
- Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien-Hue Province with representatives of birds between northern and southern Vietnam. It is tricky with the weather at Bach Ma at anytime of the year!
- Yok Don National in Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: among the best places in Vietnam for birding, bird watching.
- Da Lat, Bidoup Nui Ba National Park, Deo Nui Sam at Di Linh (Lam Dong, Central Highlands) : among the best places in Vietnam for birding and bird-watching tours, highly rich in endemic bird species.
- Cat Tien National Park (Dong Nai, Southern Vietnam) : August is among the best places in Vietnam for birding and bird watching.
4/ Family Tours
Generally speaking, families should have a great time traveling in Vietnam in August if you only travel in the lowland in the North, in the Central Coast and in southern Vietnam. August is not a good time for family holidays in the far northern mountains because rainy weather may pose dangers such as flash floods, landslides, rockslides.
5/ Island Holidays
August is a great time to make trips to the islands in Vietnam. The reason is the sea is often not rough, and sea exploration tours are operational due to the weather. The temperatures are also perfect on islandsin Vietnam in August. Be warned that there may be typhoons/cyclones,hurricanes in northern Vietnam in August which may disrupt boat trips between the inland and the islands.
Some typhoons are very strong which cause rough sea all over Vietnam during the time of influence, and in this case boat travel (and possibly air travel) between the islands all over Vietnam and the inland are disrupted.
6/ Beach Vacations
August is a good time for beach holidays in Vietnam. But beaches in the country may be crowded due to that the Vietnamese are having summer holidays too.
In Northern Vietnam, Sam Son Beach, Cua Lo Beach or the beaches on islands in Northern Vietnam have pleasant or warm temperatures. The beaches are crowded this month.
And those beaches in the South of the Central Coast have mostly sunny weather, and with pleasant or warm temperatures : Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Ninh Chu, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet.
If you travel to Southern Vietnam then you August try Vung Tau Beach, Long Hai Beach and Ho Tram Beach (all in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province). You can have pleasant temperatures with some sun and mostly clouds, and some short-lived rain.
Below are reviews of the Weather in Vietnam in August Monitored by AdventureGreen
1/ First week of August, 2025
2/ Second week of August, 2025
3/ Third week of August, 2025
4/ Fourth week and last days of August, 2025
Disclaimer: Vietnam weather summary is for reviews of Vietnam weather by month on the basis as “it is” to the best of our knowledge. AdventureGreen does not guarantee the accuracy of our monthly reviews of Vietnam Weather. Our Vietnam Weather Reviews by month must not be used for making travel decisions or for any other purposes. AdventureGreen disclaims any liability in connection with with the use of our information.
