July is summer in Northern Vietnam, the hot season in the Central Coast, rainy season in the Central Highlands, and in Southern Vietnam.
Compared to June, the temperatures are slightly better (lower) in the North and in the Central Coast. There are heat strikes still in these regions, but there is also heavy rain which cool things down slightly and briefly. More rain is found in these two regions thanks to more active monsoons.
General Weather Patterns in Vietnam in July
In Northern Vietnam, the Northwest may have areas under impact of the foehn wind and may have high temperatures. But the foehn effect is often much lessened compared to May and June thanks to more active Southeasterly Wind in Northern Vietnam which brings about heavy rain. It is similar though to a much lessened degree in the Central Coast of Vietnam.
The Northeast and lowland of Northern Vietnam are to have the Southeasterly Wind which makes the temperatures from tolerable to pleasant. And the wind is more active in July often resulting in more rain and the temperatures cool down slightly during and after each rain.
The Central Coast of Vietnam often has high temperatures and strong sun in July. The region is still under heat strikes most of the time due to foehn wind and due to growing hot air troughs over the west of Vietnam. Temperatures in the areas south of the Hai Van Pass (from Da Nang to Binh Thuan) is to have lower temperatures than those to the North of the Hai Van Pass (from Thanh Hoa to Hue) thanks to less impact of the foehn wind.
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam come under influence of the Southwesterly Wind coming from the Equator. The wind causes daily short-lived (30 minutes – 1 hour) yet heavy rain. The rain often causes temporary floods in cities which disrupt traffic. In the Central Highlands, heavy rain may pose serious threats of flash floods and landslides. The temperatures in the Central Highlands are often very pleasant and those in Southern Vietnam are pleasant thanks to the wind and the rain.
Adventure Travel, Nature tours, Bird Watching Tours in Vietnam in July
July is generally not a good time for adventure tours, bird watching tours in Vietnam. This is because of the high temperatures which are not suitable for active holidays and because of rain which makes forest trails, nature trails muddy for bike tours or trekking tours. The sun is quite strong mostly which dehydrates and enervates us quickly.
Those who plan for adventure holidays or trekking tours in Sapa are to have changing weather conditions : hot in the valleys, strong sun, torrential rain all within one day. This is because of the winds on high altitudes, the high mountains blocking clouds which turn the weather from strong sun to rain and vice versa in matters of minutes. In the villages in the valleys, the temperatures are quite warm under strong sun due to low altitudes compared to the town. In villages in the mountains on your trekking tours, you may have problems with mosquitoes and to a lesser degree bugs (biting midges...).
Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Mai Chau and to a lesser degree Ninh Binh may come under impact of the foehn wind which makes temperatures high mostly (above 36oC).
July is the time that most migratory bird species have left national parks and nature reserves in Vietnam, and bird parks in the country are not busy with wildlife as during autumn, winter and spring time (October through February or March). There are certainly still several native birds still in national parks but they are not that readily visible thanks to abundance of food in the dense undergrowth. The exception we may get is at wetland areas like Van Long Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh, Ba Be National Park, Xuan Thuy National Park in Northern Vietnam ; bird parks in the Mekkong Delta (Tram Chim, Bac Lieu, Thap Muoi, Lang Sen...) in Southern Vietnam.
Those birders who stray off the well-beaten-track and venture into the Central Highlands may find better luck at Da Lat (the Tuyen Lam Lake, Lang Biang Mountain, Ta Nung Valley) or at the Yok Don National Park (near Buon Ma Thuot).
Given all those mentioned setbacks, July is the best time for beach vacations and island holidays in Vietnam. Thanks to absence of the Northeasterly Monsoon, the sea is mostly calm all over the country mostly. The bright sun often turns your beach holidays into amazing experiences. Those who plan to travel to Vietnam’s offshore islands like Ly Son, Con Dao and Phu Quoc should enjoy calm sea, bright sun, pleasant temperatures.
You and your family are likely to have great time on island holidays in Northern Vietnam, too. But planning for these vacations far in advance may be tricky, as there may be typhoons or tropical depression hitting Northern Vietnam in July. Nowadays, typhoons can be foreseen 2 weeks in advance.
Thanks to calm sea water, all sea exploration tours, water sport activities and sea adventure tours should operate smoothly as planned.
Below is Weather in Vietnam in July 2023 Monitored by AdventureGreen
First week of July, 2023
A heat strike in the North and part of the Central Coast continued from the end of June into the beginning of July. But there was heavy rain which disrupted the heat and brought nice temperatures in part of the affected regions.
High recorded temperatures were found at :Tĩnh Gia (Thanh Hóa) 39.2oC, Tây Hiếu (Nghệ An) 38.5oC, Đô Lương (Nghệ An) 38.3oC,...Humidity was around 50-60%.
Rainfalls measured in 13 hours from the evening of 3-July to 4-July : Chế Là (Hà Giang) 93.8mm, Đông Lợi (Tuyên Quang) 98.4mm, Bình Văn (Bắc Kạn) 86.8mm, Cẩm Khê (Phú Thọ) 96.4mm, Bộc Nhiêu (Thái Nguyên) 198.4mm,...
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam had torrential rain and nice temperatures.
Regional weather in the first week of July was as follows :
- Northeast : clouds, rain, 26-33oC;
- Northwest : clouds, rain, 23-32oC in Son La, Dien Bien; 23-29oC in Lai Chau ; 26-36oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam : sun, 27-37oC ;
- North of the Central Coast : sun, 28-37oC mostly;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 28-38oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 26-36oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon – Nha Trang): sun, some rain, 26-34oC mostly ;
- South Central Coast ( Phan Rang-Thap Cham to Phan Thiet: clouds, rain, 25-33oC ;
- Central Highlands : clouds, rain, 21-31oC ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, rain, 25-34oC mostly ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta) : clouds, rain, 25-32oC mostly ; 25-34oC in An Giang.
Second week of July, 2023
In the second week of July 2023, the North of Vietnam enjoyed some cloudy days with pleasant temperatures and with some heavy rain. Rainfalls measured in 13 hours from the evening of 07-July to 08-July-2023 : Bắc Quang (Hà Giang) 248mm, Bộc Bố (Bắc Kạn) 73mm, Phúc Yên (Tuyên Quang) 55.2mm,…
Part of the North of Vietnam, The Central Coast of Vietnam continued to have a heat strike from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen. High temperatures on 07-July-2023 : Hòa Bình 39.7 độ, Con Cuông (Nghệ An) 40.9 độ, Hương Sơn (Hà Tĩnh) 40.8 độ,… Humidity was around 45-60%.
The Central Highlands and South of Vietnam had torrential rain and pleasant temperatures. Cities in Southern Vietnam had several streets flooded in and after heavy rain.
Regional weather at the beginning of the second week of July was as follows :
- Northeast : sun, clouds, rain, 26-34oC;
- Northwest : sun, clouds, rain, 26-36oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai ; 22-32oC in Son La and Dien Bien ; 22-29oC in Lai Chau ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam : sun, clouds, rain 28-37oC ;
- North of the Central Coast : sun, 28-38oC mostly;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 28-38oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 25-35oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon – Nha Trang): sun, some rain, 26-34oC mostly ;
- South Central Coast ( Phan Rang-Thap Cham to Phan Thiet: clouds, rain, 25-34oC ;
- Central Highlands : clouds, rain, 21-31oC ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : sun, clouds, rain, 24-34oC mostly ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta) : clouds, rain, 24-32oC mostly ;
Third week of July, 2023
The third week started off with normal weather pattern in the second week of July : rain in the far northern mountains, hot temperatures from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen, heavy rain in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam.
At the end of the second week of July 2023, there was a tropical depression crossing the Luzon Island in the Philippines and entered the East Vietnam Sea : this is the first tropical depression in Vietnam in 2023. The projected track was northwest first then west northwest.
Highest recorded temperatures were round at Con Cuông (Nghệ An) 39.2oC, Hương Khê (Hà Tĩnh) 40.5oC, Tuyên Hóa (Quảng Bình) 40.3oC, Huế 39.3oC,... Relative humidity was around 45-55%.
Rainfalls measured in 24 hours from 07:00 A.M 14 -July : Huổi Lèng 194mm (Điện Biên), An Lạc 157,6mm, Minh Chuẩn 107,6mm (Yên Bái), Nậm Hàng 140,2mm, Tà Tổng 130,4mm (Lai Châu), Tân Tiến 134,4mm, Việt Tiến 129,4mm (Lào Cai). Relative humidity in several places in Lai Châu, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Hòa Bình, Hà Giang, Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn was around 90-100 % (saturation humidity).
The regional weather was as follows:
- Northeast : sun, clouds, rain, 26-33oC ;
- Northwest : clouds rain, 23-32oC in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau ; sun, clouds, rain, 26-36oC in Hoa Binh and Yen Bai, 27-37oC in Lao Cai ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam : sun, clouds, rain, 28-36oC ;
- North of the Central Coast : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 28-36oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van : sun, clouds , isolated rain, 27-37oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van : clouds, sun, isolated rain, 26-36oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon – Nha Trang): clouds, sun, rain, 26-34oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Phan Rang-Thap Cham to Phan Thiet : sun, clouds, rain, 25-34oC in Phan Rang, 25-32oC in Phan Thiet ;
- Central Highlands : showers, rain, 21-31oC ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : clouds, rain, 25-32oC ;
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta) : clouds, rain, 24-31oC.
The first typhoon in Vietnam in 2023 coded Talim was from 16-July through 18-July which made landfall in China and did not have much impact in Northern Vietnam as having been anticipated. Still the typhoon helped to make the Southerly Winds much stronger in Southern Vietnam which destroyed houses and crops in the Mekong Delta and which felled trees in cities in the South. Heavy rain in the South caused a flood on the Phu Quoc Island.
During the time of the typhoon, boat cruises on Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay were banned ; so were boat trips between the inland and the Phu Quoc Island, Hon Son Island, Nam Du Island.
Fourth week and last days of July, 2023
The fourth week and the lat days of July found high temperatures in the North and the Central Coast of Vietnam.
Highest recorded temperatures on 22-July : Mường Tè (Lai Châu) 39.1oC, Mường Lay (Điện Biên) 37.5oC, Bắc Mê (Hà Giang) 37.3oC...The humidity was around 55-60%.
Highest recorded temperatures on 27-July : Phù Yên (Sơn La) 37.2oC, Chí Linh (Hải Dương) 37.6oC, Hồi Xuân (Thanh Hóa) 37.2oC, Tương Dương (Nghệ An) 37.9oC, Hương Khê (Hà Tĩnh) 37.8oC, Tp Huế 38.6oC, Tam Kỳ (Quảng Nam) 37.3oC.
Heavy rain was found further to the North of Vietnam and in the Central Highlands.
Rainfalls in 6 hours on 20-July in Quang Ninh, Phu Tho : Tiên Yên (Quảng Ninh) 108.4mm, Thanh Sơn (Phú Thọ)
71.8mm,…
- Rainfalls in 6 hours on 22-July in Thanh Hoa : Thanh Hoa 159mm, Hà Lĩnh 90mm, Sầm Sơn 88mm…
- Rainfalls in 6 hours on 22-July in Dak Nong : Dak Sak 76,8mm, Dak Mil 70,6mm…
- Rainfalls in 6 hours from the evening of 22-July to morning of 23-July in the far-northern mountains: Phìn Ngan 120mm, Nậm Mả 56mm (Lào Cai), Mường Mô 3 40mm (Lai Châu)…
- Rainfalls in 25 hours from 07:00 A.M 23-July in the South of the Central Coast and in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: Đỉnh Hòn Bà (Khánh Hòa) 125.6mm, Đắk Tờ Kan (Kon Tum) 137mm, Ea Kiết (Đắk Lắk) 103.4mm,…
- Rainfalls in 13 hours from 19:00 26-July in the Central Highlands of Vietnam: Sa Bình 1 (Kon Tum) 108mm, Ia Nan (Gia Lai) 157.2mm, Quảng Thành (Đắk Lắk) 91.6mm,...
Regional weather in Vietnam in the last 10 days of July 2023
- Northeast : sun, clouds, 24-35oC;
- Northwest : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 26-34oC in Hoa Binh, Yen Bai, Lao Cai ; clouds, rain 22-30oC in Lai Chau ; 23-32oC in Son La, Dien Bien ;
- Lowlands in Northern Vietnam : sun, clouds, rain, 26-35oC ;
- North of the Central Coast : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 26-36oC mostly;
- Mid Central Coast to the north of Hai Van : sun, clouds, isolated rain, 27-37oC ;
- Mid Central Coast to the south of Hai Van : sun, clouds, rain, 26-34oC ;
- South Central Coast (Quy Nhon – Nha Trang): clouds, rain, 26-33oC ;
- South Central Coast ( Phan Rang-Thap Cham to Phan Thiet : clouds, rain, 26-35oC in Phan Rang, 25-32oC in Phan Thiet;
- Central Highlands : clouds, rain, 20-29oC ;
- East of Southern Vietnam (Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai) : clouds, rain, 25-31oC .
- West of Southern Vietnam (Mekong Delta) : clouds, rain, 24-29oC mostly, 25-31oC in An Giang.
In the last few days of July 2023 there was torrential rain in the far northern mountains, in the Central Highlands and in Southern Vietnam. There were fatalities related to floods and landslides in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam. The Cat Tien National Park was closed temporarily due to floods.
Rainfalls in 6 hours on 28-July (12:00-18:00): Vạn Xuân 76,4mm (Thanh Hóa), Quán Hành 56,0mm (Nghệ An), Phước Vinh 78,2mm (Tây Ninh)…
Rainfalls in 6 hours on 29-July (09:00-15:00) : Hồ Đông Nghè 104,6mm (TP. Đà Nẵng), Tam Lãnh 65,0mm (Quảng Nam), Trà Bùi 57,8mm (Quảng Ngãi), Đắk Choong 48,8mm (Kon Tum), …
Rainfalls in 6 hours on 30-July (01:00-07:00 A.M) : Cam Đường 101mm, Tả Phời 83.2m, Nam Cường 67.6mm, Gia Phú 67.4mm (Lào Cai);... In Binh Thuan: Gia Huynh 73.2mm, Gia An 71.8mm, Suối Kiết 3 70mm …
Rainfalls in 8 hours on 30-July (07:00-15:00) Hạ Long (Quảng Ninh) 61.4mm, Nam Từ Liêm (tp. Hà Nội) 76.8mm, Đông Giang (Bình Thuận) 68.8mm, Đắk Song (Đắk Nông) 118.2mm, Bảo Lộc (Lâm Đồng) 136.4mm, Tân Phú (An Giang) 66.6mm,...
Rainfalls in 6 hours on 30-July : ChiềngLao 74.8mm (Sơn La), TD Huội Quảng 51mm (Lai Châu), Linh Hồ 57mm (Hà Giang), Bảo Nhai 50mm (Lào Cai), Cam Đường 101mm, TảPhời 83.2m, Nam Cường 67.6mm, Gia Phú 67.4mm (Lào Cai);...
Rainfalls in 6 hours on 31-July : Thượng Tiến 1: 110,2mm (Hòa Bình),Chiềng Sơn 43,4mm (Sơn La), Tân Lập 55,6mm (Bắc Kạn), Hua Bum 39mm (Lai Châu), Liễu Đô 128mm (Yên Bái), Xuân Minh 62mm (Hà Giang),...
July 2023 was an exceptionally unusual year in terms of climate change. Rainfalls measured in several places in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam increase by 50 % to 100 % compared to normal. These two regions experienced continual rain in the latter half of the month.
Rainfall measured on the Con Dao Islands (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province) on 29-July-2023 was 178.1mm exceeding the historic record of 170.8mm in 1966 ; it was 113.8mm in Can Tho exceeding 109.7 in 2003 ; 204.8mm in Vi Thanh (Hau Giang) exceeding 139.2mm in 2022 ; 229.8mm in Rach Gia (Kien Giang) exceeding 220.3 in 1991.
Unusual big rainfalls in the Central Highlands and Southern Vietnam is likely attributed to the more active tropical convergence combined with storng Southwesterly Monsoon. Another reason could be attributed to global warming which results in more active sea water evaporation and more active air currents.
