Vietnam
Hanoi in December
🌤️ Cool dry seasonPleasant and mostly dry. Watch for hazy air.
🎒 Pack: N95 mask for hazy days
Why December scores 6.9What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.8
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (21°C highs / 14°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 12.5°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~20 mm rain)
- Air quality2.6
- !Unhealthy (PM2.5 ~73 µg/m³) — score capped at 6.9
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Dec | Nov | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 6.9 Good | 8.3 Very good |
| Season | 🌤️ Cool dry season | 🌦️ Shoulder (showers) |
| High / low | 21° / 14° | 27° / 20° |
| Rain | 20 mm | 61 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 13° | dew pt 18° |
| PM2.5 | 73 µg/m³ | 37 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Hanoi weather-station normals. Rainfall: downtown Hanoi weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
No national public holidays in Vietnam this month.
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore HanoiEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyVietnam's capital, with a lakeside centre, a busy Old Quarter, French colonial buildings, ancient temples and an outstanding street food culture.
No major events on our calendar for December.
Coming up later
Tet (Lunar New Year)Date variesLunar calendar - late January to mid-February, date moves each year
Vietnam's biggest holiday, with flower markets, family visits and temple outings.
Why go: Many shops and restaurants close for several days; transport is heavily booked.
Where: Citywide
Perfume Pagoda FestivalDate variesLunar calendar - usually from the 6th day of the 1st month into spring
A major pilgrimage to a complex of cave temples reached by boat through limestone scenery.
Why go: Expect huge crowds, especially in the first weeks.
Where: Huong Pagoda, south-west of Hanoi
National DayEvery year2 September every year
Marks Vietnam's declaration of independence in 1945, with flags and official celebrations.
Why go: A public holiday; the mausoleum area may be closed to visitors.
Where: Ba Dinh Square and citywide
Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
A central lake with a temple on an island reached by the red Huc Bridge.
💡 Surrounding streets become pedestrian zones on weekend evenings.
Old Quarter
A dense grid of streets historically named after the goods sold on them, packed with shops and food stalls.
Temple of Literature
A Confucian temple dating from 1070 that housed Vietnam's first national university.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex
The mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, with his stilt house and the One Pillar Pagoda nearby.
💡 Dress modestly and expect strict rules inside the mausoleum.
Hoa Lo Prison
A former French colonial prison, later known as the 'Hanoi Hilton', now a museum.
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
A museum on Vietnam's ethnic groups, with full-sized traditional houses in its grounds.
Pho
Rice noodle soup with beef or chicken in a clear, aromatic broth, which originated in northern Vietnam.
Bun cha
Grilled pork patties and belly in a sweet-sour dipping broth with rice noodles and herbs.
Cha ca
Turmeric-marinated fish fried with dill and spring onions, served with noodles.
💡 Cha Ca street in the Old Quarter
Banh cuon
Thin steamed rice rolls filled with pork and wood ear mushroom.
Egg coffee (ca phe trung)
Strong coffee topped with a whipped egg yolk and sugar cream, a Hanoi creation.
💡 Cafés in the Old Quarter
Bat Trang ceramics
Pottery from a centuries-old ceramics village just outside the city.
Silk
Silk scarves and clothing.
💡 Van Phuc silk village and Hang Gai street
Lacquerware
Lacquered bowls, boxes and paintings.
Vietnamese coffee
Robusta and arabica beans with a traditional phin filter.