Vietnam Geography & Climate

Vietnam is often described as two rice baskets on a carrying pole, and the shape is accurate. The Red River Delta in the north and the far larger Mekong Delta in the south are the population and agricultural centres; the long narrow strip between them is the pole.

The Annamite Range runs down the western border with Laos and Cambodia, pushing the habitable land into a coastal ribbon that narrows to about 50 kilometres at its thinnest.

The limestone that makes Ha Long Bay extends inland to Ninh Bình, where the same towers rise out of rice fields rather than water, and south to Phong Nha, which holds Hang Sơn Đoòng — the largest known cave passage in the world.

The Mekong Delta is barely above sea level and is among the places most exposed to sea-level rise anywhere on earth.

Vietnam spans enough latitude to hold three distinct climates, and they do not align.

The north has four seasons including a real winter: January and February are cold, damp and grey, often below 15°C in Hanoi and near freezing in Sapa, where it occasionally snows. Summer is hot, humid and wet.

The centre is hot and dry from February to August, then wet from September to January. October and November bring typhoons and flooding; Hội An's old town floods most years and streets are navigated by boat.

The south is tropical and warm year-round, with a dry season December to April and a wet season May to November of short intense afternoon downpours.

The practical consequence: check the forecast for the specific region rather than for Vietnam.