Best time to visit Ha Long Bay

Vịnh Hạ Long (Ha Long Bay) has no single best month for everyone, but the station record is clear about the pattern. The year below starts in December and runs through the four blocks this guide uses.

Cool and fairly dry

1. Dec 5.2 rain days Mist rare Storms none
2. Jan 7.6 rain days Mist some Storms none

Grey and damp

1. Feb 10.4 rain days Mist frequent Storms none
2. Mar 14.3 rain days Mist frequent Storms none
3. Apr 11.4 rain days Mist some Storms none

Hot and wet

1. May 12.0 rain days Mist rare Storms low
2. Jun 15.5 rain days Mist rare Storms low
3. Jul 16.5 rain days Mist rare Storms high
4. Aug 18.7 rain days Mist rare Storms high
5. Sep 14.1 rain days Mist rare Storms moderate

Bright autumn

1. Oct 9.2 rain days Mist rare Storms moderate
2. Nov 5.8 rain days Mist rare Storms low

The best months, by what you want

No single month wins on every count. Late October to November gives the clearest views, June to September the warmest sea, with the most rain and storms, and weekdays outside public holidays the thinnest crowds.

If clear views are the point, aim for late October or November. Rain days drop from 9.2 in October to 5.8 in November, fog and drizzle all but disappear, and the sun shines for 156 to 177 hours a month. December is dry as well, 18.1 mm on 5.2 days, but it has less sun (127.7 hours) and cooler days, with highs of 21.7°C. Humidity is among the lowest of the year in all three months: 78.5% in October, 76.7% in November and 76.3% in December, the lowest.

For swimming the sea is warmest from June to September, at 29.1 to 29.8°C, and May and October are warm too. That warmth comes with the wet half of the year: 71% of the rain falls from June to September, with thunder on six to eleven days a month and the highest storm risk. Swimming is allowed only at licensed beaches; in 2023 Ti Tốp (Ti Top) was the only one operating in the bay.

Crowds are harder to call. The Board counted 12,000 to 13,000 visits a day in December 2025, more than 10,000 of them from abroad, and it describes October to April as the international peak season, while Vietnamese families come mainly in summer and at holidays. In early 2026 overnight cruises ran at about 70 to 75% occupancy, with some days full. Weekdays away from the holidays listed below are the safest bet.

Prices follow no published calendar. The official sightseeing fees stay the same all year, and one dated example of a discount, a five-star overnight cruise at about 1,500,000 VND a person in February 2024, came in a “room clearance” week 20 to 25% below normal rates.

When to avoid Ha Long Bay

Avoid July to September if reliable sailings matter most, because storms come near the bay most often in those months. Avoid the Vietnamese holiday peaks (Tết, 30 April to 1 May and 2 September) and summer weekends if you want thinner crowds. February and March are the greyest months.

• July to September, for sailings. A storm passed within 200 km of the bay in 50% of Julys, 43% of Augusts and 30% of Septembers from 1991 to 2020, against 17% of Junes and 20% of Octobers. Summer is hot and wet too: highs of 30 to 32°C and 183 to 431 mm of rain a month.
• Tết, the Lunar New Year. During the nine-day break of 14 to 22 February 2026 the bay received 74,428 visitors, and the busiest day passed 13,000. The 2027 public holiday runs from Thursday 4 February to Wednesday 10 February, with the first day of the new year on Saturday 6 February. Expect a peak, and many services may close or charge holiday rates around the first three days.
• 30 April to 1 May. Nearly 15,000 visitors had entered the bay by 14:00 on 30 April 2026, hotels in Quảng Ninh were 90 to 95% full from 25 April to 2 May, and overnight cruises ran at 80 to 100% occupancy.
• 2 September, National Day. From 29 August to 2 September 2026 the Board counted 43,150 visitors.
• Summer weekends and school holidays. The Board and provincial press call June to August the summer peak, when Vietnamese families come; no figures are published.
• February and March, for views. They are the greyest months: 48.3 and 42.9 hours of sun, humidity of 84.0% and 87.1%, and drizzle on 6.9 and 9.8 days.

Typhoon season and cruise cancellations

The storm season runs from June to November and is most active from July to September. When a storm approaches, the port authority or a provincial department stops boats being cleared to leave port from a stated hour until the storm’s final bulletin, and the Board posts the notice.

Storms within 200 km of the bay, by month, 1961 to 2025

Vietnam’s construction regulation puts the storm season at June to November nationwide and notes that from June to September most landfalls are on the coast from Quảng Ninh to Thanh Hóa. Near the bay, 114 storms passed within 200 km between 1961 and 2025, about 1.75 a year, and 31 reached typhoon strength within that distance, about one every two years. Eleven of the 65 years had none, so a typhoon does not hit every year, but in July and August the odds of one passing are close to even.

What happens to a cruise when a storm is forecast

Sailings stop only when an official notice withholds clearance to leave port; the bay never “closes” for a season. A notice works like this:

1. The port authority, or in some notices the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, stops clearing sightseeing and overnight boats from a stated hour.
2. Overnight cruises are stopped first, and boats already out must bring guests back to the mainland by a stated time.
3. Boats on their way back are still cleared in.
4. The stop lasts until the final bulletin on the storm, and the Board posts the notice on its website, where the provincial press repeats it.

That last step gives a guest an objective test: a “weather cancellation” is official when a notice exists.

Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Vietnam in three decades according to VnExpress, made landfall on 7 September 2024. Overnight cruises on Ha Long and Lan Hạ (Lan Ha) bays were cancelled from 5 September, tours stopped from 7 to 12 September, and all five routes then running had reopened by 20 September. Twenty-three tourist boats sank at Tuần Châu (Tuan Chau) International Port.

Storm notices do not cover sudden thunderstorm squalls. On 19 July 2025 a day boat capsized in one near Hang Đầu Gỗ (Dau Go Cave), and 39 of the 49 people aboard died. Since July 2026 an online warning system for thunderstorms, squalls and lightning has given boat owners about 30 minutes’ notice across nine zones of Ha Long and Bai Tu Long bays. The cruises page covers boat safety in full.

Seasons at a glance

The Board describes two seasons, winter from November to March and summer from May to September, with April and October as the turns between them. This guide splits the year into four blocks from the station figures.

The record extremes frame these blocks. July is the hottest month, with a mean of 28.6°C, and January the coolest, at 16.2°C. Mean nights drop below 15.5°C from December to February, the lowest temperature on record is 1.7°C, in December, and 36°C or more has been reached in every month from May to September. Every month’s figures are on the weather page.

Holidays and festivals

Tết, the 30 April to 1 May holiday, 2 September and the summer school holidays bring the biggest Vietnamese crowds, while international visitors peak from October to April.

How long to stay

The plan-your-visit page covers how many days to give the bay. For weather, allow a spare day from July to September, because sailings stop when a storm approaches. A day trip from Hà Nội (Hanoi) is possible but rushed: about 11 to 12 hours door to door for about four hours on the water on the four-hour VHL1 route. Plan how many days.

Questions visitors ask