Best Time to Visit Ho Chi Minh City: Dry and Wet Seasons, Tet, and the Months That Actually Matter

Ho Chi Minh City is 10 degrees north of the equator and its year has two halves. The dry season from December to April is sunny, with December and January the most comfortable at 25 to 32 degrees and April the hottest, near 35 with heavy humidity before the rains break. The wet season, May to November, is not a monsoon washout: most days are bright until mid-afternoon, a storm arrives for an hour or two, the streets flood ankle-deep and drain, and the evening is cooler. Tours run year-round; the wet-season rain rarely costs more than a coffee stop.

December to February: dry, warm, the busiest tourist months and the best for walking the city. Late January or February: Tet, the lunar new year, when the city empties of its migrants for a week, most restaurants and small businesses close for three to five days, and prices rise; the flower street on Nguyen Hue is the compensation. March and April: hot and dry, best for early starts. May: the first storms. June to October: green, wet afternoons, fewer tourists, lower hotel rates, and the Mekong at its fullest. November: the rains taper and the city dries out.

Cu Chi and the Mekong are outdoor days: in the wet season take the morning departures and expect the delta's orchards and canals at their lushest; in April the tunnels are stifling and the earlier the better. City walking and food tours are evening affairs in any month, since the afternoon is the hot and wet hour. Rooftop bars and the Saigon River cruises are best in the dry season for the sunset. The Cu Chi guide and Mekong guide have the day plans.

Tet Nguyen Dan falls on the lunar new year, between 21 January and 20 February, and for Saigon it is Christmas, New Year and a homecoming at once. The week before is the best time in the city: the Nguyen Hue flower street, the markets, the fireworks on the river. The first three days are the problem: shops, restaurants and many tours close, transport is full, and the city is quiet. Book around it or embrace it; do not arrive on day one expecting a normal week.

There is no bad month. Aim for December to March for the classic dry-season trip, September to November for value and green scenery with manageable rain, and avoid the first three days of Tet unless you want the quiet. Every tour on our Saigon pages runs in both seasons; the operators shift the itinerary to the morning in the rains. The Saigon street food guide covers the evening in any weather.