August 21, 2022

What Is The Climate of Vietnam?

Tips

The climate characteristics of Vietnam are shown according to the features of the territory and vary from regions. Vietnam is located in a tropical monsoon climate zone that operates all year round. Although Vietnam is not large, it is stretched in the North-South direction. As a result, the climate of each region has a clear differentiation and has its own characteristics. Let's find out the climate characteristics and factors of climate and weather in Vietnam!


1. Geographical of Vietnam


The geographical location has a great influence on the climate characteristics of Vietnam.
Vietnam is a country located on the Indochinese peninsula, Southeast Asia, along the Pacific Ocean. Viewed from the world map, it can be seen that Vietnam has an S-shaped land strip extending from latitude 23°23' north to 8°27' north, 1,650 km long in the north-south direction. Stretching over about 15 latitudes, bringing differences in climate characteristics between regions in the country. The widest part on the mainland is about 500km; the narrowest place is nearly 50km. It is this length and this location feature that affect and show different characteristics in the climate in different regions in Vietnam.

Visit here to find out the brief of The Geography of Vietnam.

2. What is the climate of Vietnam? 


a. Overview  


With its geographical location in the tropical belt, Vietnam has high temperature and humidity all year round. Vietnam's climate is influenced by mainland China and the East Sea, specifically:
  • + The North is influenced by mainland China, so it has a continental climate;
  • + The East Sea has a profound effect on the tropical wet monsoon nature of the mainland.

The combination of the above factors makes Vietnam's climate have the following main characteristics:
  • + The humid tropical monsoon climate is not homogeneous throughout the territory of Vietnam, forming distinctly different climates and regions.
  • + Vietnam's climate changes seasonally and regionally from low to high, from north to south and from east to west.
  • + The average temperature is lower than many countries of the same latitude in Asia due to the strong influence of the northeast monsoon.

Based on the geographical location and general characteristics of the climate, Vietnam can be divided into two major climate zones, namely the tropical monsoon climate and the relatively temperate tropical climate. In there:

  • –  Tropical monsoon climate

The tropical monsoon climate is evident in the North of Vietnam (from Hai Van pass and out). In the North, there are four distinct seasons: spring - summer - autumn - winter. In addition, the North is influenced by the Northeast monsoon from the Asian continent and the Southeast monsoon with high humidity.

  • –  The relatively temperate tropical climate

The tropical climate is prominent in the South, from the Hai Van pass. Because it is less affected by the monsoon, the tropical climate is quite moderate, hot all year round and divided into two distinct seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

In addition to the two main climate zones, due to the complex topographical structure, Vietnam also has sub-climatic regions in the provinces of Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Son La, and Lam Dong. In which, the climate is temperate in Sa Pa (Lao Cai province), Da Lat (Lam Dong province); and Lai Chau and Son La have a continental climate.

With temperate climate, Sapa and Da Lat have become tourist destinations attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.

b. Features of Vietnam's climate


Vietnam has a humid tropical monsoon climate and is diverse. The humid tropical monsoon climate is shown in the following aspects:

  • –  Tropical 

+ The total annual radiation is large, typically the radiation balance is always positive.
+ The average annual temperature nationwide is more than 20℃ (excluding high mountains). This value exceeds the standards for tropical climates.
+ Appears a lot of sunshine, and sunny weather also lasts during the day. Total sunshine hours vary from place to place, ranging from 1400 to 3000 hours per year.

  • –  Moisture 

Heavy rainfall in the year, evenly distributed in areas, ranges from 1500mm to 2000mm. The central region is the narrowest in width, and often suffers from natural disasters and heavy damage.
The air humidity is very high, above 80% and the moisture balance is always positive. The index of humidity is always high, making our country's climate balanced, especially in the southern region.

  • –  Monsoon

Monsoon has winter monsoon and summer monsoon.

+ Winter Monsoon

Including the Northeast monsoon, the Northern Hemisphere wind

* Northeast
Appears from November to April next year in the North. The most typical type of weather is that the beginning of winter is usually cold and dry, and the end of winter will appear cold and wet. Humid cold brings water vapor, as well as low drying capacity. The Northeast Monsoon will only operate in certain waves. When moving to the south, they will be blocked by the Bach Ma mountain range. Topographic conditions affect the climate of different regions.

* Tin Phong Northern Hemisphere
Determined from Da Nang at the 160B parallel to the South. Wind Tin Phong of the Northern Hemisphere will blow in the northeast direction, causing rain to the Central Coast.
This is the cause of the dry season in the South and Central Highlands.

+ Summer Monsoon

The humid tropical air mass originating from the North Indian Ocean will move southwest into our country, causing heavy rain for the southern delta provinces and the Central Highlands.
At this time, the phoon effect will appear in the coastal plain of the Central Coast and the southern part of the Northwest region.
However, in the mid-season, the weather will appear southwest wind causing heavy and prolonged rain in the South Central Highlands. Because the activity of the southwest monsoon combined with the tropical convergence has caused heavy rain in the summer for both the North and the South.

The characteristics of the humid tropical monsoon climate have made a clear difference between the three regions of our country:
+ The North: There are hot and rainy summers, cold and dry winters with little rain. In addition, the northern provinces also appear in spring and autumn.
+ The South: The weather is clearly characterized by two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season
+ Central region: The climate is also divided into two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season, however, the rainy season will tend to deviate to autumn and winter.

3. How is Vietnam's climate divided by region?


Although Vietnam's territory lies entirely in the tropics, Vietnam's climate is distributed into three distinct climate zones. The North and North Central region have humid subtropical climate; the Central and South Central regions have a subtropical climate with difficult seasons, and the South Central and Southern regions have a tropical savanna climate. Vietnam has 4 climate zones, specifically:

  • –  Northern climate zone

The northern part of Hoang Lien Son range has a humid subtropical climate. The northern climate is characterized by instability with the start and end times of seasons and temperatures.
The Northeast region includes the Northern Delta and the hills on the left bank of the Red River, which is influenced by the humid monsoon climate and is directly affected by tropical storms in the summer, less affected by the Lao wind.
The Northwest region will include mountains from the right bank of the Red River to the Hoanh Son range. Because the Hoang Lien Son range blocks the wind, the climate in the Northwest will be warmer than the Northeast. In mountainous areas, the direction of the ridge plays an important role, the windward side will receive heavy rainfall while the other side will form the air mass blowing down the valley.

  • –  Truong Son climate zone

This region will include the territory to the east of the Truong Son range, extending from the south of the Hoang Son range to Mui Dinh, bearing the character of the tropical monsoon climate. A special feature of this climate is that there are 2 seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. In the summer, when the whole country has a lot of rain, the climate here is the driest period.
The Hai Van Pass region has less cold winters than the northern climate, and summers are strongly influenced by the Lao wind. Winter is still affected by cold weather brought by the Northeast climate, accompanied by a lot of rain.
The South Central Coast from Da Nang to Binh Thuan will have a higher temperature and be affected by the cold but not long winter.

  • –  Southern climate zone

Consists of the Central Highlands and the South. This region has a tropical savanna climate with 2 seasons: rainy season and dry season. The temperature of the South is high all year round, the temperature amplitude is significantly smaller than that of the North Bach Ma area. The South has a long dry season with little variation in weather.

  • –  The climate of the East Sea

The East Sea has the characteristics of a tropical ocean and is relatively homogeneous. This place often has a series of tornadoes going from the Pacific Ocean, forming large storms.

In conclusion, the climate characteristics of regions in Vietnam can be summarized as shown below:


Summarizing the Climate of Vietnam - Source: Google.com
 

4. How does the average temperature of Vietnam change?


It can be affirmed that the topography along with the climate zone is the decisive factor to the temperature factor. The average temperature in Vietnam also varies between regions and is suitable for climate zones.
The average temperature in Vietnam ranges from 21℃ to 27℃ and gradually increases from North to South. In summer, the average temperature across the country is 25℃ (Hanoi 23℃, Hue 25℃, Ho Chi Minh City 26℃). Winter in the North, the lowest temperature in December and January. In the northern mountains, such as Sapa, Tam Dao, and Hoang Lien Son, the temperature drops to 0℃, with snowfall.
According to research, Vietnam has a very large amount of solar radiation with sunshine hours from 1,400 to 3,000 hours/year. The average annual rainfall is from 1,500 to 2,000mm. The air humidity is above 80%.
Due to the influence of the monsoon and the complexity of the terrain, Vietnam often faces adverse weather conditions such as storms, floods, and droughts. Especially in the Central region, every year the central provinces such as Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, etc., have to face big floods leading to a lot of damage to people and property.

5. What factors affect Vietnam's climate? 


  • –  Geographical location

Geographical location has almost the greatest impact on Vietnam's climate. Vietnam lies entirely in the tropical climate belt of the Northern Hemisphere. This is the reason why Vietnam receives a large amount of solar radiation. Every locality in the country has the sun hits its zenith twice a year.
The territory stretches over 15 parallels, so the climate is different between the North and South regions. The characteristics of the climate are shown according to the actual topographical conditions.

  • –  Topographic

Vietnam has ¾ of the area that is mountainous, the rest is plain. In which 85% of the lowland area is less than 100m, 14% of the medium mountain area, 1% of the high mountain area. This difference in terrain elevation has a major impact on humidity and temperature conditions.
The climate is therefore governed by the topography, which brings about the difference of climate between regions. In which climate differentiation is expressed as:
+ The climate is differentiated by high belts into tropical, subtropical, and alpine climates.
+ The climate is divided in the direction of the slope. In which: The slope receives a lot of wind and rain, and the wind-off side receives little rain.

  • –  Monsoon

Vietnam is located in the active monsoon area. There are two types of monsoons operating alternately, the winter monsoon and the summer monsoon.
The alternation of seasonal air masses creates the seasonality of the climate. From there, there are also differences of climate between regions in the country.


In conclusion, Vietnam's climate has a diverse differentiation, which is based on space, time, topography and region in Vietnam. The above article has analyzed and clarified the above factors, hopefully readers can answer their questions about Vietnam's climate.

Categories

Enter your email address to receive good tips about foreigner community

Liên hệ
0heart_with_number
house_with_number

YOUR

SHORTLIST

-
house_with_number