The good months
October and November are the answer if you can only pick one window — 20-27°C, dry, clear skies, plane trees turning yellow along Phan Dinh Phung. This is when locals photograph the city. March and April are second best: 20-25°C, occasional drizzle, cherry blossom at the Japanese Embassy garden in late March. Hotel rates peak Oct-Nov and around Tet (Lunar New Year, late Jan or Feb), when the city half-empties and half the restaurants shut.
The hard months
June to August is the swamp: 32-38°C, 85% humidity, thunderstorms that flood Ta Hien in twenty minutes. May shoulders into it. December to February can hit 10°C with penetrating damp and no heating in most hotels — bring a warm layer, everyone forgets. February drizzle ("mua phun") can last two weeks. If you’re locked into summer, plan indoor mornings (museums) and post-6pm walks.
Events worth planning around
Tet (Lunar New Year, late Jan/early Feb 2026 falls on 17 Feb) — magical for a day, then everything closes for 4-5 days. Mid-Autumn Festival (Sep-Oct) fills Hang Ma with lanterns for 3 weeks. National Day 2 September brings a military parade past Ba Dinh Square. Reunification Day 30 April and Liberation of Hanoi 10 October are the historical-traveller anniversaries; museums put on special exhibits.
Questions, answered
Hotels in Hanoi
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