Guide · Best time

When to visit Hoi An and My Son: the best month for the towers

Central Vietnam has a dry, hot half of the year and a wet, stormy half. Here is what each month brings at the coast and what it means for a morning among the Cham towers.

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Editorial team, mysonsanctuarytour.comUpdated October 24, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes18 sources

The tour behind this guide My Son Sanctuary dawn or afternoon trip from Hoi An 4.9 (3,411 reviews) 4 to 5 hoursHotel pickup in Hoi AnEntrance ticket paid on the day from$16per person Check availabilityCancel without charge until 24 hrs before pickup

The quick answer

01Driest months: February to April, about 7 rain days each in Da Nang.¹
02Hottest: June, with an average high of 34.9 °C.¹
03Wettest: October, 658 mm of rain over 21 rain days.¹
04Coolest: January, with an average high of 25.2 °C.¹
05Best hour: Early morning in any season; the gates open at 06:00.²

Two seasons on the central coast

When to visit Hoi An is mostly a question of rain. The national tourism authority splits the year: from February to August the town is warm to hot, sunny and clear, and from September to January it is rainy, cool and cloudy.³ My Son lies inland in the same province, so the same pattern frames a visit to the towers.⁴

The figures on this page come from the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration's station at Da Nang, on the coast 25.5 km from Hoi An, averaged over 1991 to 2020.¹ My Son stands further inland in a basin ringed by mountains, so treat the numbers as a guide to the season rather than an exact forecast for the valley.⁵

Rain days here count every day with at least 0.1 mm, so even a short shower makes a day wet.¹ A month with 7 rain days is mostly dry; a month with 21, such as October, November or December, is wet more often than not.¹

The year at a glance

The seasons around Hoi An

February to April

The dry stretch

About 7 rain days a month and highs from 26.3 to 30.9 °C.¹
March

Blossom time

The tourism authority calls March an excellent time for Hoi An.⁶
May to August

The hot months

Highs peak at 34.9 °C in June; go at dawn.¹
September to November

Storms and floods

A lot of rain and a few small floods in Hoi An.⁷
December to January

Cool and damp

Highs near 25 °C, still 14 to 21 rain days.¹

February to April: the driest stretch

If you can choose freely, aim for late winter and spring. February, March and April each average 7 rain days at Da Nang, with 22, 36 and 50 mm of rain.¹ Daily highs climb from 26.3 °C in February to 30.9 °C in April, warm but not yet punishing.¹

The national tourism authority calls March an excellent time to see Hoi An, when fields, gardens and streets are full of blossom and fresh green.⁶ It is a season in which any hour works, so you can pick the dawn trip for the light or the afternoon for the show and the river without fighting the heat.

The Lunar New Year often falls in this stretch, and the tourism authority names the first lantern festival of the new year as the biggest celebration of all.⁸ One shuttle operator adds a charge of 50,000 dong per person over the Lunar New Year week, so check the holiday dates when you book.

Month by month

Darkness and rain days at Da Nang

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

Month by month: the hours of darkness at mid-month, by our own reckoning, beside the days with 0.1 mm of rain or more that the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration averages at Da Nang, 1991 to 2020.¹

Climate

Highs, lows and rain near My Son

Month	Daylight (h)	Darkness (h)	High / low	Wet days	In Hoi An
Jan	11.3	12.7	25 / 20 °C	14	Coolest month
Feb	11.6	12.4	26 / 20 °C	7	Warm and sunny
Mar	12	12	28 / 22 °C	7	Fields in bloom
Apr	12.5	11.5	31 / 24 °C	7	Warm and sunny
May	12.9	11.1	33 / 25 °C	10	Hot
Jun	13.1	10.9	35 / 26 °C	9	Hot
Jul	13	11	34 / 26 °C	12	Hot
Aug	12.7	11.3	34 / 26 °C	14	Hot
Sep	12.2	11.8	32 / 25 °C	17	Storms begin
Oct	11.8	12.2	30 / 24 °C	21	Heavy rain
Nov	11.4	12.6	28 / 23 °C	21	Heavy rain
Dec	11.2	12.8	25 / 21 °C	21	Rainy and cool

Each row: mean highs and lows by day and night, plus the tally of days wet with at least 0.1 mm, recorded at Da Nang over 1991 to 2020 by Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration observers; mid-month daylight is our own sum.¹ Season according to Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism.³

Three seasons

Dry, hot or wet

Best balance

Dry season

February to April

Rain days: 7 a month
High: 26.3 to 30.9 °C
Best hour: Any time of day

Go at dawn

Hot season

May to August

Rain days: 9 to 14
High: Up to 34.9 °C
Best hour: Early morning

Stay flexible

Wet season

September to January

Rain days: 14 to 21
Wettest: October, 658 mm
Best hour: Keep a spare day

Decision helper

Which month suits your trip?

Start from what matters most to you

I want the driest days I want blossom and green fields I want the beach as well I can only travel in autumn I hate the heat

February to April

Each month averages 7 rain days at Da Nang.¹

March

The tourism authority calls March an excellent time for Hoi An.⁶

May to August

The town can be hot, so the beach earns its place.⁶

Go, but stay flexible

Storms hit from September; cancel free up to 24 hours before.⁹

January

The coolest month, with highs of 25.2 °C at Da Nang.¹ ¹⁰

March is an excellent time to see Hoi An when the fields, gardens and streets are awash in bright blossoms and soothing greens. From May to August, the town can be hot

Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism (vietnam.travel)Source 6

May to August: heat first, then rain

From May the heat takes over. Average highs at Da Nang reach 33.4 °C in May and peak at 34.9 °C in June, with July and August not far behind at 34.4 °C and 34.0 °C.¹ The tourism authority notes that from May to August the town can be hot.⁶

Rain stays moderate at first: 10 rain days in May, 9 in June and 12 in July. August turns wetter, with 167 mm over 14 rain days.¹ Days are long, with the sun up for 13.1 hrs at mid-June by our reckoning.¹

In these months the hour matters more than the month. The dawn trip reaches the towers at 6:30 AM and has you back in Hoi An between 10:30 and 11:00 AM, before the hottest part of the day, and the tourism authority advises avoiding the harsh midday sun.¹¹ An afternoon visit in June means walking the paths in the strongest heat of the year.

Checklist

Packing by season

Dry and hot months

Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Plenty of water
A dawn start for the towers

Wet months

A light raincoat or umbrella
Shoes that cope with mud
A spare day in your plans

Cost calculator

Price your visit for any month

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Each total multiplies a listing's lowest GetYourGuide starting price by your party size and shows it in your currency at today's ECB rate; the entrance ticket at My Son is paid on top, and checkout gives the exact sum.

Video

Seasons and times of day in Hoi An Old Town

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September to December: storms and floods

The wet season arrives in force in autumn. The tourism authority warns that from September tropical storms hit Central Vietnam hard, and that from September to November Hoi An sees a lot of rain and even a few small floods.⁹ ⁷ UNESCO lists flooding and high humidity among the risks to the My Son site itself.¹²

The numbers are stark. Da Nang averages 394 mm of rain in September, 658 mm in October, 486 mm in November and 272 mm in December, with 21 rain days in each of the last three months.¹ Highs fall to 29.6 °C in October and 25.3 °C in December.¹

You can still visit. The tours run in most kinds of weather, and because the booking is refundable until 24 hours ahead you can shift the date when a storm shows up in the forecast. Pack rain gear, expect muddy paths, and leave a buffer day in the schedule: a flooded road or a cancelled boat can upset the plan with little warning.

January: cool, green and often damp

January is the coolest month, averaging 25.2 °C by day and 19.7 °C at night at Da Nang, and the tourism authority notes that temperatures warm up again just before the Vietnamese new year.¹ ¹⁰ For walking among the towers that is the most comfortable temperature of the year.

The catch is rain. January still averages 14 rain days, though with far less rain than the autumn months, 83 mm in total.¹ Many days will be grey or showery rather than stormy, and a light jacket is useful on an early start or on the river.

Daylight is shortest in winter. By our reckoning the sun is up for 11.2 hrs at mid-December and 11.3 hrs at mid-January, so a late afternoon trip ends closer to dusk.¹ One boat operator warns that from November to February evenings come sooner and the boat can be dim and cool.

What the seasons mean on the ground

At the towers themselves the season changes what you carry more than whether you go. The national tourism authority asks visitors to wear comfortable shoes and a hat, as there is a fair amount of walking between the groups.¹³ The shuttle operator adds an umbrella and water to that list.

In the wet months, rain gear moves to the top. One tour operator advises bringing your own umbrella or raincoat from October to February, and the trip this site recommends runs in most kinds of weather rather than calling off at the first shower. Brick paths and grass get slippery after rain, so choose shoes with grip.

In the hot months, water and shade matter most. Start early, drink often, and use the breaks between tower groups to rest under the trees. The brick and stone hold the heat as the day goes on, and the forest valley can feel close and humid, which UNESCO itself lists as a strain on the monuments.¹²

Festivals and the time of day

Beyond the climate, two calendars are worth checking. In Hoi An the lantern festival falls on the 14th day of every lunar month, at full moon, when the town dims its electric light.¹⁴ At My Son, the board stages a show called Echoes of My Son on the 15th of every month at the B, C and D temple group.¹⁵

The daily timetable matters too. The gates open every day from 06:00 to 17:00, and the board's hall stages performances at 09:45, 10:30, 11:15, 14:00 and 16:00.² ¹⁶ Cham folk singing takes place on the Group H slope every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.¹⁷

Whatever the month, the national tourism authority recommends sunrise tours to My Son for the light.¹⁸ In the hot months that advice saves you from the heat, and in the wet months it often catches the driest part of the day. That makes the early trip the safest choice all year round.

Your morning