Vietnam in February - top tips

[Thesoundofmusic23]

Hoping to go to Vietnam in Feb for 2-3 weeks with DH. What would your top tips be for where to visit/ stay. What’s the weather actually like in the different regions at that time - struggling to get my head round it. Thanks.

www.selectiveasia.com/vietnam-holidays/weather/february

Travelfish website also very good

Oooh yay! Have you been @minipie ?

I have but many years ago (20 ish!). Now planning to take the DC next Easter so back looking at itineraries and weather patterns!

Use hand sanitizer every time you touch any money.
When in Saigon go to the Cuchi Tunnels.
We also went to Cambodia to Phom Penh and Siem Riep (Angkor Wat).
Look at the itinerary of the tour companies eg Riviera.

We did a 3 week tour of Vietnam & Cambodia with Emerald, & can recommend them. The Mekong river cruise was wonderful.
It was Sep/Oct, so can't comment on the weather.

I went about 11 years ago. DH and I did a 2 week trip and started in Hanoi where we spent 2 days exploring the city. The French quarter was nice to meander around. I would also take in a water puppet show and Ho Chi Minh’s house. We then went on an overnight cruise from Halong Bay. That was awesome and waking up at dawn and having a coffee sitting on top of the boat on the South China Sea is one of my favourite memories. From there we caught the overnight train to Hue. That was an experience! First class is not what you think it is there. But it was fun and coming in to Hue early morning was pretty cool - the train literally goes through areas where houses are within touching distance from your window. We stayed in Hue overnight and visited the ancient walled city while we were there. From there we had a car journey to Hoi Ann which is very picturesque and popular. Famous for tailoring and I had 2 very pretty dresses made in 24 hours! We then flew from Danang to Ho Chi Minh city which was crazy busy but great fun. We went to the museums, tunnels and Ho Ch Minh’s mausoleum. After all that travelling we flew to Phu Quoc for 5 nights of downtime at a beach resort. Loved every minute of the trip and have so many good memories! I remember Hanoi being quite cool weather wise. Definitely needed a cardi when out and about - that was in January. It got warmer the further south we went and Phu Quoc was very hot - low 30s I seem to remember.

When is Tet next year? Everything will be closed then.

Hanoi can be cold and misty. When we did Halong Bay, we saw nothing it was a waste of time due to the fog. Sapa is absolutely stunning and worth a visit for the hiking. The further south, the weather is better. Hue and Hoi AN are beautiful. Not a fan of HCM, but the Mekong Delta is beautiful.

You should arrive in Vietnam a week after Tet, Vietnamese lunar new year (The first day of Tet falls on January 29th 2025).
weatherspark is a good site to do some research for each place/ region.
Travel South to North is in a good sequence at that time of the year.

Hoi An is amazing!!!! Spend plenty of time there. Visit the tailors, Go to the non tourist beach (fab beach bars you can chlll in all day. Loads of amazing food/restaurant options. French influenced so lots of typical Vietnamese food but also loads of delicious pastries! Try and get there for the full moon festival (monthly), it's absolutely magical.

HCM - go to the war museum. It's really excellent. We aren't for half a day but wish we'd spent more time there. I would definitely go back for longer if I went again. We went first cocktails at a sky bar. Very expensive for Vietnam but was very relaxed and enjoyable and the views were amazing.

Get a street food tour in Hanoi (they take you to lots of places you'd never find alone) and take a pollution mask. The pollution is horrendous on certain days. Weather there is cold and grey and rainy at that time of year so pack accordingly.

Don't scrimp on the boat if you do Halong Bay we went mid range but were upgraded and the experience was amazing. Food was incredible, great activities. Went to a floating village and did canoeing off the boat and had a cycling tour of a small island. It was amazing and stunningly beautiful.

Not so keen on:

• Hue. Some interesting history but we were really hassled there. Wouldn't stay there long.

• Marble mountain - really commercialised and not that interesting.

• Hai Van pass. We got a taxi across. It's hit or miss this as if u oh get a cloudy day as we did you don't see a thing. The taxi driver will stop you at places where people hassle you to buy tat. If it's not cloudy though the views are meant to be amazing.

We went north to south in March which I liked as it got gradually hotter and more "hot holiday" and less "city break" as the holiday went on.

We did 17 days South to North and included an initial few days in Cambodia. We went late January and it got colder as we went North! The overnight cruise in Halong Bay was around 10°C and the staff told us their children's school was closed because it was so cold!!
This was 2020 just as we were all hearing about Covid.....interesting times but a fantastic trip and would thoroughly recommend it. They are both beautiful countries.

We have spent 3 months there for 5 years (covid excluded) and love it. Weather is better in the Mid/South during these months. Others have told you what to see but travel by train is easy and cheap but book in advance if you can. We have travelled the length of the country this way as long as you don't have too much luggage in ordinary class seats.
Man in Seat 61 - Vietnam blog is good way of find out about train travel, timetable and prices etc. We have been there during TET a couple of times and it can be great fun even though it is busy as everyone travels to see family at this time.

Getting excited now. Thanks for all your replies. Think we will go north to south for the warming up vibe and yes def up for some trains along the way. Would love any tips for Hoi An and Mekong delta. Is Hue worth it?

Hoi An can be busy busy as it is a VERY popular tourist destination but well worth a couple of days visit. Wasn't impresses with clothes I had made there but the dresses I bought in the market and shops were cheap and cheerful summer clothes, you must buy a fruit patterned shorts and shirts 😆I also took my glasses prescription and had some from local optitions but they took about 36 hours but so much better quality than I get here. Food everywhere is amazing but especially in Hoi Ann and Danang - Bhan Mi not to be missed.

• Hoi An Lantern Festival - https://jackytravel.com/hoi-an-lantern-festival-dates-2025/ When our son came to stay with us we were in HCMC and went on a Mekong delta 1 day tour - mini bus from there to a boat then down the river for lunch and and a paddle boat to look at various little businesses down the river. You can book it from lots of agencies in HCMC - have a look on Trip Advisor for reviews. You must not miss the Post Office there, it is a wonderful building and a "go back in time" place. When you are restricted to time you have to decide if you want to spent your time travelling against the time you spend in where you choose to go. It's a big country and even flying can take a day out of your holiday.

Really useful for me too, thanks everyone! Hoi An sounds great.

OP in the Mekong Delta I'd recommend seeing a floating market - needs an overnight stay nearby as they happen early morning. I think we went to the one in Phong Dien.

I went south to north last Feb. Flew in to HCM (loved the war museum but the city was too busy for me) had a few days on the beach, then gradually got the train to Hanoi where I flew home from. Hoi An was very touristy and busy, but worth a night or two. I loved Hue, stayed in a fab hotel and had a tour to the border and tunnels. I didn't do a Halong Bay tour, but instead stayed on Cat Ba island and took a day trip. Much cheaper!
I loved the overnight trains and people, food etc. Enjoy!!

How many days do you plan to spend for the Mekong Delta?

Probably 2-3 days @dinhoecotour - could be more or less depending on what’s possible - still planing and plotting at the moment.

2 or 3 days is good for the Mekong Delta.