Ha Giang has two good seasons for riding and one very wet one. March to May and September to November are the windows: drier roads, clearer passes and comfortable temperatures, with October and November the best of all. May to September brings nearly four-fifths of Ha Giang city's roughly 2,455 mm of annual rain, peaking at about 545 mm over 24 days in July, when landslides threaten the high passes. Winter, from December to February, is dry but cold: around 13-15°C at night in the city and roughly 2-12°C on the Dong Van plateau, with fog, frost and occasional ice. The buckwheat opens in late October and peaks in November.
One thing to understand first: Ha Giang city sits low in a river valley, but the loop climbs onto the karst plateau around Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac, where it is noticeably colder. The official figures below are for the city; on the plateau, expect cooler days, colder nights and more cloud. Ha Giang, which became part of Tuyen Quang province in the 2025 provincial merger, is still how travellers and operators name the region.
Ha Giang weather at a glance
The table gives official long-run normals for Ha Giang city from the Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology, as published in Wikipedia's climate table. Sunshine is given in hours per month.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Rain days | Sunshine (h/month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19.5°C | 13.3°C | 40 mm | 11 | 55 |
| February | 21.1°C | 14.9°C | 39 mm | 10 | 56 |
| March | 24.3°C | 17.9°C | 65 mm | 12 | 68 |
| April | 28.3°C | 21.2°C | 106 mm | 15 | 108 |
| May | 31.5°C | 23.4°C | 295 mm | 18 | 158 |
| June | 32.3°C | 24.6°C | 430 mm | 21 | 133 |
| July | 32.6°C | 24.7°C | 545 mm | 24 | 157 |
| August | 32.8°C | 24.5°C | 415 mm | 22 | 172 |
| September | 31.8°C | 23.3°C | 241 mm | 16 | 161 |
| October | 28.9°C | 21°C | 154 mm | 14 | 125 |
| November | 25.3°C | 17.2°C | 84 mm | 10 | 109 |
| December | 21.6°C | 14°C | 42 mm | 8 | 89 |
The year totals about 2,455 mm over 180 rain days and 1,391 hours of sunshine. The city's record high is 40.7°C, in August, and its record low 1.5°C, in January.
Autumn, September to November: the best riding
Autumn is the season to aim for. Rain falls steeply after the summer (from about 241 mm in September to 154 mm in October and 84 mm in November) and the air clears, which matters on a route whose whole point is the view from passes like Ma Pi Leng. Highs ease from about 32°C in September to 25°C in November. September brings the rice harvest, when the terraces turn gold, though it can still be showery; October is drier; November is the driest and coolest of the three and brings the buckwheat.
This is also the busiest period, particularly as the buckwheat peaks, so homestays and experienced drivers fill ahead. Our November guide sets Ha Giang against the rest of the country for that month.
The buckwheat season
The buckwheat, tam giác mạch, is the reason many people time their trip. It is sown after the maize harvest and opens white on the Dong Van plateau from the last days of October, deepens to pink through November, and turns red by early December. The peak is usually the middle to second half of November, and the province's Buckwheat Flower Festival has opened in late November in recent years. Bloom timing moves a week or two with the weather, so an early-November trip may catch the season opening rather than the full carpet.
Spring, March to May: green and mild
Spring is the second window. March and April are still fairly dry in the city, at about 65 mm and 106 mm, with highs of 24-28°C, and the valleys turn green with new rice. The trade-off is cloud: sunshine is low in March, at about 68 hours for the month, so the big views are less reliable than in autumn. Rain builds quickly from May, to about 295 mm over 18 days, so late spring blends into the wet season.
Summer, June to August: the wet season
Summer is hot and very wet. June to August each average 415-545 mm of rain over 21 to 24 days, with July the wettest, and highs of about 32-33°C in the city. On the loop, that means mud, slippery bends, cloud over the viewpoints and a real risk of landslides on the high passes, notably around Ma Pi Leng. Many riders and operators avoid these months altogether.
If you do ride in summer, use a licensed operator with an experienced driver and keep the schedule flexible. Since an April 2026 directive, the provincial authorities require motorbike tours to use licensed operators: our adventure atlas explains the rules and the wider safety picture.
Winter, December to February: dry and cold
Winter is the driest season (39-42 mm a month in the city) but it is cold, and colder still where the loop goes. Ha Giang city averages highs of about 19.5-21.6°C and lows of 13-15°C, with a record low of 1.5°C. On the Dong Van plateau, temperatures run roughly 2 to 12°C, with fog that can hide the viewpoints, frost, occasional ice and, in some years, snow. Early December still has the last of the red buckwheat.
A winter loop can be beautiful and empty, but it demands proper preparation: thermal layers, gloves, waterproofs and a driver or bike you trust on cold, wet roads. It is not the season for a first-time rider.
What the weather means for your trip
Choosing the month. Late September to November is the best balance of weather and scenery; March to April is the quieter alternative; June to August is best avoided; December to February suits prepared travellers who want empty roads.
Riding versus riding pillion. In any season with rain, frost or fog, an experienced local driver is the safer choice. Our Ha Giang loop routes guide and loop cost guide cover the options.
Getting there. Our Hanoi to Ha Giang guide covers the buses and drivers from the capital. If you are weighing Ha Giang against the other northern loops, see Sapa vs Ha Giang and Ha Giang vs Cao Bang, and for the capital's own calendar our Hanoi weather guide.
Limitations
The table uses official long-run normals for Ha Giang city, which sits in a low river valley; the plateau where most of the loop runs is colder, cloudier and more changeable, and we have not found an equivalent published long-run record for it, so plateau figures here are approximate ranges. Datasets disagree for Ha Giang: October rainfall appears anywhere from about 70 mm to about 155 mm depending on the source and period. Buckwheat and harvest timing shift by a week or two each year, and single years vary widely.
Workaround: use this page to choose the season, then check the forecast for Dong Van and Meo Vac as well as the city, confirm bloom and road conditions with a licensed local operator in the week you travel, and keep a flexible day in any wet or cold month.