Hue is the wettest city on Vietnam's coast. It averages about 2,800 mm of rain a year, and nearly three-quarters of that (around 2,080 mm) falls in the four months from September to December, peaking at about 755 mm over 21 days in October. The Perfume River floods low parts of the city in most autumns. The rest of the year is dry: from February to August rain falls to 45-115 mm a month, and from May the city is hot, with highs of 34-35.5°C. Come late January to mid-March for mild, dry sightseeing, or April if you do not mind the heat building, and treat October and November as months to book flexibly.
Hue's weather matters more than most cities' because its sights are outdoors and spread out: the Imperial City, the royal tombs strung along the Perfume River, and the pagodas upstream all mean hours outside, in sun or rain.
Hue weather at a glance
The table gives long-run monthly averages for Hue from Climates to Travel, the source behind all our month-by-month pages.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Rain days | Sun (h/day) | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23.8°C | 17.4°C | 125 mm | 14 | 3.5 | 23.5°C |
| February | 25.4°C | 18°C | 65 mm | 12 | 4 | 23°C |
| March | 28°C | 20.1°C | 45 mm | 10 | 4.5 | 24°C |
| April | 31.4°C | 22.5°C | 60 mm | 11 | 6 | 25.5°C |
| May | 34.1°C | 24.2°C | 100 mm | 13 | 7.5 | 28°C |
| June | 35.5°C | 25°C | 115 mm | 10 | 7.5 | 29.5°C |
| July | 35.1°C | 24.8°C | 90 mm | 8 | 8 | 29.5°C |
| August | 34.8°C | 24.7°C | 115 mm | 11 | 7 | 30°C |
| September | 32.2°C | 24°C | 395 mm | 17 | 6 | 29.5°C |
| October | 29.5°C | 22.6°C | 755 mm | 21 | 4.5 | 28°C |
| November | 27°C | 20.8°C | 620 mm | 22 | 3.5 | 27°C |
| December | 23.8°C | 18.5°C | 310 mm | 20 | 2.5 | 25°C |
How Hue differs from Da Nang and Hoi An
Hue is only about 100 km north of Da Nang, and the two are often treated as one weather zone. They are not. Hue's wet season is heavier and longer, and its winter is cooler and greyer:
| Hue | Da Nang (and Hoi An) | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | ~2,800 mm | ~2,155 mm |
| Rain days a year | ~168 | ~138 |
| October | ~755 mm | ~650 mm |
| November | ~620 mm | ~430 mm |
| December | ~310 mm | ~215 mm |
| January | ~125 mm | ~85 mm |
| June high | 35.5°C | 35°C |
The practical effect is that Hue's dry season starts later. Da Nang is reliably dry by February; Hue still carries about 125 mm in January and 65 mm in February. If a central-coast route runs from late December to January, Hue is the leg most likely to be wet, and it is worth placing it at the end of the trip rather than the start. Our Da Nang and Hoi An weather guide has the full calendar for the coast to the south.
The dry season: February to August
From February the rain eases quickly: about 65 mm in February, 45 mm in March and 60 mm in April, with highs climbing from 25.4°C to 31.4°C and sunshine from four to six hours a day. Late January to mid-March is the most comfortable window of the year: dry enough for long days outdoors, cool enough to enjoy them.
From May the city turns hot. Highs average 34.1°C in May and peak at 35.5°C in June, lows stay near 25°C, and rain remains low at 90-115 mm a month. Sunshine is at its highest, seven and a half to eight hours a day from May to July. This is good weather for the Perfume River and the beaches at Thuan An, where the sea reaches 29.5-30°C, and hard weather for walking the Imperial City at midday.
The wet season: September to December
The switch comes in September, when rain more than triples to about 395 mm over 17 days. October is the peak, at about 755 mm over 21 days, and November barely eases, at about 620 mm over 22 days. December still averages about 310 mm over 20 days. Sunshine falls to between two and a half and four and a half hours a day. This is also the main typhoon season, which runs on this stretch of coast from the beginning of September to about 10 December; a smaller, usually weaker window opens from late April to late June.
Hue's floods: what October 2025 showed
In most autumns the Perfume River rises through low-lying parts of the city after days of heavy rain in the hills, usually for a day or two. October 2025 showed the extreme. VnExpress reported that the Bach Ma station, in the hills near Hue, recorded 1,739.6 mm of rain in 24 hours on 26-27 October, the highest single-day rainfall ever measured in Vietnam, and that the Bo River crested above its 2020 record. The ASEAN AHA Centre recorded the Perfume River at 3.72 m at Kim Long, its highest since 2000 though still below the 1999 flood.
That was an exceptional year, but the lesson holds in ordinary ones: in October and November, book refundable rooms on higher ground, keep a buffer day, and check the NCHMF forecast daily.
Month by month
January is the tail of the wet season: about 125 mm over 14 days, highs of 23.8°C, and three and a half hours of sun.
February and March are the best months: 65 mm and 45 mm of rain, highs of 25-28°C, and steadily more sunshine. Tet falls on 6 February in 2027. See our Tet 2027 guide for closures and crowds.
April is warm and dry, at 31.4°C and about 60 mm, a good month if you start early each day.
May to August is the hot season: 34-35.5°C by day, 90-115 mm of rain a month, and the year's most sunshine.
September marks the change, with rain jumping to about 395 mm and typhoon season beginning.
October is the wettest month, at about 755 mm over 21 days, and the likeliest to flood.
November stays almost as wet, at about 620 mm over 22 days.
December eases to about 310 mm but is the greyest month of the year, with two and a half hours of sun a day. Typhoon exposure ends around 10 December.
What the weather means for sightseeing
The Imperial City and the tombs. Both are outdoor sites with long walks between buildings. In the dry season, go early; in the wet season, go on the first dry morning. Our one day in Hue itinerary sequences the main sights, and day trips from Hue covers the tombs, the DMZ and the Hai Van Pass.
Onward travel. The drive or train over the Hai Van Pass to Da Nang is the classic link south (see Da Nang to Hue) and the views need clear weather. Northward, the caves around Phong Nha are a popular extension, but the adventure caves close from September to December when the rivers rise; our Phong Nha caves guide and Hue to Phong Nha explain what stays open.
Choosing between Hue and Hoi An. If you only have time for one in the wet season, Hoi An is marginally drier, though its riverside Old Town floods too. Our Hoi An vs Hue comparison covers everything beyond the weather.
For the north, see our Hanoi weather guide, and for the whole country our month-by-month guide and rainy season guide.
Limitations
These are long-run averages from a single station, and single years vary widely: 2025 set national rainfall records, while other autumns pass with a few days of high water. Different datasets publish different normals for Hue (October figures range from roughly 400 mm to 755 mm depending on the source and period) and we use one source consistently across our pages so the comparisons hold. Flood depth depends on where in the city you are, which averages cannot show.
Typhoon tracks cannot be forecast reliably more than a few days ahead, and each season's start and end move from year to year. Workaround: choose the month from this page, then use the NCHMF forecast, refundable bookings and a buffer day to handle the week itself.