Don't trust the weather charts!
Indochina’s convoluted climatic conditions means that average temperature
and rainfall tables often bear little relation to the actual weather,
and travellers can find their holiday ruined by being in the wrong
place at the wrong time. On the other hand, it means that the weather
is seldom universally bad. With careful planning and our local knowledge,
we can generally arrange an itinerary that offers a good chance
of reasonable weather at more or less any time of the year.
Don't rely too much on the weather forecasts,
either!
Weather forecasts are only of value for a week or so in advance
and even then, they are not very reliable. Weather averages are
better indicators of what to expect in a particular month. In each
of the pages describing the weather patterns in specific locations,
there is a table of average temperatures, rainfall, and so on.
Rain comes in many forms in Indochina!
Wet weather is never very far away in Indochina, but the degree
to which it affects you depends on what you intend to do. In Vietnam,
for example, if you want to go diving at Nha Trang, October, November
and most of December are useless because the rain turns the sea
into a murky soup at that time. However, if you want to visit the
Cham monuments, it’s only a matter of dodging the showers.
Furthermore, the type of rain matters. Hue is wet
for much of the year but it’s usually little more than an inconvenient
drizzle, even during the rainy season. In the South, the summer
monsoon brings torrential rain that floods the streets and fields
almost immediately, but clears up as quickly as it appears.
We do our best, but please don’t blame us
if we get it wrong
Prophesying what the weather will do in a specific location is a
risky job anywhere – in Indochina, it’s near impossible. If you
want an update on the actual weather situation in Vietnam, Laos
or Cambodia, just send us an e-mail.
If you travel with Haivenu, you’ll receive a current
weather forecast when you arrive, and updates during your tour if
you wish.