Autumn in Vietnam is from September to November, the season experiences the most romantic time of the year. While Hanoi and Northern Vietnam are favored by nature with cool, mild climate, the Central and the South of Vietnam tend to have more days of drizzling rain.
It is not unreasonable when autumn lasting from September to November is the high tourist season in Vietnam. This period of time gives the most pleasant climate of the year especially in Hanoi and Northern Vietnam, where feature cool but also sunny weather ranging from 24-30°C.
Autumn is considered to be the most romantic time in Hanoi when you can enjoy a lot of specialties like green young rice (Cốm), dracontomelon (edible fruit named Sấu), blackboard trees (Hoa Sua), etc. Likewise, the North highland areas immerse in yellow grain, which offers spectacular scenes to attract a lot of photographers and travelers.
The Central and the South of Vietnam are lesser favored in autumn as these regions must experience plenty of rainfall. The temperature range of both areas has the least variation of 30 degrees Celsius but traveling to the Central and the South in autumn still brings its own unique experience.
Best places to visit in Vietnam in Autumn
Hanoi
Hanoi is one of the most amazing places to visit in autumn for individuals, couples, and families as visiting Hanoi in autumn can save them from both the sweltering heat of the summer and the chilly winds of the winter. This city capital offers a variety of historical sites and local landmarks that worth a visit.
Some of the featured places in Hanoi are Sword Lake and Old Quarter. The old quarter is famous for 36 iconic streets named after the products sold by the residents. You can go shopping and admire the old architecture of houses in this area. Sword Lake, situated in the heart of the city, has a gorgeous scenery view with historical value that will take your breath away.
Halong Bay
If you are a sea lover, a Halong Bay cruise won’t disappoint you. It is a world UNESCO site and comprises of hundreds of small islets. The beautiful view and splashing sound of the sea will transport you to another world in no time.
It is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam throughout the year but autumn is the best time to visit thanks to cool and sunny climate. You can enjoy a lot of exciting activities such as rock climbing, scuba diving, and hiking, etc.
Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh is located in the Northern region of Vietnam and boasts of its magnificent landscape and scenery. It has limestone cliffs across rice fields and provides a rural setting that is serene. Some of the activities to explore are bike-riding through the rice fields, temple-hopping, visiting Thung Nham bird garden or strolling in the evenings, which are all suitable in cool autumn.
Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An located in the South Eastern region of Vietnam boasts of its incredible legacy of ancient Japanese houses and Chinese temples. Hoian has an attractive Thu Bon river and a waterfront area with amazing restaurants and lively bars where visitors can enjoy a variety of cuisine and drink. Boats can also be hired for fishing or just to explore the neighboring areas.
During the autumn nights, visitors can buy lanterns and release them to the river, which is such a romantic and exciting activity.
Nha Trang Beach City
Nha Trang is a coastal city located in the southern region of Vietnam. The city is known for its long beach stretch, offshore islands, and diving sites. The city center is well developed with luxurious hotels and lively bars which never bore tourists.
Nha Trang is also home to Vinpearl land which has the world’s longest over-water cable car and a grand amusement park with water slides that are wonderful for family vacations in Vietnam. The pleasant atmosphere and the soothing water in autumn make the trip more perfect.
Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta is situated at the southernmost point of Vietnam. It has a maze of rivers, swamps, and islands. The floating market is one of the most featured things you have to witness since residents here make their living majorly on boats.
Visiting Mekong Delta is appropriate for any season, you can take a Vietnam Mekong cruise and pass by Khmer pagodas and villages surrounded by rice paddies. The bio-diversity across this area is hard to be missed.
Festivals not to be missed in Autumn in Vietnam
Mid-Autumn Festival
According to the Vietnamese customs and traditions from the past to the present, the Mid Autumn Festival is held on 15th August (lunar calendar). On this occasion, parents show love to their children and give them gifts. This is also the reunion occasion for many members of the family.
During the festival, adults will drink and enjoy the moon’s beauty; children will play the colorful lanterns, wearing masks, watching lion dances, singing Moon songs. On the night of full moon festival, adults and children prepare many different foods in the form of a feast. The most specialty cake of the Mid-Autumn festival is Moon cake which is a symbol of luck, happiness and wealth.
Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the significant traditions of the Vietnamese people. It is a festival of friendship day, the season of happiness, the occasion of reunion and love for family.
In 2019, the Mid Autumn Festival will take place on 13th September 2019.
Con Son – Kiep Bac Festival
From the 15th to 20th of the eighth lunar month annually, visitors from all over the country pilgrimage to the land of Con Son – Kiep Bac (Chi Linh town, Hai Duong province) to be immersed in the festival of traditional ritual, which is preserved over the centuries.
The ceremony takes place with the procession of solemn, drums and dragon dance. Memorial speech recalls the great contributions of Tran Quoc Tuan with 3 great victories of the war against the Mongol invaders.
After a memorial procession on the Six Heads river (Song Luc Dau), the festival replays the battle by boat of the war against the Mongol invaders. This is a content of traditional ritual with historical victory at Con Son – Kiep Bac.
In 2019, Con Son – Kiep Bac Festival will be held from 13th September to 18th September 2019.
Buckwheat flower in Ha Giang
Buckwheat flower season starts from the end of the ninth to the end of the tenth lunar month. During this time, a 3 day-long festival will be organized in many districts (Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, and Meo Vac) in Dong Van province. The festival is to honor a unique culture’s value of Dong Van stone highland through the image of the triangle circuit flower.
There are many interesting cultural activities during the festival such as exhibition about the flower and products made from triangle circuit flower, triangle circuit’s wine festival, etc. Also, this is an occasion for tourists to experience characteristic entertainments of the ethnic people.
Keo Pagoda Festival
Keo pagoda located in Nam Dinh province is the most ancient pagoda in Vietnam with 400-year-old architecture. During the 8th to 16th day of the ninth lunar month, there was a festival to mark the birthday of Duong Khong Lo, who was a Buddist sage that reached nirvana. The festival consists of events like boat races, literary recitations and trumpets, and drum competitions. Being a part of this event can truly be a unique experience.
In summary, the colorful celebrations and climatic features in autumn should be enough to lure tourists to visit Vietnam every year. You surely will have the great ambiance of diversified culture, cuisine and historical sites that will leave long memories after your visit.
In 2019, Keo Pagoda Festival is held from 6th October to 14th October 2019.