Ho Chi Minh City · Month comparison

January vs February

February ranks #1 overall vs January at #2. Tết transforms the city — the driest month of the year meets Vietnam's biggest festival.

January

#2 of 12 months

Best match

Dry season peak — low rain, manageable heat, and the city in full tourist swing.

↑Dry season in full swing — 15mm of rain, 33°C days with low humidity by HCMC standards; the city at its most walkable
↑Lunar New Year preparation kicks off in January: Nguyen Hue Flower Street is decorated from early in the month, street food stalls proliferate

February

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Tết transforms the city — the driest month of the year meets Vietnam's biggest festival.

↑Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) typically falls in February — the most spectacular festival in Vietnam; flower markets, firecrackers, and the entire city in red and gold
↑9 sunshine hours a day and only 5mm of rain: the driest and sunniest month of the year

January trade-offs

↓International visitor volume is at its highest — Ben Thanh Market, War Remnants Museum, and Reunification Palace are at their busiest
↓Hotels and good apartments run at peak pricing through the dry-season high
↓Tết itself falls in late January or February: book well ahead or accommodation fills completely as domestic travellers move home

↓Tết week means many restaurants, shops, and services close for 3–7 days — plan around this or embrace the shutdown
↓Hotel prices spike sharply around Tết; book 2–3 months ahead for any decent accommodation
↓Tết holiday creates domestic travel surge: bus stations, airports, and markets are chaotic in the week before the new year

Scores compare months within Ho Chi Minh City. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →