Vietnam travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Hạ Long Bay. Photo: Taewangkorea, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

11h 45mflight from London

Đồngcurrency

No visafor UK passports

Type A, Cplugs

Limestone bays, lantern-lit towns and incredible food

Don't miss

Ha Long Bay
Hoi An
Hanoi

Good forFood loversHistory & ruinsBeaches

Best time to visit Vietnam from the UK

Best value: Mar–Jul, Sep–Nov. Feb–Apr and Aug–Oct balance the north and south. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Feb, Aug.

Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Hanoi, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Hanoi for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

Our pick: June and JulyThe warmest of the best-value months (28°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
Peak season: Dec–Feb, AugUsually 15–28°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
Warmest: June (28°C) · coolest: January (15°C)A 13°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.

Temperatures as a table

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
15.4	18.2	21.4	25.2	27.5	28.5	28.4	27.9	26.7	23.8	20.3	16

Festivals and events

Tết (Lunar New Year) Jan–Feb · Nationwide
Hội An Lantern Festival Monthly · Hội An
Mid-Autumn Festival Sep · Nationwide

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time: About 11h 45m
Distance: 9,256 km
Main airport: SGN

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Vietnam to your bucket list Search flights to SGN

Practical info and travel guidance

ĐồngCapital: Hanoi

Type A, C · 220VBring a UK adapter

Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK

113

EmergencyAmbulance 115

Drink bottledOr treated water

VisaNo visa neededUp to 45 days
HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
LGBT+ travellersLegal, but attitudes can be conservativePublic affection may draw attention.
Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Vietnam, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 21 September 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Vietnam before you book and again before you go.

Open Vietnam on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.