Last updated: August 2026
Hanoi golf runs on four real seasons, and picking the wrong one changes the whole trip. Spring and autumn give you 18–28°C and dry fairways; winter brings fog that holds morning tee times; summer heat makes midday golf a mistake. Here is the month-by-month picture.
Quick Answer
The best time to play golf in Hanoi is February to April and September to November, when daytime temperatures sit in the 18–28°C band and rain is manageable. December and January are playable but cold, 10–15°C on the coldest mornings, with fog that can delay first tee times by 30–90 minutes. May to August is hot and humid: play early or take a floodlit evening round.
What does each month actually look like?
The table below is built on Hanoi’s long-term climate pattern and on what our team sees on the tee sheets through a full year. Temperatures are typical daytime ranges, not extremes.
| Month | Avg Temp | Rainfall | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14–20°C | Low; winter fog on some mornings | ⭐⭐⭐ Cold but dry — book 9–10am starts |
| February | 15–21°C | Light drizzle (mưa phùn) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Season opens; Tet dates book out early |
| March | 18–23°C | Light drizzle, easing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very good; damp air, soft light |
| April | 21–28°C | Low–moderate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent — warm, dry, any tee time works |
| May | 25–32°C | Building; afternoon storms begin | ⭐⭐⭐ Good early; heat arrives |
| June | 27–33°C | Heavy; short afternoon downpours | ⭐⭐⭐ Early or evening golf only |
| July | 27–33°C | Heaviest of the year | ⭐⭐ Hot and wet — plan around storms |
| August | 27–32°C | Heavy | ⭐⭐ Same pattern as July |
| September | 26–31°C | Tapering | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Autumn opens; still warm |
| October | 22–29°C | Low | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent — our team’s most reliable month |
| November | 19–25°C | Low | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent — cool, dry, clear |
| December | 15–21°C | Low; fog returns late month | ⭐⭐⭐ Good with a layer and a later start |
Typical patterns from Hanoi’s long-term climate record, not guarantees. Coldest winter mornings can dip to 10–15°C.
Why is winter the season nobody warns you about?
Because it does not fit what golfers expect from Vietnam. Northern Vietnam has a genuine winter: December and January mornings can sit at 10–15°C, and golfers flying up from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Manila routinely land with a suitcase packed for Da Nang beach weather. The golf itself is good: firm fairways, no rain to speak of, quiet weekday tee sheets. You just need a layer and one piece of local knowledge.
That piece of knowledge is fog. On winter mornings, fog forms over the lakes and low valleys that most Hanoi courses are built around, and it can hang past sunrise. Courses hold the first groups until visibility clears, which usually costs 30–90 minutes rather than the round itself. GoGolfVietnam is a golf tour operator based in Vietnam, and through December and January our team simply books tee times at 9 or 10am instead of first light. The fog problem largely disappears, and you trade a cold, delayed sunrise start for a clear mid-morning round.
One planning note inside this window: Tet, Vietnam’s lunar new year, falls in late January or February. Courses stay open, but transfers and hotels tighten in the week around it, so those dates need earlier booking than the weather alone would suggest.
How good are spring and autumn really?
These are the two windows we build most international itineraries around. February to April warms steadily from around 15°C toward 28°C, and September to November runs the same band in reverse as summer heat breaks. Both windows let you play 18 holes at any hour without planning around the sun, which no other Hanoi season allows.
The one quirk worth knowing is spring drizzle. February and March bring mưa phùn, a fine northern mist that rarely stops play but keeps the air damp and the light grey for days at a time. Autumn is the drier, brighter of the two seasons. October in Hanoi is nothing like October in Da Nang, where it is the wettest month of the year. If you want the single most reliable month on the calendar, our team’s pick is October.
These windows are also when demand peaks. Weekends are the pressure point: local member and corporate play fills Saturday and Sunday first, and weekend rates at the flagship courses run close to double the weekday price. Book three to four weeks out and aim your rounds at Tuesday to Friday.
Can you play through the summer heat?
Yes, with the right hours. May to August is genuinely hot and humid, and midday tee times are a mistake rather than an inconvenience. The playable windows are the two ends of the day: off the first tee by 6:00–6:30am and you finish before the worst of it, or wait for the evening.
The evening option got much better in April 2026, when Heron Lake added floodlit night golf on Dam Vac Lake in Vinh Phuc. Very few courses in the north offer it, and in July heat an evening nine there is far more pleasant than anything you would play at noon. Summer also brings afternoon downpours: short, heavy and usually over within the hour, so rounds pause and resume rather than get cancelled.
How does this compare with Da Nang’s seasons?
Almost as mirror images. Da Nang’s driest, most bookable stretch is February to May, and its heaviest rain lands in October and November, exactly the months that are Hanoi’s best. A north-plus-central trip can use that: the full picture is in how Da Nang’s seasons run month by month.
What should you pack for each season?
Coming from a tropical market, the packing mistake is always the same: no layers. For December to February add a windproof layer and a light sweater for the first few holes; 10–15°C mornings feel colder on an open fairway than the number suggests. For February and March add a light rain layer for the drizzle. For May to August it is the tropical kit you already know: two gloves, electrolytes, and a dry shirt for the ninth hole. Spring and autumn need nothing special, which is rather the point of going then.
How should the season shape your itinerary?
In spring and autumn, book ahead and spread rounds across weekdays. In winter, book later morning starts and keep the first day flexible. In summer, alternate early rounds with an evening round so nobody plays through the midday heat. If your dates are fixed and the forecast is not, build in slack: the five-day Hanoi itinerary that holds a spare day in reserve exists for exactly this — a foggy or stormy morning costs you a rescheduled tee time instead of a lost round.
Whichever window you pick, the course list does not change — all 12 layouts play year round, and our complete guide to Hanoi’s 12 courses covers which ones earn a place in a four-day trip. When you are ready to put dates against it, browse Hanoi itineraries built around weekday rates — tee times, transfers and hotels are folded in and confirmed against your season.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best months to play golf in Hanoi?
February to April and September to November. Both windows sit in the 18–28°C band with manageable rain. If you want one month, October is the most reliable on the calendar — dry, clear and cool, unlike October in Central Vietnam.
Can you play golf in Hanoi in winter?
Yes, with two adjustments. December and January mornings can be 10–15°C, so bring a layer, and fog over the lakes can delay first tee times by 30–90 minutes. Booking a 9 or 10am start instead of first light avoids most delays.
Is summer too hot for golf in Hanoi?
Midday is, but the ends of the day are not. From May to August, tee off by 6:00–6:30am or play in the evening — Heron Lake added floodlit night golf in April 2026, one of very few courses in the north to offer it.
Does it rain a lot during Hanoi’s golf season?
Not in the good windows. The heavy rain falls May to August as short afternoon downpours, with July the wettest. February and March bring light drizzle that rarely stops play, and September to November is largely dry.
Are green fees cheaper in any particular season?
Rates move more by day of the week than by month — weekend rounds at the flagship courses run close to double the weekday price all year. Playing Tuesday to Friday saves more than chasing a low season.
GoGolfVietnam is a Vietnam-based golf tour operator booking tee times, transfers and hotels across Hanoi and the north.
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