Climate conditions of tourism in Vietnam

Abstract

Tourists from all over the world visit Vietnam more and more increasingly. Climatic conditions of this country can be a barrier for people coming from a different climate zone due to high temperature, high humidity and frequent rainfall. However, a large latitudinal stretch of Vietnam and varied terrain enable tourists to find the most favourable period for sightseeing or leisure. The aim of the study is to characterize selected elements of the climate of Vietnam, which favour or hinder tourism in the country and affect the perception of its tourist attractions.

The study used the data from 28 meteorological stations evenly distributed in Vietnam from the years 2001 to 2015. The paper presents and analyzes the course of the annual sums of precipitation, days with precipitation, maximum temperature and relative humidity at selected stations.

The most convenient season for tourism in Northern Vietnam in terms of the weather is from November to March. At this time, there is an anticyclonic situation, maximum temperature ranges on average from 20°C to 30°C. The relative humidity is the lowest, and the rate of days with precipitation and thus the amount of rainfall is comparatively low. The least favourable season for tourism is from May to August because of the high temperatures exceeding 30°C, high humidity (over 80%) and heavy and frequent rainfall.

In Central Vietnam, the highest temperatures prevail from April to May and the maximum precipitation occurs from August to November.

In Southern Vietnam the climate is more stable; humidity and air temperature is high (above 30°C) but balanced throughout a year. A period from May to October is a rainy season. It is characterized by downpours occurring almost every day (usually in the evening), which are very strong but short. In the face of a very high humidity during the day such a rainfall can bring relief and an improvement in the tourists’ well-being. This is the reason why it is difficult to distinguish months especially beneficial for tourism in Southern Vietnam. In fact, this region can be visited all year round, but high humidity and high air temperatures have to be taken into account.

There are typhoons occurring on the coast, particularly in the Mekong Delta during the rainy season. They are the most dangerous in August and September.