Hoi An in the rainy season

In Hoi An the rainy season runs from September to December, and most of the rain falls in October and November. What the official data says, what the record flood of 2025 did to the old town, and how a wet day goes at a beach hotel twelve minutes from the old town.

By the MONEA Le Belhamy team Published Facts checked 5 min read

The old town of Hoi An from the river: merchant houses, tiled roofs and wooden boats along the quay
Photo: MONEA Le Belhamy

When is the rainy season in Hoi An?

Vietnam's national forecasting centre places the flood season on the rivers of the central coast, from Quảng Bình down to Ninh Thuận, between September and December.1 Hoi An lies within that stretch.

The Vietnamese standard that publishes the official climate tables has no series for Hoi An; the nearest is Da Nang's, up the same coast. About 2,200 mm of rain fall there in a year, and some 1,650 of them between September and December: three quarters of the year in four months.2

Average monthly rainfall in Da Nang (mm) Bar chart of monthly rainfall. It is lowest from February to April, between 24 and 35 mm, rises through the summer and peaks in October with 628 mm, then 448 mm in November and 218 mm in December. 020040060080082Jan24Feb25Mar35Apr81May83Jun93Jul141Aug351Sep628Oct448Nov218Dec
Da Nang station. Data from the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, published in QCVN 02:2022/BXD. The standard does not state the period of the series. Rounded to the millimetre; the rainy season in the darker tone. 2
The same data, as a table
Average monthly rainfall in Da Nang (mm)
Monthmm
January82
February24
March25
April35
May81
June83
July93
August141
September351
October628
November448
December218

October is the wettest month: 628 mm, with rain on 20 of its 31 days. November follows with 448 mm, also on 20 days.2 From February to April, by contrast, between 24 and 35 mm fall in a month.

In October it rains two days out of three.

Does the old town of Hoi An flood?

It can. At the end of October 2025 the rain did not stop: it began on the 26th,5 and in parts of Huế and Hội An more than 1,000 mm fell in 24 hours.3

The Thu Bồn, the river the old town stands on, rose past its 1964 record at Cầu Lâu, to more than 5.6 m.45 At the Hội An gauge it reached 3.37 m on 30 October; the highest alert level there begins at 2 m.4

It was a record: the previous mark at Cầu Lâu had stood for 61 years.

The water came back on 3 November to Bạch Đằng, Lê Lợi and Nguyễn Phúc Chu streets and to the central market,6 and the old town flooded again on 18 November.7

Silk lanterns hanging outside a shop in the old town of Hoi AnA tailor's shop in Hoi An at dusk, its lanterns lit over the street
A lantern workshop and a tailor's shop in the old town of Hoi An, on a dry evening.

A year like 2025 is a record, not the norm. But it shows what October and November can mean: for a few days the river decides, and the streets along the bank can be under water.

What can you do at the hotel when it rains?

The hotel is open all year, and a wet day here can be a slow one rather than a lost one.

At the Bamboo Spa the treatment cabins are indoors and air-conditioned. Its thermal circuit —dry sauna, jacuzzi and steam room— comes with any treatment, and it is free if you are staying in a villa. Book it an hour ahead.

Lit candles, folded cream towels and frangipani flowers set out for a treatment at the Bamboo Spa
A treatment being set up at the Bamboo Spa.

And if the day stays grey, a villa with a pool of its own is a good reason not to go anywhere.

Where do you eat on a wet day?

Faifo, the restaurant beside the main pool, is open from 06:30 to 22:30, and Faifo's menu runs to 43 dishes, among them the dishes of Hoi An.

Faifo’s terrace under the pergola of silk lanterns, with glass tables and rattan armchairs
Faifo's terrace, under its pergola of silk lanterns.

If you would rather cook them, the cooking class runs at the Garden Kitchen from 11:30 to 13:30: local Hoi An dishes, cooked with the chef. It is for hotel guests, from two people, booked a day ahead.

And if rain spoils the lantern night?

On the 14th day of every lunar month the old town switches off its electric lights and lights itself with lanterns.89 Three of those nights are still to come in the rainy months of 2026.

Lantern nights still to come in the rainy months of 2026
Lunar monthDateDay
9th23 OctoberFriday
10th22 NovemberSunday
11th22 DecemberTuesday
The 14th day of each lunar month, from the Gregorian–lunar calendar of the Hong Kong Observatory. 10
The Thu Bon river at dusk, with the lanterns of the old town lit along both banks
The Thu Bồn at dusk, with the old town's lanterns lit on both banks.

Rain can still spoil one, so check on the day. If it does, Hoi An Night is a Vietnamese tasting menu at Faifo, every evening from 18:00 to 21:00, for hotel guests, from two people and booked a day ahead.

How do you plan a trip in the rainy season?

  • Leave a free day in the plan. If the old town is under water, it can wait until tomorrow.
  • Watch the river as well as the forecast. In 2025 the water came back to the old town on 3 November, days after the record.46
  • If you want it dry, come from February to April, the driest stretch of the year.2

Every guest lands at Da Nang, and the hotel is 25 minutes from Da Nang airport, about 20 km.

Frequently asked questions

Does it rain all day in the rainy season?

The official data counts days, not hours: in Da Nang it rains on 20 days in October and on 20 in November.2 How long it rains on each of them is not in the data, which is why it pays to leave a free day in the plan.

Is November a good time to go to Hoi An?

It is the second wettest month, with 448 mm on 20 days,2 and in 2025 the old town flooded on the 3rd and the 18th.67 If your dates are fixed, come with a free day and plans under a roof. If they are not, February to April is the driest stretch.2

Does the old town flood every year?

Not like in 2025, which broke a 61-year record on the Thu Bồn.45 But October and November are the months when the river rises, and the streets along the bank are the first to take water.6

What is there to do at the resort if it rains?

The spa's indoor cabins and its thermal circuit, free with a villa; Faifo from 06:30 to 22:30; the cooking class at the Garden Kitchen; and, if you are in a Private Pool Villa, your own pool.

When is the driest time to visit Hoi An?

February to April, with between 24 and 35 mm of rain a month in Da Nang.2 The hotel is open all year: tell us your dates before you book.

Sources

  1. Sài Gòn Giải Phóng, 14 September 2020. The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting on the flood season of central Vietnam (in Vietnamese). (consulted )
  2. QCVN 02:2022/BXD, Ministry of Construction of Viet Nam. National technical regulation on natural-conditions data for construction: monthly rainfall and rainy days at Da Nang (tables A.25 and A.28). (consulted )
  3. Al Jazeera, 28 October 2025. Record rains in central Vietnam: more than 1,000 mm in 24 hours in parts of Huế and Hội An. (consulted )
  4. DTiNews, 30 October 2025. The Thu Bồn above its 1964 record at Cầu Lâu; the Hội An gauge at 3.37 m. (consulted )
  5. Gulf News, October 2025. Hội An's old town under water after the record floods. (consulted )
  6. Tuoi Tre News, 4 November 2025. Floodwater back in Bạch Đằng, Lê Lợi and Nguyễn Phúc Chu streets and the central market on 3 November. (consulted )
  7. DTiNews, 19 November 2025. Hội An's old town flooded again on 18 November. (consulted )
  8. vietnamtourism.com. The lantern night on the 14th day of each lunar month. (consulted )
  9. Pickyourtrail. The same monthly rule, from a second source. (consulted )
  10. Hong Kong Observatory, 2026 calendar. Gregorian–lunar calendar: the 14th day of the 9th, 10th and 11th lunar months. (consulted )
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