Climate and average weather in Vang Vieng
In Vang Vieng, the weather is humid, hot, wet, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near hot levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around August.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Vang Vieng typically varies from 14°C to 30°C, and is rarely below 9°C or above 34°C. April is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Vang Vieng for warm-weather activities are from early January to early March and early November to late December.
- Hottest
- Apr
- 30°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 14°
- Wettest
- Aug
- 552 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 18 mm
- Rain / yr
- 2419 mm
- 204 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.9–13.1 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 243 m
- 18.9°N
- Clearest
- Feb
- 34% cloud
Vang Vieng is town in Laos.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Vang Vieng weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to early March.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Vang Vieng, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Vang Vieng stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is April, with an average high of 30°C and low of 20°C; the coolest is January, with an average low of 14°C and high of 25°C.
Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 12°C) in February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 25 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 14 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 14 |
| Feb | 27 | 15 |
| Mar | 29 | 18 |
| Apr | 30 | 20 |
| May | 29 | 22 |
| Jun | 28 | 22 |
| Jul | 28 | 22 |
| Aug | 28 | 22 |
| Sep | 28 | 21 |
| Oct | 28 | 20 |
| Nov | 27 | 17 |
| Dec | 25 | 14 |
How hot and cold Vang Vieng really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Vang Vieng feels like about 33°C (around April 22). About 36 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 25 | 27 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 25 |
| Air high (°C) | 25 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 14 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
| Air low (°C) | 14 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 25 | 14 | 14 |
| Feb | 27 | 27 | 15 | 15 |
| Mar | 30 | 29 | 18 | 18 |
| Apr | 32 | 30 | 20 | 20 |
| May | 32 | 29 | 22 | 22 |
| Jun | 31 | 28 | 22 | 22 |
| Jul | 30 | 28 | 22 | 22 |
| Aug | 30 | 28 | 22 | 22 |
| Sep | 31 | 28 | 21 | 21 |
| Oct | 30 | 28 | 20 | 20 |
| Nov | 28 | 27 | 17 | 17 |
| Dec | 25 | 25 | 14 | 14 |
Average hourly temperature in Vang Vieng
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on April afternoons, near 30°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 14°C.
Vang Vieng weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25° / 14° | 21 | 3.5 | 11 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 27° / 15° | 18 | 3.2 | 11.4 | 7.8 |
| Mar | 29° / 18° | 44 | 7.8 | 11.9 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 30° / 20° | 92 | 15.2 | 12.4 | 4.4 |
| May | 29° / 22° | 250 | 26.7 | 12.9 | 3.2 |
| Jun | 28° / 22° | 394 | 29.2 | 13.1 | 3.0 |
| Jul | 28° / 22° | 537 | 30.3 | 13 | 3.2 |
| Aug | 28° / 22° | 552 | 30.4 | 12.6 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 28° / 21° | 328 | 27.2 | 12.1 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 28° / 20° | 126 | 19.2 | 11.6 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 27° / 17° | 33 | 6.8 | 11.1 | 7.2 |
| Dec | 25° / 14° | 25 | 4.4 | 10.9 | 8.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Vang Vieng gets about 2419 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.0 months, from around Apr 20 to Oct 20, peaking in August at about 99% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 20.
August is the wettest month by volume, with 552 mm over about 30 wet days; February is the driest, with 18 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 11 | 12 | 25 | 52 | 86 | 97 | 98 | 98 | 90 | 61 | 24 | 14 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 19 | 7 | 4 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | 4 |
| Feb | 12 | 3 |
| Mar | 25 | 8 |
| Apr | 52 | 15 |
| May | 86 | 27 |
| Jun | 97 | 29 |
| Jul | 98 | 30 |
| Aug | 98 | 30 |
| Sep | 90 | 27 |
| Oct | 61 | 19 |
| Nov | 24 | 7 |
| Dec | 14 | 4 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Vang Vieng collects about 2419 mm of rain across 204 wet days — roughly 202 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. August is the wettest month with 552 mm, while February is the driest at just 18 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 61% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 21 | 18 | 44 | 92 | 250 | 394 | 537 | 552 | 328 | 126 | 33 | 25 |
| Rain days | 4 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 19 | 7 | 4 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 4 |
| Feb | 18 | 3 |
| Mar | 44 | 8 |
| Apr | 92 | 15 |
| May | 250 | 27 |
| Jun | 394 | 29 |
| Jul | 537 | 30 |
| Aug | 552 | 30 |
| Sep | 328 | 27 |
| Oct | 126 | 19 |
| Nov | 33 | 7 |
| Dec | 25 | 4 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Vang Vieng, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around October 10 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around April 30. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 82% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 1 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around October 9. The cloudiest month is August, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 95% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 76 | 82 | 78 | 62 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 52 | 72 | 76 |
| Cloudier (%) | 24 | 18 | 22 | 38 | 77 | 95 | 94 | 95 | 81 | 48 | 28 | 24 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | 24 |
| Feb | 82 | 18 |
| Mar | 78 | 22 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 |
| May | 23 | 77 |
| Jun | 5 | 95 |
| Jul | 6 | 94 |
| Aug | 5 | 95 |
| Sep | 19 | 81 |
| Oct | 52 | 48 |
| Nov | 72 | 28 |
| Dec | 76 | 24 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 1, brings about 13 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 10 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 12 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.0 | 11.4 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 12.9 | 13.1 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 12.1 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 10.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:50 | 6:44 | 6:24 | 5:58 | 5:40 | 5:36 | 5:45 | 5:55 | 6:01 | 6:08 | 6:23 | 6:40 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:49 | 6:06 | 6:16 | 6:23 | 6:33 | 6:44 | 6:47 | 6:34 | 6:08 | 5:42 | 5:28 | 5:32 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.0 | 6:50 | 5:49 |
| Feb | 11.4 | 6:44 | 6:06 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:24 | 6:16 |
| Apr | 12.4 | 5:58 | 6:23 |
| May | 12.9 | 5:40 | 6:33 |
| Jun | 13.1 | 5:36 | 6:44 |
| Jul | 13.0 | 5:45 | 6:47 |
| Aug | 12.6 | 5:55 | 6:34 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 6:01 | 6:08 |
| Oct | 11.6 | 6:08 | 5:42 |
| Nov | 11.1 | 6:23 | 5:28 |
| Dec | 10.9 | 6:40 | 5:32 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Vang Vieng averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 21 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.1 months, from around Oct 19 to Apr 21. The sunniest month is March, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is August, down near 0 sunny days — about 99% fewer than the March peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 17 | 18 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 17 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Bright |
| Feb | 18 | Bright |
| Mar | 19 | Bright |
| Apr | 11 | Mixed |
| May | 3 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 1 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 0 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 2 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 9 | Mixed |
| Nov | 15 | Bright |
| Dec | 17 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Vang Vieng, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 8.2 months, from around March 16 to November 20. The muggiest month is April, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 99% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around November 21 to March 15, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 67% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 20 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 21 |
| Comfortable (%) | 46 | 36 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 28 |
| Humid (%) | 28 | 38 | 40 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 37 |
| Muggy (%) | 5 | 10 | 41 | 61 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 55 | 43 | 13 |
| Oppressive (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 79 | 98 | 97 | 97 | 85 | 34 | 6 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 46 | 28 | 5 | 0 |
| Feb | 15 | 36 | 38 | 10 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 16 | 40 | 41 | 1 |
| Apr | 0 | 1 | 9 | 61 | 29 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 79 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 98 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 97 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 97 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 85 |
| Oct | 1 | 2 | 8 | 55 | 34 |
| Nov | 4 | 13 | 35 | 43 | 6 |
| Dec | 21 | 28 | 37 | 13 | 1 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Vang Vieng is steady company: average speeds sit near 3 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | calm |
| Feb | 4 | calm |
| Mar | 4 | calm |
| Apr | 4 | calm |
| May | 3 | calm |
| Jun | 3 | calm |
| Jul | 3 | calm |
| Aug | 3 | calm |
| Sep | 3 | calm |
| Oct | 3 | calm |
| Nov | 3 | calm |
| Dec | 3 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Vang Vieng
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Vang Vieng's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Vang Vieng
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Vang Vieng throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late February, Vang Vieng is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Vang Vieng for general outdoor tourist activities is from early November to early March, with a peak score in the last week of December.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 8.2 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.9 | 7.1 | 8.0 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | good | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.2 | ideal |
| Feb | 7.8 | ideal |
| Mar | 6.0 | good |
| Apr | 4.4 | fair |
| May | 3.3 | poor |
| Jun | 3.0 | poor |
| Jul | 3.2 | poor |
| Aug | 3.2 | poor |
| Sep | 3.4 | poor |
| Oct | 4.9 | fair |
| Nov | 7.1 | good |
| Dec | 8.0 | ideal |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Vang Vieng for hot-weather activities is from early November to early April, with a peak score in the first week of March.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Vang Vieng, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Vang Vieng packs about the same all year — highs hold near 30°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In April, Vang Vieng sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Vang Vieng by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vang Vieng peaks around August 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 10 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | High |
Average hourly UV index in Vang Vieng
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 4 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.5 | 4 |
| Feb | 7 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 7.5 | 5 |
| May | 8 | 6 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 |
| Nov | 6.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 6 | 3 |
Air quality in Vang Vieng by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Vang Vieng is worst in April — around 182 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 17.8× the cleanest month (September, 10 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 35 | 150 | 182 | 29 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 35 | Moderate |
| Mar | 150 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 182 | Very unhealthy |
| May | 29 | Moderate |
| Jun | 12 | Good |
| Jul | 12 | Good |
| Aug | 11 | Good |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 12 | Moderate |
Growing season
Vang Vieng is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Vang Vieng banks about 4,850 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 291 | 305 | 416 | 453 | 476 | 457 | 459 | 456 | 444 | 431 | 360 | 302 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 291 |
| Feb | 305 |
| Mar | 416 |
| Apr | 453 |
| May | 476 |
| Jun | 457 |
| Jul | 459 |
| Aug | 456 |
| Sep | 444 |
| Oct | 431 |
| Nov | 360 |
| Dec | 302 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Vang Vieng receives about 4.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.6 and 5.6 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 3.8 months, from around Jan 25 to May 21. The brightest month is April, averaging about 5.5 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is August, down near 3.7 kWh/m² — roughly 33% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.3 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.0 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.5 | Bright |
| Apr | 5.6 | Bright |
| May | 4.7 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.1 | Bright |
| Jul | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4.1 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.4 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.3 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.1 | Bright |
Where is Vang Vieng?
Vang Vieng sits at 18.9°N, 102.4°E, 243 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Muang Phônsavan, 98 km away.
What Vang Vieng looks like
Topography around Vang Vieng
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Vang Vieng.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Vang Vieng has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 415 m around an average of 276 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,402 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,653 m.
The land around Vang Vieng is covered by trees (64%) within 3 km, trees (89%) within 16 km, and trees (86%) within 80 km.
Laos travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C / E / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 23% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $2,325
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.5 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 35%
- of population, 2024
- Road deaths
- 17.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 461
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Vang Vieng (18.9235°, 102.4478°, elevation 243 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).