Vang Vieng weather in January

In January, Vang Vieng sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 21 mm of rain across 3.5 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Vang Vieng's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vang Vieng's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
12th warmest
Overnight low
14°
1st coldest
Rainfall
21 mm
3.5 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:50 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
39%
3rd clearest
Wind
4 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Vang Vieng is town in Laos.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical January day in Vang Vieng reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12513
22513
32513
42513
52513
62513
72513
82513
92513
102513
112514
122514
132514
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192514
202514
212514
222514
232514
242514
252514
262614
272614
282614
292614
302614
312614

How January really feels in Vang Vieng

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Vang Vieng weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°213.5118.2
Feb27° / 15°183.211.47.8
Mar29° / 18°447.811.96.0
Apr30° / 20°9215.212.44.4
May29° / 22°25026.712.93.2
Jun28° / 22°39429.213.13.0
Jul28° / 22°53730.3133.2
Aug28° / 22°55230.412.63.2
Sep28° / 21°32827.212.13.4
Oct28° / 20°12619.211.64.8
Nov27° / 17°336.811.17.2
Dec25° / 14°254.410.98.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27525
37426
47426
57426
67327
77327
87327
97327
107327
117426
127426
137327
147426
157426
167525
177624
187624
197624
207723
217822
227822
237822
247822
257822
267822
277822
287921
297921
307921
318020

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Vang Vieng gets around 21 mm of rain over 3.5 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
512
612
712
812
912
1012
1112
1212
1311
1411
1511
1611
1710
1810
1910
2010
2110
2210
2310
2410
2510
2611
2711
2811
2911
3012
3112

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12538325
22439325
32340325
42241315
52243305
62144295
72145295
82145285
92146275
102147275
112147265
122148265
132149255
142149255
152150255
162050255
172050255
182050255
191951255
201950265
211851265
221850275
231751275
241750285
251750285
261749296
271748296
281747306
291846306
301845316
311944316

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:47 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:475:40
210.96:475:40
310.96:485:41
410.96:485:41
510.96:485:42
610.96:485:43
710.96:495:43
810.96:495:44
910.96:495:44
1010.96:495:45
1110.96:505:46
1210.96:505:46
1311.06:505:47
1411.06:505:48
1511.06:505:48
1611.06:505:49
1711.06:505:49
1811.06:505:50
1911.06:505:51
2011.06:505:51
2111.06:505:52
2211.06:505:52
2311.06:505:53
2411.16:505:54
2511.16:505:54
2611.16:505:55
2711.16:505:55
2811.16:505:56
2911.16:505:57
3011.16:495:57
3111.16:495:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 5.57 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 4.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Vang Vieng

In seasonPeak

None of Vang Vieng's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Vang Vieng's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Vang Vieng?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

8.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Vang Vieng for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Vang Vieng in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Vang Vieng sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Vang Vieng in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highAug 11UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr10Very high
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Vang Vieng in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual 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).

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyModerateGoodApr 11175 µg/m³Sep 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb35Moderate
Mar150Unhealthy
Apr182Very unhealthy
May29Moderate
Jun12Good
Jul12Good
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct11Good
Nov11Good
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

Muang PhônsavanVientianeLuang PrabangTha BoNong KhaiPhon CharoenNam SomBorikhan

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.

3 km
415 m
16 km
1,402 m
80 km
2,653 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Muang Phônsavan 98 km · Vientiane 108 km · Luang Prabang 112 km · Tha Bo 120 km · Nong Khai 120 km · Phon Charoen 125 km · Nam Som 131 km · Borikhan 141 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
Buddhist 65%none 31%other/not stated 2%Christian 2%

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).