Vang Vieng weather in May

In May, Vang Vieng sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 250 mm of rain across 26.7 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Vang Vieng's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vang Vieng's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
22°
9th coldest
Rainfall
250 mm
26.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:40 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
79%
8th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Vang Vieng is town in Laos.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Vang Vieng reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13021
23021
33021
43021
53021
63021
73021
83021
93021
102922
112922
122922
132922
142922
152922
162922
172922
182922
192922
202922
212922
222922
232922
242922
252922
262922
272922
282922
292922
302922
312922

How May really feels in Vang Vieng

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 17 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
17
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Vang Vieng weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34357
44159
53961
63763
73664
83466
93268
103070
112872
122674
132575
142278
152179
161981
171882
181783
191585
201585
211486
221288
231288
241288
251189
261090
271090
28991
29991
30892
31793

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Vang Vieng gets around 250 mm of rain over 26.7 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 86% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
272
373
475
576
677
779
880
981
1082
1184
1285
1386
1487
1588
1689
1789
1890
1990
2091
2191
2292
2392
2492
2593
2693
2793
2894
2994
3095
3195

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 80% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
124454
224256
324058
413861
513663
613465
713267
813069
912871
1012673
1112574
1212376
1312178
1412079
1511881
1601783
1701585
1801486
1901387
2001288
2101189
2201090
230991
240892
250793
260793
270694
280595
290595
300496
310496

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 3 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
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of May to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:476:28
212.75:466:28
312.75:466:28
412.75:456:29
512.75:456:29
612.85:446:29
712.85:446:30
812.85:436:30
912.85:436:31
1012.85:426:31
1112.85:426:31
1212.85:416:32
1312.95:416:32
1412.95:416:32
1512.95:406:33
1612.95:406:33
1712.95:396:34
1812.95:396:34
1912.95:396:34
2012.95:386:35
2112.95:386:35
2213.05:386:35
2313.05:386:36
2413.05:376:36
2513.05:376:37
2613.05:376:37
2713.05:376:37
2813.05:376:38
2913.05:366:38
3013.05:366:39
3113.05:366:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.65 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 — May's 4.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Vang Vieng

In seasonPeak

In May, Vang Vieng sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 May a good time to visit Vang Vieng?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Vang Vieng.

What to pack for Vang Vieng in May

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

In May, Vang Vieng sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Vang Vieng in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).