Vientiane weather in December

In December, Vientiane sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 8 mm of rain across 1.2 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-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 66% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Vientiane's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vientiane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
8 mm
1.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:38 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
32%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Vientiane is capital of Laos.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 25.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
215/km²
people per km²
Founded
1560

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical December day in Vientiane reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13019
23019
32919
42919
52919
62919
72919
82918
92918
102918
112918
122918
132918
142918
152918
162917
172917
182817
192817
202817
212817
222817
232817
242817
252817
262817
272817
282817
292817
302817
312817

How December really feels in Vientiane

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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

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

Vientiane weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 17°111.7116.9
Feb31° / 19°152.211.45.4
Mar34° / 22°366.211.93.5
Apr35° / 25°7511.912.42.4
May33° / 25°26223.412.82.2
Jun32° / 26°31625.113.12.2
Jul32° / 26°37226.5132.4
Aug31° / 25°40127.512.62.4
Sep32° / 25°30024.712.12.7
Oct31° / 24°10111.911.64.2
Nov30° / 21°22311.25.8
Dec29° / 18°81.210.97.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
48020
58119
68119
78119
88119
98020
108020
118218
128218
138218
148218
158218
168317
178416
188416
198416
208416
218416
228416
238416
248416
258317
268218
278218
288119
298119
308020
317921

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Vientiane gets around 8 mm of rain over 1.2 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 4% and peaks near 6% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
44
54
64
73
83
93
103
113
123
133
143
153
163
173
183
193
204
214
224
234
245
255
265
275
285
296
306
316

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
16133034161
26143133151
37143232140
47143332130
58153431120
68153530110
79163629100
8916372990
91017372880
101117382770
111218382760
121218382650
131319372640
141419372640
151520362540
161620352530
171721342530
181821342530
191822332530
201922322430
211923322420
221923312420
231924312320
241924312320
251925312320
261925312320
271825322320
281725322320
291625332320
301625342420
311525342420

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:295:29
211.06:305:30
311.06:315:30
411.06:315:30
511.06:325:30
611.06:325:30
711.06:335:31
811.06:335:31
911.06:345:31
1010.96:355:31
1110.96:355:32
1210.96:365:32
1310.96:365:32
1410.96:375:33
1510.96:375:33
1610.96:385:34
1710.96:385:34
1810.96:395:34
1910.96:395:35
2010.96:405:35
2110.96:405:36
2210.96:415:36
2310.96:415:37
2410.96:425:37
2510.96:425:38
2610.96:435:38
2710.96:435:39
2810.96:445:39
2910.96:445:40
3010.96:445:40
3110.96:455:41

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.47 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Vientiane

In seasonPeak

In December, Vientiane sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Vientiane sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Vientiane?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Vientiane in December

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

In December, Vientiane sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes.

light clothes

UV index in Vientiane in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vientiane peaks around August 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highExtremeVery highAug 11UV 13Dec 15UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Vientiane in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Vientiane is worst in March — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.4× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Vientiane's WHO annual average of 25.8 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorPoorModerateMar 2355 µg/m³Jul 2116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr53Poor
May23Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Vientiane?

Vientiane sits at 18.0°N, 102.6°E, 174 m above sea level, in Laos. The nearest listed city is Tha Bo, 13 km away.

Kut ChapPhon CharoenUdon ThaniBan DungNa Klang

Topography around Vientiane

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Vientiane.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vientiane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m around an average of 171 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 74 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,487 m.

The land around Vientiane is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, cropland (36%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
33 m
16 km
74 m
80 km
1,487 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Tha Bo 13 km · Nong Khai 18 km · Nam Som 49 km · Kut Chap 60 km · Phon Charoen 60 km · Udon Thani 64 km · Ban Dung 76 km · Na Klang 85 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 Vientiane (17.9667°, 102.6°, elevation 174 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).