Dien Bien Phu in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Dien Bien Phu sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 89 mm of rain over about 14 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 26°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Dien Bien Phu's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Dien Bien Phu's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 89 mm
- 14 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Dien Bien Phu in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 26°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Dien Bien Phu reaches about 23°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Dien Bien Phu weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22° / 11° | 35 | 5 | 10.8 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 24° / 12° | 25 | 4.8 | 11.3 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 27° / 16° | 55 | 8.6 | 11.8 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 29° / 19° | 115 | 15.4 | 12.5 | 5.1 |
| May | 29° / 21° | 195 | 22.2 | 13 | 3.8 |
| Jun | 28° / 22° | 323 | 27.3 | 13.3 | 3.2 |
| Jul | 28° / 22° | 403 | 28.9 | 13.2 | 3.4 |
| Aug | 28° / 22° | 368 | 28.3 | 12.7 | 3.4 |
| Sep | 28° / 21° | 199 | 21.5 | 12.1 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 26° / 19° | 72 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 6.3 |
| Nov | 24° / 15° | 33 | 5.5 | 11 | 7.7 |
| Dec | 22° / 12° | 29 | 4.5 | 10.7 | 7.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Dien Bien Phu gets around 89 mm of rain over 14 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 5 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.7 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Dien Bien Phu
None of Dien Bien Phu's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Dien Bien Phu's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Dien Bien Phu?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Dien Bien Phu for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Dien Bien Phu in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Dien Bien Phu sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 14 days see rain.
UV index in Dien Bien Phu in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dien Bien Phu peaks around August 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 6 (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) | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Very high |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Extreme |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Dien Bien Phu in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Dien Bien Phu is worst in April — around 303 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 32.6× the cleanest month (August, 9 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) | 20 | 37 | 107 | 303 | 53 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
| Level | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Poor | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Moderate |
| Feb | 37 | Poor |
| Mar | 107 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 303 | Very unhealthy |
| May | 53 | Poor |
| Jun | 11 | Good |
| Jul | 10 | Good |
| Aug | 9 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 15 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 19 | Moderate |
Where is Dien Bien Phu?
Dien Bien Phu sits at 21.4°N, 103.0°E, 485 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Mường Lay, 69 km away.
Topography around Dien Bien Phu
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dien Bien Phu.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Dien Bien Phu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 255 m around an average of 505 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,307 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,010 m.
The land around Dien Bien Phu is covered by trees (36%), cropland (30%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, trees (62%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.
Vietnam travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C / F
- 220 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 29% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,066
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.4 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 59%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.5
- per 100k, 2011
- Road deaths
- 30.6
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 500
- 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 Dien Bien Phu (21.386°, 103.023°, elevation 485 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.