Lai Châu weather in December

In December, Lai Châu sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 49 mm of rain across 7.4 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of December to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lai Châu's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lai Châu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:43 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
57%
5th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical December day in Lai Châu reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22012
32012
42012
52012
62012
71912
81912
91912
101911
111911
121911
131911
141911
151911
161911
171911
181910
191910
201810
211810
221810
231810
241810
251810
261810
271810
281810
291810
301810
311810

Lai Châu weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 10°631010.85.9
Feb20° / 11°539.411.26.4
Mar24° / 14°10613.811.86.5
Apr26° / 17°13618.712.55.4
May27° / 20°22224.413.14.3
Jun28° / 21°32528.513.33.4
Jul27° / 22°38929.513.23.4
Aug28° / 21°37128.712.83.5
Sep27° / 20°20122.212.14.5
Oct25° / 18°961511.56.0
Nov22° / 14°508.710.96.9
Dec19° / 11°497.410.76.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34753
44654
54555
64555
74555
84555
94555
104654
114753
124753
134951
145050
155149
165347
175446
185446
195545
205545
215545
225545
235644
245644
255644
265545
275545
285446
295347
305248
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lai Châu gets around 49 mm of rain over 7.4 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 24% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
628
728
827
927
1026
1125
1224
1323
1422
1522
1621
1720
1820
1919
2019
2120
2220
2320
2421
2521
2622
2723
2823
2924
3025
3126

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1484110
251409
352399
454388
556377
658366
759356
862335
964324
1065314
1167303
1268293
1371272
1472262
1573252
1674242
1775232
1877221
1978211
2079201
2179201
2280191
2381181
2482171
2582171
2683161
2784160
2884160
2984160
3084160
3183161

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of December to 10 h 36 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 6:34 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:18 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:345:18
210.76:355:18
310.76:355:18
410.76:365:18
510.76:375:18
610.76:375:18
710.76:385:19
810.76:395:19
910.76:395:19
1010.76:405:19
1110.76:405:20
1210.76:415:20
1310.66:425:20
1410.66:425:21
1510.66:435:21
1610.66:435:21
1710.66:445:22
1810.66:445:22
1910.66:455:23
2010.66:455:23
2110.66:465:24
2210.66:465:24
2310.66:475:24
2410.66:475:25
2510.66:485:25
2610.66:485:26
2710.66:485:26
2810.66:495:27
2910.66:495:28
3010.66:505:28
3110.66:505:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.66 kWh/m² to a high of 4.99 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 2.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.8Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lai Châu

In seasonPeak

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

Lai Châu'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 December a good time to visit Lai Châu?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lai Châu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lai Châu in December

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

In December, Lai Châu sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 11°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

UV index in Lai Châu in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lai Châu peaks around June 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 19UV 14Dec 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7High
Feb9Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec5High

Air quality in Lai Châu 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 Lai Châu is worst in April — around 70 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.0× the cleanest month (July, 14 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateApr 1367 µg/m³Jul 1814 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar54Poor
Apr70Unhealthy
May28Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lai Châu?

Lai Châu sits at 22.4°N, 103.5°E, 919 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Sapa, 40 km away.

Thị Trấn Thuận ChâuÍt OngDien Bien PhuSơn La

Topography around Lai Châu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lai Châu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 544 m around an average of 1,001 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,836 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,035 m.

The land around Lai Châu is covered by trees (43%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, trees (74%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
544 m
16 km
2,836 m
80 km
3,035 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Sapa 40 km · Lào Cai 54 km · Mường Lay 55 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 75 km · Thị Trấn Thuận Châu 109 km · Ít Ong 114 km · Dien Bien Phu 121 km · Sơn La 128 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
none 86%Catholic 6%Buddhist 6%Protestant 1%

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 Lai Châu (22.3964°, 103.4582°, elevation 919 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).