Lào Cai weather in December

In December, Lào Cai sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 92 mm of rain across 14.1 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-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 24% 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 Lào Cai's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lào Cai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
11th warmest
Overnight low
12°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
14.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:41 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
66%
5th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
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 Lào Cai reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12013
22013
32013
42013
52013
62013
72013
81913
91912
101912
111912
121912
131912
141912
151912
161912
171911
181911
191911
201911
211911
221811
231811
241811
251811
261811
271811
281811
291811
301811
311811

How December really feels in Lào Cai

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.

Lào Cai weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 11°9618.110.84.7
Feb20° / 12°871711.25.0
Mar24° / 15°1261911.85.5
Apr27° / 19°12917.612.55.2
May29° / 22°20019.713.14.1
Jun30° / 24°2422213.43.3
Jul30° / 24°26123.213.23.4
Aug30° / 23°26822.412.83.6
Sep28° / 22°16518.212.14.6
Oct26° / 19°11816.611.55.7
Nov23° / 15°8813.810.96.1
Dec19° / 12°9214.110.65.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23664
33664
43664
53565
63565
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123664
133763
143763
153961
163961
174060
184060
194159
204159
214159
224159
234258
244258
254159
264159
274060
283961
293961
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lào Cai gets around 92 mm of rain over 14.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 46% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
250
350
450
549
649
749
848
948
1047
1146
1246
1345
1444
1543
1643
1742
1842
1942
2042
2142
2242
2342
2443
2543
2644
2745
2846
2947
3048
3150

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 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12944234
23044223
33244213
43344203
53544182
63644172
73844162
84044142
94244131
104443121
114542111
124741111
134940101
145039101
15533890
16543790
17553690
18573580
19583480
20593470
21603370
22613360
23613360
24613360
25623350
26623350
27623350
28613450
29613450
30603550
31603550

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, 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 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 6:32 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:325:16
210.76:335:16
310.76:345:16
410.76:345:16
510.76:355:16
610.76:355:16
710.76:365:16
810.76:375:17
910.76:375:17
1010.76:385:17
1110.66:395:17
1210.66:395:18
1310.66:405:18
1410.66:405:18
1510.66:415:19
1610.66:415:19
1710.66:425:20
1810.66:425:20
1910.66:435:20
2010.66:435:21
2110.66:445:21
2210.66:445:22
2310.66:455:22
2410.66:455:23
2510.66:465:23
2610.66:465:24
2710.66:475:24
2810.66:475:25
2910.66:475:25
3010.66:485:26
3110.66:485:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.56 kWh/m² to a high of 4.91 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 2.71 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.7Moderate
22.7Moderate
32.7Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.7Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.7Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lào Cai

In seasonPeak

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

Lào Cai's rainy season runs March–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Lào Cai?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lào Cai for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lào Cai in December

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

In December, Lào Cai sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Lào Cai 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 Lào Cai peaks around June 21 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 21UV 13Dec 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov7High
Dec5High

Air quality in Lào Cai 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 Lào Cai is worst in March — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 17 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorMar 2349 µg/m³Jul 1817 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan36Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar49Poor
Apr48Poor
May30Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov33Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Lào Cai?

Lào Cai sits at 22.5°N, 104.0°E, 86 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Sapa, 21 km away.

Bắc QuangMường LayÍt OngHà Giang

Topography around Lào Cai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lào Cai has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m around an average of 141 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,148 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,050 m.

The land around Lào Cai is covered by trees (65%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, trees (90%) within 16 km, and trees (85%) within 80 km.

3 km
298 m
16 km
2,148 m
80 km
3,050 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Sapa 21 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 29 km · Lai Châu 54 km · Thị Trấn Việt Quang 86 km · Bắc Quang 92 km · Mường Lay 102 km · Ít Ong 108 km · Hà Giang 111 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 Lào Cai (22.4856°, 103.9707°, elevation 86 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).