Lào Cai weather in March

In March, Lào Cai sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 126 mm of rain across 19 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Lào Cai's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lào Cai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
8th warmest
Overnight low
15°
4th coldest
Rainfall
126 mm
19 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:19 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
63%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical March day in Lào Cai reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 4°C cooler than April.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42213
52213
62313
72314
82314
92314
102314
112314
122314
132414
142414
152415
162415
172415
182415
192415
202415
212415
222415
232416
242416
252516
262516
272516
282516
292516
302516
312517

How March really feels in Lào Cai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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

March 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 March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 7th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54456
64456
74456
84456
94456
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164456
174456
184456
194357
204258
214159
224159
234060
243961
253961
263862
273862
283862
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Lào Cai gets around 126 mm of rain over 19 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 62% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
359
459
559
659
758
858
958
1058
1158
1258
1359
1459
1560
1661
1762
1862
1963
2064
2164
2264
2365
2465
2566
2666
2766
2865
2965
3065
3164

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 16% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
135342730
234342840
333342940
432343050
530343150
629343260
728333360
826333470
924333580
1023323790
11213238100
12193139110
13183040120
14172941140
15162841150
16152742170
17142642180
18132642190
19122543200
20122444210
21122344220
22112245220
23112145230
24112045240
25101946250
26101946250
27101846260
2891846270
2991846270
3081846281
3181746291

Wind in March

Winds average 5 km/h in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:326:03
211.56:316:03
311.66:306:04
411.66:296:04
511.66:296:05
611.66:286:05
711.66:276:05
811.76:266:06
911.76:256:06
1011.76:246:07
1111.76:236:07
1211.86:226:07
1311.86:216:08
1411.86:216:08
1511.86:206:09
1611.86:196:09
1711.96:186:09
1811.96:176:10
1911.96:166:10
2011.96:156:10
2111.96:146:11
2212.06:136:11
2312.06:126:11
2412.06:116:12
2512.06:106:12
2612.16:096:13
2712.16:086:13
2812.16:076:13
2912.16:066:14
3012.26:056:14
3112.26:046:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.26 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 — March's 4.26 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Lào Cai

In seasonPeak

In March, Lào Cai sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 March a good time to visit Lào Cai?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Lào Cai in March

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

In March, Lào Cai sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Lào Cai in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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