Mường Lay weather in January

In January, Mường Lay sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 59 mm of rain across 8 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Mường Lay's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mường Lay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
59 mm
8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:53 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
60%
6th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
3.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Mường Lay is old town of Dien Bien province, Vietnam.

Density
179/km²
people per km²
Founded
1971

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Mường Lay reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12112
22112
32112
42112
52112
62112
72112
82112
92112
102112
112112
122112
132112
142112
152112
162112
172112
182112
192112
202112
212112
222112
232111
242111
252111
262111
272111
282111
292111
302111
312111

How January really feels in Mường Lay

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

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

Mường Lay weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 12°59810.86.8
Feb23° / 12°548.311.27.1
Mar26° / 15°12313.111.86.3
Apr28° / 19°21919.512.54.7
May29° / 21°32825.2133.5
Jun29° / 23°45528.313.32.9
Jul29° / 23°45329.413.23.0
Aug29° / 23°36426.912.83.2
Sep29° / 22°18719.712.14.2
Oct27° / 20°8613.711.55.9
Nov24° / 16°55810.97.2
Dec21° / 13°476.210.77.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25050
34951
44852
54753
64852
74753
84753
94654
104555
114555
124555
134654
144654
154555
164555
174555
184555
194654
204555
214555
224555
234654
244555
254654
264654
274654
284753
294753
304753
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Mường Lay gets around 59 mm of rain over 8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
323
423
524
624
724
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1424
1524
1624
1724
1824
1924
2025
2125
2226
2326
2427
2528
2628
2729
2829
2930
3030
3130

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
149438
248438
348448
448448
547448
647448
747448
847448
948448
1048447
1148457
1248457
1348456
1449456
1549456
1649455
1749465
1850465
1950464
2050464
2150464
2251454
2351454
2451454
2550455
2650455
2750465
2850464
2950464
3050464
3150464

Wind in January

Winds average 3 km/h in January.

Across January, 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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 5:31 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:505:31
210.76:515:32
310.76:515:32
410.76:515:33
510.76:515:33
610.76:525:34
710.76:525:35
810.76:525:35
910.76:525:36
1010.76:525:37
1110.76:535:37
1210.86:535:38
1310.86:535:39
1410.86:535:39
1510.86:535:40
1610.86:535:40
1710.86:535:41
1810.86:535:42
1910.86:535:43
2010.86:535:43
2110.86:535:44
2210.96:535:45
2310.96:535:45
2410.96:535:46
2510.96:525:47
2610.96:525:47
2710.96:525:48
2810.96:525:48
2911.06:525:49
3011.06:515:50
3111.06:515:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.09 kWh/m² to a high of 5.2 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 3.1 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.1Moderate
63.1Moderate
73.0Moderate
83.0Moderate
93.0Moderate
103.0Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.1Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.3Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Mường Lay

In seasonPeak

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

Mường Lay's monsoon runs April–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Mường Lay?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Mường Lay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mường Lay in January

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

In January, Mường Lay sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Mường Lay in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 Mường Lay peaks around June 19 at about 13 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighJun 19UV 13Dec 19UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7High
Feb9Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr9Very high
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Mường Lay in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Mường Lay is worst in April — around 99 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 8.1× the cleanest month (July, 12 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateApr 1395 µg/m³Jul 2212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan31Moderate
Feb41Poor
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr99Unhealthy
May32Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mường Lay?

Mường Lay sits at 22.0°N, 103.1°E, 496 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Lai Châu, 55 km away.

Lào CaiÍt OngSơn LaThị Trấn Phố Lu

Topography around Mường Lay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mường Lay has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 987 m around an average of 501 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,867 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,950 m.

The land around Mường Lay is covered by trees (78%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
987 m
16 km
1,867 m
80 km
2,950 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Lai Châu 55 km · Dien Bien Phu 69 km · Sapa 82 km · Thị Trấn Thuận Châu 85 km · Lào Cai 102 km · Ít Ong 107 km · Sơn La 111 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 114 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 Mường Lay (22°, 103.1333°, elevation 496 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).