Sapa weather in December

In December, Sapa sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 63 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sapa's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sapa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:42 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
62%
5th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sapa reaches about 18°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 on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
21912
31912
41912
51912
61912
71911
81911
91811
101811
111811
121811
131811
141811
151810
161810
171810
181810
191810
201810
211810
221810
231810
241810
251810
261810
271810
281810
291810
301810
311810

Sapa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 10°8212.410.85.3
Feb19° / 11°731311.25.6
Mar23° / 14°13216.911.85.8
Apr25° / 17°17721.712.55.0
May27° / 20°23625.813.14.1
Jun27° / 21°34428.913.33.4
Jul27° / 21°39629.713.23.4
Aug27° / 21°38528.712.83.6
Sep26° / 20°20222.412.14.5
Oct24° / 18°10817.411.55.7
Nov22° / 14°6110.310.96.4
Dec18° / 11°631010.75.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34060
44060
53961
63862
73961
83862
93862
103862
114060
124060
134159
144456
154456
164654
174753
184852
194951
204951
215050
225050
235149
245050
255050
265050
275050
284951
294852
304753
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sapa gets around 63 mm of rain over 10 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
834
934
1033
1133
1232
1331
1430
1530
1629
1729
1828
1928
2028
2128
2228
2329
2429
2529
2630
2730
2831
2932
3033
3134

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 (%)
1494010
252399
353389
456368
558357
660346
761336
864315
966304
1067294
1169283
1269283
1371272
1472262
1573252
1674242
1774242
1875232
1976222
2077212
2178211
2279201
2380191
2480191
2581181
2681181
2781181
2882171
2982171
3082171
3182171

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 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:325:16
210.76:335:16
310.76:345:17
410.76:345:17
510.76:355:17
610.76:365:17
710.76:365:17
810.76:375:17
910.76:385:18
1010.76:385:18
1110.76:395:18
1210.76:395:19
1310.76:405:19
1410.66:405:19
1510.66:415:20
1610.66:425:20
1710.66:425:20
1810.66:435:21
1910.66:435:21
2010.66:445:22
2110.66:445:22
2210.66:455:23
2310.66:455:23
2410.66:465:24
2510.66:465:24
2610.66:465:25
2710.66:475:25
2810.66:475:26
2910.66:485:26
3010.66:485:27
3110.76:485:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.85 kWh/m² to a high of 5.08 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 2.9 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.8Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.8Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.0Moderate
243.0Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sapa

In seasonPeak

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

Sapa'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 Sapa?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sapa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sapa in December

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

In December, Sapa sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Sapa 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 Sapa 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 Sapa 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 Sapa 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 Sapa?

Sapa sits at 22.3°N, 103.8°E, 0 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Lào Cai, 21 km away.

Ít OngThị Trấn Việt QuangThị Trấn Thuận ChâuBắc Quang

Topography around Sapa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sapa has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 957 m around an average of 1,481 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,006 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,050 m.

The land around Sapa is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, trees (86%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
957 m
16 km
3,006 m
80 km
3,050 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lào Cai 21 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 35 km · Lai Châu 40 km · Mường Lay 82 km · Ít Ong 93 km · Thị Trấn Việt Quang 99 km · Thị Trấn Thuận Châu 102 km · Bắc Quang 106 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 Sapa (22.3402°, 103.8441°, elevation 0 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).