Sapa weather in January

In January, Sapa sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 82 mm of precipitation across 12.4 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 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Sapa's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sapa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
12th warmest
Overnight low
10°
1st coldest
Precipitation
82 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:51 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Sapa reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
41810
51810
61810
71810
81810
91810
101810
111810
121810
131810
141810
151810
161810
171810
181710
191710
201710
21179
22179
23179
24179
25179
26179
27179
28179
29179
30179
311810

Sapa 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
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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34357
44357
54258
64357
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124159
134159
144258
154258
164258
174060
184060
194060
203961
213961
223862
233862
243763
253763
263763
273763
283763
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Sapa gets around 82 mm of rain and snow over 12.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 40% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
336
436
537
637
737
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1438
1538
1638
1739
1839
1940
2040
2141
2242
2343
2443
2544
2645
2746
2847
2947
3048
3148

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
182171
282171
382171
482171
583161
683161
783161
884151
984151
1085141
1185141
1286131
1386131
1487121
1587121
1688111
1788111
1889110
1989110
2090100
2190100
2289110
2388111
2488111
2587121
2687121
2786131
2886131
2985141
3085141
3184151

Wind in January

Winds average 4 km/h in January.

Across January, 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 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 6:48 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:485:27
210.76:485:28
310.76:495:29
410.76:495:29
510.76:495:30
610.76:505:30
710.76:505:31
810.76:505:32
910.76:505:32
1010.76:505:33
1110.76:505:34
1210.76:515:34
1310.76:515:35
1410.76:515:36
1510.86:515:36
1610.86:515:37
1710.86:515:38
1810.86:515:38
1910.86:515:39
2010.86:515:40
2110.86:515:40
2210.86:515:41
2310.96:505:42
2410.96:505:42
2510.96:505:43
2610.96:505:44
2710.96:505:44
2810.96:505:45
2910.96:495:46
3011.06:495:46
3111.06:495:47

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.85 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — January's 2.85 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.9Moderate
22.9Moderate
32.9Moderate
42.9Moderate
52.9Moderate
62.9Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
112.9Moderate
122.9Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
202.9Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Sapa

In seasonPeak

None of Sapa's seasonal hazards are active in January. 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 January a good time to visit Sapa?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Sapa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sapa in January

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

In January, Sapa sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

rain gear

UV index in Sapa in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 6 — 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 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 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
January 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).