Sapa in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sapa sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 218 mm of rain over about 35 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sapa's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sapa's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 218 mm
- 35 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.6
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sapa in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C.
A typical winter day in Sapa reaches about 18°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Sapa weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 10° | 82 | 12.4 | 10.8 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 19° / 11° | 73 | 13 | 11.2 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 23° / 14° | 132 | 16.9 | 11.8 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 25° / 17° | 177 | 21.7 | 12.5 | 5.0 |
| May | 27° / 20° | 236 | 25.8 | 13.1 | 4.1 |
| Jun | 27° / 21° | 344 | 28.9 | 13.3 | 3.4 |
| Jul | 27° / 21° | 396 | 29.7 | 13.2 | 3.4 |
| Aug | 27° / 21° | 385 | 28.7 | 12.8 | 3.6 |
| Sep | 26° / 20° | 202 | 22.4 | 12.1 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 24° / 18° | 108 | 17.4 | 11.5 | 5.7 |
| Nov | 22° / 14° | 61 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 6.4 |
| Dec | 18° / 11° | 63 | 10 | 10.7 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sapa gets around 218 mm of rain over 35 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 4 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sapa
None of Sapa's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Sapa's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Sapa?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Sapa for sightseeing.
What to pack for Sapa in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sapa sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. About 35 days see rain.
UV index in Sapa in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 10 | Very high |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | High |
| Dec | 5 | High |
Air quality in Sapa in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 25 | 33 | 54 | 70 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 25 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | Moderate |
| Feb | 33 | Moderate |
| Mar | 54 | Poor |
| Apr | 70 | Unhealthy |
| May | 28 | Moderate |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 18 | Moderate |
| Oct | 22 | Moderate |
| Nov | 23 | Moderate |
| Dec | 25 | Moderate |
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.
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.
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
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.