Sơn La in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sơn La sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 66 mm of rain over about 11 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 25°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sơn La's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sơn La's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 22°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 66 mm
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.6
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sơn La in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 23°C in early December to 25°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Sơn La reaches about 22°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Sơn La
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Sơn La 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 | 21° / 12° | 24 | 4 | 10.8 | 7.3 |
| Feb | 23° / 13° | 19 | 3.6 | 11.3 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 27° / 16° | 50 | 7.1 | 11.8 | 7.1 |
| Apr | 29° / 19° | 72 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 5.2 |
| May | 30° / 22° | 147 | 19.3 | 13 | 3.7 |
| Jun | 30° / 23° | 209 | 23 | 13.3 | 3.2 |
| Jul | 29° / 23° | 288 | 24.5 | 13.2 | 3.4 |
| Aug | 29° / 22° | 283 | 25.3 | 12.7 | 3.4 |
| Sep | 29° / 21° | 150 | 17.5 | 12.1 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 27° / 19° | 49 | 8.3 | 11.5 | 6.6 |
| Nov | 25° / 16° | 27 | 4.5 | 11 | 7.8 |
| Dec | 22° / 12° | 23 | 3.6 | 10.7 | 7.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sơn La gets around 66 mm of rain over 11 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 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 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 3.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Sơn La
None of Sơn La's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Sơn La's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Sơn La?
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 one of the better times to visit Sơn La for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Sơn La in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sơn La sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 11 days see rain.
UV index in Sơn La in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 Sơn La peaks around June 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 6 (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) | 7 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Very high |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Sơn La 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 Sơn La is worst in April — around 151 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.9× the cleanest month (August, 12 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) | 32 | 38 | 67 | 151 | 58 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 23 | 26 | 31 |
| Level | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy | Unhealthy | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | Moderate |
| Feb | 38 | Poor |
| Mar | 67 | Unhealthy |
| Apr | 151 | Very unhealthy |
| May | 58 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Good |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 23 | Moderate |
| Nov | 26 | Moderate |
| Dec | 31 | Moderate |
Where is Sơn La?
Sơn La sits at 21.3°N, 103.9°E, 608 m above sea level, in Vietnam. The nearest listed city is Ít Ong, 24 km away.
Topography around Sơn La
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Sơn La.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Sơn La has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 m around an average of 674 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,404 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,830 m.
The land around Sơn La is covered by trees (59%) within 3 km, trees (69%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and trees (68%) and grassland (27%) 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 Sơn La (21.3256°, 103.9188°, elevation 608 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.