What to Wear in Hanoi in January
Hanoi in January: 20°C / 68°F afternoons, 14°C / 57°F nights, about 10 severe-cold days and drizzle on about 15, the coldest month of the year.
- Navy double-breasted wool coat — about 10 days a month average below 15°C
- Heather grey crew sweater — enough under the open coat on a 20.1°C / 68°F afternoon
- Burgundy cable cardigan — the extra layer for 4.8 nights at 10°C or below
- Grey-brown tweed trousers — wool on the legs through a 14.1°C / 57°F evening
- Black lace-up lug boots — drizzle on about 15 days, and leather keeps socks dry
- Navy compact umbrella — rain or drizzle is logged on about half the days
- December's jacket-and-one-knit plan — January brings about 10 cold days, not 4
- Canvas or suede shoes — drizzle on about 15 days, and neither dries overnight
- Sandals or bare ankles — 4.8 nights a month reach 10°C or below
- Plans that need a clear view — fog is logged on about 5 January days
Pack for the cold as the normal state of things. NOAA NCEI's record for Hanoi's WMO station 48820 puts the January afternoon at 20.1°C / 68°F and the night at 14.1°C / 57°F, the coldest month of the year. About 10 days a month have a mean below 15°C, the daily-mean line the Viet Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration (VNMHA) uses for rét đậm, severe cold, and every January from 1991 to 2020 had some. Rain is light, 32mm on 7.3 measurable days, but the daily summaries log rain or drizzle on about 15. So bring a wool coat, two knits, wool trousers, closed leather boots and an umbrella.
January is the month Hanoi is properly cold. About ten days of it average below 15°C, and in thirty years not one January went without them. The coat is not a precaution.
The capsule
01Navy double-breasted wool coat, knee lengthWear it on most days of the trip. About 10 January days average below 15°C on NOAA NCEI's record, and on the 4.2 days whose afternoon stays under 15°C a knee-length wool coat decides whether you walk Hoàn Kiếm Lake or stay indoors. Double-breasted, so it closes over two knits; navy, so drizzle spots never show.
02Light heather-grey crew-neck sweaterOn a 20.1°C / 68°F afternoon this is all you need under the open coat. A light heather-grey crew with raglan sleeves lies flat under a double-breasted front and takes the burgundy cardigan on top when the day turns cold. Grey also bridges the navy coat and the tweed trousers.
03Deep burgundy chunky cable-knit cardiganThis is the layer for the coldest days. The station averages 4.8 January nights at 10°C or below and 4.7 days with a mean under 13°C, VNMHA's line for rét hại, damaging cold. A deep burgundy cable cardigan buttons over the grey crew and under the coat, and comes off indoors. It is the one warm colour in a navy-and-grey capsule.
04Grey-brown herringbone tweed trousersWool on the legs, because a 14.1°C / 57°F evening in drizzle finds cotton first. Herringbone tweed in grey-brown with rust flecks holds its warmth when damp and hides the splash of a wet kerb. A straight, slightly cropped leg clears the laces of the boots.
05Black leather lace-up lug boots, mid-calfDrizzle is logged on about 15 January days, and a mid-calf black leather boot on a lug sole keeps your socks dry from the hotel to the Temple of Literature. Lace them snug over the trouser hem. Black leather wipes clean each night, where suede would stain and canvas would stay wet until morning.
06Navy compact folding umbrellaMost January rain is too fine to measure: 32mm on 7.3 days by the gauge, against rain or drizzle logged on about 15. A navy compact umbrella with a snap strap and a wrist loop handles all of it and folds into the bag between showers. Navy matches the coat, so it disappears when closed.
07Charcoal structured top-handle bag, crossbody strapCarry it across the body on the strap, under the coat's lapel. A charcoal structured bag with a silver turn lock closes firmly against drizzle and keeps its shape through a week of damp days, where a slouchy suede bag marks. Charcoal sits between the navy coat and the grey knit.
08Cream-and-burgundy wool-silk scarfWind it twice on the cold days. A two-tone cream-and-burgundy wool-silk scarf with fringed ends fills the neck of the double-breasted coat on a 10°C morning and repeats the cardigan's burgundy. Turn the cream side out on a grey day: fog is logged on about 5 January days.
Day to night
Heather grey crew under the burgundy cable cardigan · navy double-breasted coat buttoned · tweed trousers · black lace-up boots · cream-and-burgundy scarf wound twice. A cold, grey morning: the Temple of Literature at nine, coffee indoors when the drizzle starts.
Cardigan off, grey crew under the open coat · tweed trousers · lace-up boots · charcoal bag across the body · navy umbrella at the wrist. The Old Quarter at dusk, about 5:35pm mid-month, then dinner as the air falls toward 14°C.
A suggested look — navy double-breasted wool coat, burgundy v-neck cardigan, pale grey crew-neck sweater, grey-brown herringbone tweed trousers, black lace-up lug-sole boots.
What to avoid
- December's jacket-and-one-knit plan — about 10 cold days a month, not 4
- Canvas or suede shoes — drizzle on about 15 days, humidity near 79%
- Sandals or bare ankles — 4.8 nights a month reach 10°C or below
- Plans that need a clear view — fog on about 5 January days
- Leaving the umbrella behind — drizzle too fine for the gauge still wets a coat
Frequently asked questions
Per NOAA NCEI's global summary of the day for WMO station 48820, which NOAA files as Noi Bai International, January's average daily maximum is 20.1°C / 68°F and the average minimum 14.1°C / 57°F across 1991 to 2020, the coldest month of the year. About 10 days a month have a mean below 15°C and about 5 below 13°C; 4.8 nights reach 10°C or below. Rain totals 32mm on 7.3 days with at least 0.01in, from the 21 Januaries with daily rain reports, but the daily summaries log rain or drizzle on about 15 days and fog on about 5. Mean relative humidity is near 79%. Daylight grows from 10h 52m on the 1st to 11h 11m on the 31st.
A navy double-breasted wool coat, a light heather-grey crew sweater, a deep burgundy cable cardigan, grey-brown herringbone tweed trousers, black lace-up lug boots, a navy compact umbrella, a charcoal structured bag and a cream-and-burgundy scarf. That covers a 20°C / 68°F afternoon with the coat open over the crew, a 14°C / 57°F night with everything buttoned, and the cold days when both knits go on. Leave the sandals, the canvas shoes and the linen at home.
Tết, the Lunar New Year, falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. Viet Nam's Ministry of Home Affairs has submitted a seven-day public-sector holiday from Thursday 4 February, the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, to Wednesday 10 February, and the Prime Minister's decision is pending. That makes late January the run-up to the year's biggest holiday, and early February the holiday itself. The calendar year opens with a shorter break: New Year's Day falls on Friday 1 January 2027, which gives a three-day weekend to Sunday 3 January. Pack the same capsule for either end of the month, because the cold days fall throughout it.
Early January for the long weekend and slightly milder days, late January for the Tết run-up. On NOAA NCEI's record 1–15 January averages 20.7°C by day and 14.4°C at night, with about 4.5 days whose mean falls below 15°C; 16–31 January averages 19.7°C and 13.8°C, with about 5.8, and drizzle is logged on about 8 days against about 7. Sunset moves from 5:26pm on the 1st to 5:45pm on the 31st, so late January gives you about twenty more minutes of light at the end of the day.
January is about two degrees colder by day, a little colder by night, and cold far more often. From the same NOAA NCEI record, December averages 22.2°C and 14.9°C with 24mm on 4.6 days; January 20.1°C and 14.1°C with 32mm on 7.3. Days with a mean below 15°C rise from about 4 to about 10, and days with rain or drizzle logged from about 10 to about 15. Our December guide handles the cold with a tweed jacket and one chunky knit. January swaps the jacket for a wool coat and adds a second knit, closed lace-up boots and an umbrella.
A coat most days, and closed shoes every day. With a January afternoon at 20.1°C and about 10 days whose mean falls below 15°C, dress in two stages: a knit that works under an open coat at lunch, and a second knit and a scarf for the mornings and the cold days. Choose wool over padding for the coat, because a down jacket is too warm on the milder afternoons, and keep the shoes leather, because drizzle is logged on about half the days.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI — 1991–2020 climate normals, Hanoi (WMO station 48820) stationa station of Viet Nam's national network, filed by NOAA as Noi Bai International; NOAA NCEI computed these figures from its 48820099999 global-summary-of-the-day record: 30 complete Januaries for temperature, and the 21 Januaries of 1991–2012 that carry daily rain reports for precipitation (a rain day is ≥0.01 in). Recorded per month because this city's May–August pages are sourced differently.
- NOAA NCEI — Global Summary of the Day, Hanoi (WMO station 48820, filed by NOAA as Noi Bai International, 48820099999), 1991–2020 — accessed 2026-09-29
- Viet Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration (VNMHA) — Tìm hiểu về không khí lạnh, rét đậm, rét hại (cold air, severe cold and damaging cold explained) — accessed 2026-09-29
- Sức khỏe & Đời sống — Tết Dương lịch 2027 được nghỉ mấy ngày? (New Year holiday, 1–3 January 2027) — accessed 2026-09-29
- Báo Điện tử Chính phủ — Thống nhất trình Chính phủ phương án nghỉ Tết Nguyên đán 2027 trong 7 ngày liên tục (seven-day Tết plan submitted, 4–10 February 2027) — accessed 2026-09-29
