What to Wear in Hanoi in November

November is where Hanoi's dry season begins. NOAA NCEI's record for the city's WMO station 48820 puts the afternoon at 26°C / 79°F and the night at 18.8°C / 66°F, both about 3.4 degrees below October, with 57mm of rain on 4.7 days. Most of it falls early: the first half of the month collects about 44mm, the second about 14mm. Suede survives, a rain shell stops earning its space, and a corduroy overshirt covers the night. Early November still brings about 4 afternoons at 30°C, which keeps a short-sleeved shirt in the bag. Friday 20 November is Vietnamese Teachers' Day, and Tuesday 24 November is Vietnam Culture Day, a new paid public holiday.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Rust fine-wale corduroy overshirt

   Pack the layer October did without. On NOAA NCEI's record the average November night is 18.8°C / 66°F, 3.4 degrees below October's, and a rust corduroy overshirt with two flap pockets goes on over a shirt at dusk and hangs open until you are back at the hotel. Corduroy rather than wool, because the afternoon still reaches 26°C and you carry it for half the day.

2. 
   02

   Cream long-sleeve cotton button-down

   Sleeves rolled at a 26.4°C lunch, sleeves down for dinner: one shirt covers both. A cream cotton button-down with a chest pocket sits under the rust overshirt without a clash and tucks into the wide chinos for a restaurant in the French Quarter. Buttoned at the cuff, it also covers your arms on the ride home as the air drops toward 19°C.

3. 
   03

   Khaki short-sleeve camp-collar shirt

   Early November still has about 4 afternoons at 30°C or more, and long sleeves are too much for them. A mid-khaki cotton-linen camp-collar shirt, worn untucked, moves air on a walk from Hoàn Kiếm Lake to Đồng Xuân Market and takes the overshirt on top once the sun sets, at about 5:15pm.

4. 
   04

   Cream wide-leg cotton chinos, pressed crease

   November's dry pavements are what make pale trousers possible. With rain on about 5 days, and about 14mm in the whole second half, cream wide-leg chinos stay clean through a day of walking. A wide leg moves air on a 26°C afternoon, and the pressed crease keeps them right for dinner.

5. 
   05

   Brown suede penny loafers, lug sole

   Suede comes out in the driest stretch of the year. Rain on about 5 days leaves little that can mark brown suede, and a lug sole grips worn paving and temple steps. A rust-tan leather saddle ties the loafers to the overshirt and the scarf. Break them in before you fly, because these carry every walk of the trip.

6. 
   06

   Tan canvas messenger bag, leather straps

   You need somewhere to put the overshirt between noon and dusk, and this is it. A tan canvas messenger with brown leather straps and top handles takes a folded corduroy shirt, the scarf and a water bottle, worn across the body so your hands stay free in traffic. Canvas is a fair bet in a month with rain on about 5 days.

7. 
   07

   Light rust cotton gauze scarf

   Wind it once for the ride home. An 18.8°C night feels colder on the back of a motorbike taxi, and a lightweight rust cotton scarf covers your neck without the weight of wool. By day it folds to nothing in the messenger, and it repeats the rust of the overshirt.

8. 
   08

   Brown braided leather belt, silver buckle

   Wide chinos need a belt, and a braided one gives a little over a long day of walking and eating. Brown matches the suede loafers, so the capsule carries one leather colour, and the silver buckle is the only metal in a cream-and-rust outfit.

A suggested look — rust corduroy overshirt, cream button-down shirt, cream wide-leg chinos, brown braided belt, brown suede penny loafers.

What to avoid

• A rain shell — about 57mm on 4.7 days, and 14mm in the second half
• A wool coat — in 28 of 30 Novembers no day's mean fell below 15°C
• Only short sleeves — the average night is 18.8°C / 66°F
• Heavy knitwear — the afternoon still averages 26.4°C
• Daylight plans after 5:15pm — sunset sits between 5:15pm and 5:22pm all month