GoAsia

Best time to visit Laos

The best time to visit Laos is November to February, when all four places on our map are rated best and each averages under 40 mm of rain a month. March and April are hot and often smoky in the north,[1] and the rainy season runs from May to September.[2] Vang Vieng is the wettest place on our map from June to September, while Si Phan Don is wettest in September.

Last updated: October 15, 2026

Laos month by month at a glance

Travel weather for 4 places, from long-term averages. Select a month to show it on the map.

Place
North
Luang Prabang Great Great Great Great Good Good Mixed Mixed Good Great Great Great
Vang Vieng Great Great Great Great Mixed Poor Poor Poor Poor Great Great Great
Central
Vientiane Great Great Great Good Mixed Mixed Mixed Mixed Mixed Great Great Great
South
Don Khone Great Great Great Good Good Mixed Mixed Mixed Poor Good Great Great
  • Great
  • Good
  • Mixed
  • Poor

Travel weather in October

Drag to move, scroll or pinch to zoom Map: Natural Earth · Climate: TerraClimate · Storms: NOAA IBTrACS

Compare with other countries on the Asia map

Seasons in Laos

Laos has a tropical monsoon climate with two seasons in the Lao government's own description: the rainy season runs from May to September and brings about 80% of the year's rain, and the dry season runs from October to April. The dry season is shaped by cold winds from the northeast, which bring the lowest temperatures between November and January.[2] After the cool months it gets hot: Vientiane reaches its hottest mean daily high of 35.5 °C in April. Smoke from fires is the other mark of March and April: ASEAN's regional weather centre activated its highest haze alert for the Mekong sub-region in March in several recent years, with hotspots concentrated in Myanmar and Lao PDR.[1]

On the Mekong, the southwest monsoon between May and November drives the annual flood,[3] and the flood season lasts from June to November.[4] Typhoons in the Pacific add rain late in the wet season, from August to early October.[5] By the time tropical cyclones reach Laos their force is normally diminished, but they can still cause floods through heavy rain.[6] In our storm data, no place on the map has a tropical storm within 200 km in more than 5 of 30 years in any month.

Region by region

North (Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng)

Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng share the same dry season: both are rated best every month from October to April. Nights are the coolest on our map, with Luang Prabang averaging a low of 13.7 °C in January and Vang Vieng 14.4 °C. Smoke is the main drawback of March and April: ASEAN's weather centre reports that northern Lao PDR can keep seeing hotspots and smoke haze during dry spells in April.[1] Our rating covers rain, heat and storms, not smoke.

The wet season differs between the two. Luang Prabang is rated good or mixed from May to September, with 141 to 285 mm a month, while Vang Vieng is poor from June to September, with 410 to 851 mm a month, the heaviest rain of the four places. Kayaking and tubing on the Nam Song River are popular in Vang Vieng,[7] and the national weather service has installed an automatic rainfall warning and flash flood alert system in the district.[8] In Luang Prabang the Lao New Year celebrations often last a full week, with a trade fair and parades.[9]

Luang Prabang

Best months: October to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)10°20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0150300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Great · high 31 °C, low 21 °C · 79 mm

Vang Vieng

Best months: October to April

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)10°20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0500900JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Great · high 31 °C, low 21 °C · 102 mm

Central (Vientiane)

Vientiane is rated best from October to March and good in April. Rain is almost absent in the cool months, with 6 mm in December and in January, and April is the hottest month, with a mean daily high of 35.5 °C. From May to September every month is rated mixed, with 224 to 343 mm of rain, and daily highs stay above 32 °C.

The Mekong at Vientiane averages about 1,170 cubic metres per second in March and about 11,000 in August, so the river looks very different between the dry and wet seasons.[5]

Vientiane

Best months: October to March

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)10°20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0200400JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Great · high 33 °C, low 23 °C · 73 mm

South (Si Phan Don)

Si Phan Don is rated best from November to March. Rain is nearly absent in January (3 mm) and February (7 mm), and nights stay warm, with an average low of 20.3 °C in January against 13.7 °C in Luang Prabang. April, May and October are rated good, June to August mixed, and September poor, with 405 mm as the wettest month there. Storms come within 200 km in October in 5 of 30 years and in November in 3 of 30, later in the year than anywhere else on our map.

The Mekong at Pakse, upstream of the islands, carries about 1,800 cubic metres per second in April and about 26,300 in September.[5] Don Det and Don Khong are the most visited islands, and the Khone Phapheng Waterfall lies about 13 km from the Cambodian border.[10]

Don Khone

Best months: November to March

RatingTemperature, °C (line: daytime high, bar: night to day)20°30°40°Rain, mm per month0300500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

October: Good · high 31 °C, low 24 °C · 169 mm

Laos month by month

Laos in January

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Luang Prabang, 15 mm. Hottest days: Don Khone, 30 °C on average.

All four places are rated best in January, with 3 to 15 mm of rain. The north has the coolest nights: Luang Prabang averages a low of 13.7 °C and Vang Vieng 14.4 °C, against 20.3 °C on Si Phan Don. Cold winds from the northeast keep temperatures low between November and January.[2]

Laos in February

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Luang Prabang, 18 mm. Hottest days: Don Khone, 32 °C on average.

Rain stays between 7 and 18 mm in all four places, and all are rated best. Days warm up quickly: Luang Prabang's mean high rises from 27.1 °C in January to 30.3 °C, and Vientiane reaches 31.3 °C. Smoke starts to matter, because ASEAN's weather centre has raised the Mekong sub-region to haze alert Level 2 in January or February in most recent years.[1]

Laos in March

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 50 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 34 °C on average.

All four places are still rated best in March, with 21 to 50 mm of rain and mean highs of 31.5 °C to 33.7 °C. The rating does not include smoke, which is the catch in the north: Level 3, the highest haze alert for the Mekong sub-region, was activated in March in several recent years, with widespread dense haze over the northern parts of the sub-region.[1] The Mekong is at its lowest, with a mean flow at Luang Prabang of about 1,060 cubic metres per second in March against about 9,920 in August.[5]

Laos in April

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 124 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 36 °C on average.

Vientiane and Si Phan Don drop to good because of heat: Vientiane's mean high reaches 35.5 °C and Si Phan Don's 34.7 °C. Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng stay rated best, with 81 and 124 mm of rain as the first showers arrive. Lao New Year is celebrated every year on 14 to 16 April,[11] and all three days are Lao public holidays.[12] Smoke can persist in the drier north: showers increase in April, but northern Lao PDR may still see hotspots and haze during dry periods.[1]

Laos in May

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang and Don Khone. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 306 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 34 °C on average.

Rain arrives in earnest: Vang Vieng (306 mm) and Vientiane (224 mm) drop to mixed, while Luang Prabang (141 mm) and Si Phan Don (217 mm) are still rated good. The Lao government's climate report puts the start of the rainy season in May.[2] ASEAN's weather centre has declared the end of the northern dry season in mid or late May in many years, as showers suppress the hotspots.[1] 1 May is a public holiday.[12]

Laos in June

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 410 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 34 °C on average.

Luang Prabang stays rated good (147 mm), Vientiane and Si Phan Don are mixed (257 and 235 mm), and Vang Vieng turns poor at 410 mm. The Mekong flood season begins in June and lasts until November.[4]

Laos in July

No place on the map has great or good weather. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 851 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 33 °C on average.

July is the wettest month of the year in Vang Vieng at 851 mm, and every place is mixed or poor: Luang Prabang 253 mm, Vientiane 324 mm, Si Phan Don 311 mm. In 5 of 30 years a tropical storm or typhoon passed within 200 km of Vang Vieng in July, and in 4 of 30 years near Luang Prabang. The national weather service issues flash flood and heavy rain warnings when at least 100 mm of rain is expected within 12 hours.[6]

Laos in August

No place on the map has great or good weather. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 631 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 32 °C on average.

August is the wettest month in Luang Prabang (285 mm) and Vientiane (343 mm), and Vang Vieng is poor at 631 mm. The Mekong peaks in the north this month, with a mean flow of about 9,920 cubic metres per second at Luang Prabang and about 11,000 at Vientiane, and typhoon rain adds to the monsoon from August to early October.[5]

Laos in September

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 437 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 32 °C on average.

Si Phan Don is poor, with its wettest month at 405 mm, and Vang Vieng is poor at 437 mm; Vientiane is mixed (257 mm) and Luang Prabang good (164 mm). In Vientiane a tropical storm came within 200 km in 5 of 30 Septembers. At Pakse the Mekong peaks in September at about 26,300 cubic metres per second.[5]

Laos in October

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Don Khone, 169 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 33 °C on average.

The rains retreat quickly: Vang Vieng drops from 437 mm in September to 102 mm, and Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane are rated best again. Si Phan Don improves from poor to good, with 169 mm of rain and storms nearby in 5 of 30 years. The Lao government's climate report counts October as the first month of the dry season.[2] The Vientiane boat races follow the lunar calendar and fall on 27 October in 2026,[12] with Boun Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent, one day earlier.[13]

Laos in November

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Vang Vieng, 36 mm. Hottest days: Vientiane, 31 °C on average.

All four places are rated best, with 15 to 36 mm of rain, although Si Phan Don still has storms nearby in 3 of 30 Novembers. The dry season on the Mekong mainstream normally begins in late November or early December upstream of Kratie.[5] The That Luang Festival in Vientiane lasts a week and ends with fireworks on the night of the full moon,[13] and in 2026 the public holiday for it falls on 24 November.[12]

Laos in December

Great or good weather: Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, and Don Khone. Most rain: Luang Prabang, 32 mm. Hottest days: Don Khone, 30 °C on average.

All four places are rated best, with 6 to 32 mm of rain, and Luang Prabang's mean low is 14.7 °C. Lao National Day on 2 December is a public holiday.[12] In Luang Prabang the Hmong New Year falls in late December.[9]

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to visit Laos?

November to February is the best time to visit Laos: all four places on our map are rated best and each averages under 40 mm of rain a month. March and April are hotter and smoky in the north, so choose the cool months if you want clear skies.[1]

When is the rainy season in Laos?

The Lao government puts the rainy season from May to September, when about 80% of the year's rain falls.[2] In our data the heaviest months are July and August in the north and centre and September on Si Phan Don, and Vang Vieng receives 851 mm in July.

Is Laos too hot in March and April?

It is the hottest part of the year: Vientiane averages a daily high of 35.5 °C in April. Smoke from fires also affects the north in these months.[1] The Lao New Year holiday, 14 to 16 April, falls in the same weeks.[11]

What is the best time to visit Luang Prabang?

Luang Prabang is rated best every month from October to April, with cool nights of 13.7 °C to 14.7 °C in December and January. Smoke is the main drawback in March and April.[1]

When should I visit the 4,000 Islands (Si Phan Don)?

Si Phan Don is rated best from November to March, with 3 to 36 mm of rain a month, and September is the wettest month at 405 mm.

Does Laos get typhoons?

Tropical cyclones are not a direct hazard because their force is normally diminished once they reach Laos, but they can cause floods through heavy rain.[6] In our data a storm comes within 200 km in at most 5 of 30 years in any month.

About the data

Temperatures and rain are long-term averages for 1991 to 2020 from TerraClimate, and the typhoon risk counts tropical storms from NOAA IBTrACS. The ratings use the same rules for every country. How the rating works. Long-term averages, not a forecast. The weather in a given year can be quite different.

Travel guide: Laos

Sources and background

Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.

  1. [1] ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC): ASMC Alerts. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  2. [2] Government of Lao PDR, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (via UNFCCC): The Third National Communication on Climate Change. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  3. [3] Mekong River Commission: Hydrometeorological Monitoring. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  4. [4] Mekong River Commission: Hydrology. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  5. [5] Mekong River Commission: The Flow of the Mekong (MRC Management Information Booklet Series No. 2). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  6. [6] ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (Member Report, Lao PDR): Member Report (Lao PDR), Training Courses/Workshops on Mechanism of Establishing and Preparing SSOP for Coastal Multi-hazards EWS, Nanjing, October 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  7. [7] Lao National Tourism Administration (Tourism Laos): Vientiane Province. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  8. [8] ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (Member Report, Lao PDR): Member Report, Lao PDR (11th Integrated Workshop). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  9. [9] Lao National Tourism Administration (Tourism Laos): Luang Prabang Province. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  10. [10] Lao National Tourism Administration (Tourism Laos): Champasak Province. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  11. [11] Lao National Tourism Administration (Tourism Laos): Pimai Lao/Lao New Year. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  12. [12] U.S. Embassy in Laos: Official Holiday Calendar (U.S. Embassy Vientiane Holidays 2026). Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  13. [13] Lao National Tourism Administration (Tourism Laos): Vientiane Capital. Retrieved October 15, 2026.