Is It Monsoon?
Pleiku, Vietnam JANUARY
21°
★★★
Peak season
16° to 26°
Dry & Sunny
The driest month of the year, warm by day with genuinely cool nights on the plateau.
🧥 Light layers for nights☀️ Sunscreen
22°
★★★
Peak season
16° to 28°
Peak Dry Season
Still virtually rain-free, with the most sunshine hours of the year.
🧥 Light layers for nights☀️ Sunscreen
24°
★★★
Shoulder season
18° to 29°
Warming Up
Dry season holds, with the heat building steadily toward the hottest months ahead.
☀️ Sunscreen🥵 Stay hydrated
25°
★★★
Shoulder season
21° to 30°
Hottest Month
The warmest month of the year on average, with rain starting to build by the end of the month.
🥵 Heat protection☔ Light rain jacket
25°
★★★
Shoulder season
22° to 29°
Rains Begin
The monsoon sets in, and daytime highs start easing back from April's peak.
☔ Umbrella essential🥵 Heat protection
24°
★★★
Shoulder season
21° to 27°
Steady Rain
Rain is a regular fixture now, with cooler days than the dry season despite the humidity.
☔ Umbrella handy🧥 Light layers
23°
★★★
Off-peak season
21° to 26°
Deep Monsoon
Rain falls on most days, with highs sometimes struggling past the low 20s on the cloudiest days.
☔ Heavy rain gear🧥 Light layers
23°
★★★
Off-peak season
21° to 26°
Peak Wet Season
The rainiest month of the year, cool, cloudy, and wet more days than not.
☔ Heavy rain gear🧥 Light layers
23°
★★★
Off-peak season
21° to 26°
Still Wet
Nearly as wet as August, with rain a near-daily presence.
☔ Heavy rain gear🦟 Insect repellent
23°
★★★
Shoulder season
19° to 26°
Rains Ease
Rain starts tapering off as the dry season approaches, with sunshine hours climbing back up.
☔ Umbrella handy🦟 Insect repellent
22°
★★★
Shoulder season
18° to 26°
Wildflower Season
Rain becomes rare again, often coinciding with Chu Dang Ya's yellow wildflowers blooming against the red volcanic soil.
🌻 Wildflower season🧥 Light layers for nights
21°
★★★
Peak season
17° to 25°
Cool & Clear
Dry and sunny again, with some of the coolest nights of the year on the plateau.
🧥 Light layers for nights☀️ Sunscreen
Drag through the year Jan
⭐️
Jan
⭐️
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
⭐️
Dec
This month
Rainfall
3 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
71%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
5 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
9.5 hrs/day
73% of daylight hours
Humidity
67%
Comfortably humid
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
20 mm
3 rainy days this month
Sunshine
9 hrs/day
69% of daylight hours
Humidity
68%
Comfortably humid
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
94 mm
8 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8 hrs/day
62% of daylight hours
Humidity
72%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
244 mm
18 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6.5 hrs/day
50% of daylight hours
Humidity
80%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
345 mm
23 rainy days this month
Sunshine
5 hrs/day
38% of daylight hours
Humidity
87%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
391 mm
26 rainy days this month
Sunshine
4.5 hrs/day
35% of daylight hours
Humidity
89%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
475 mm
27 rainy days this month
Sunshine
4 hrs/day
31% of daylight hours
Humidity
90%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
361 mm
25 rainy days this month
Sunshine
4.5 hrs/day
35% of daylight hours
Humidity
88%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
191 mm
16 rainy days this month
Sunshine
5.5 hrs/day
42% of daylight hours
Humidity
83%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
66 mm
7 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6.5 hrs/day
50% of daylight hours
Humidity
79%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
10 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
7.5 hrs/day
58% of daylight hours
Humidity
76%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
★★★ peak season, ★★☆ decent shoulder months, ★☆☆ true off-peak, based on rain frequency, heat, and haze.
Seasons at a glance
🌟
Peak season: Jan, Feb, Dec
Pleiku's driest stretch, warm and sunny by day with the least rain of the year. Nights can turn genuinely cool, especially in the upper parts of the plateau above 1,000 meters, so pack a layer even during the day's warmth.
🌤️
Shoulder season: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov
This tier spans real variety. March and April are still dry season, but the year's hottest days build through this stretch, occasionally reaching the mid-30s in El Nino years. November eases back toward the dry season as the rains fade, often coinciding with Chu Dang Ya's yellow wildflower season. May, June, and October sit within the rainy season without quite reaching its wettest extreme.
☔
Off-peak season: Jul, Aug, Sep
The heart of the rainy season, when rain falls on the vast majority of days, August especially. Daytime highs actually drop during this stretch, sometimes only reaching the low 20s on the cloudiest days, a real contrast to the heat elsewhere in Vietnam.
Good to know
✈️
A real airport for a highland city
Pleiku Airport (PXU) has direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City (about 1 hour 15 minutes) and Hanoi (about 1 hour 30 minutes), unlike many towns at this elevation in Vietnam.
☕
The heart of Vietnamese coffee country
Gia Lai province is one of Vietnam's major Robusta coffee-growing regions, and plantation visits are a common addition to a Pleiku trip.
🌻
Chu Dang Ya's wildflowers bloom in the dry season
This dormant volcano is farmed inside its crater, and from around November to December its slopes turn bright yellow with wild sunflowers against the red basalt soil.
🌡️
Nights stay cool even when days are warm
The plateau elevation keeps nighttime lows noticeably cooler than lowland Vietnam year-round, and areas above 1,000 meters, like nearby Mang Den, can get genuinely cold after dark.
Top attractions
1
Bien Ho Lake (T'Nung Lake)
A crater lake formed from ancient volcanic activity, ringed by pine forest, known locally as the Pearl of Pleiku.
2
Chu Dang Ya Volcano
An extinct volcano farmed inside its bowl-shaped crater, with panoramic views from the rim and a dramatic wildflower bloom each dry season.
3
Coffee plantations
Rolling Robusta coffee farms across the Central Highlands, with several plantations near Pleiku offering tours and tastings.