Wat Xieng Thong before the heat
The town's best-known temple, at the tip of the peninsula, before it hits 32 °C.
Luang PrabangLaos in May
Our take: fairThe monsoon begins: 142 mm of rain on average in Luang Prabang, 254 mm in Vientiane. It's still hot, 32 °C in the afternoon. The river stays low. In the countryside, villages launch bamboo rockets to call the rain.
Photo by 竟傲 汤 on Pexels
Laos weather in May, city by city
Luang Prabang in May
- By day
- 32°
- At night
- 24°
- Rain
- 142 mm
- Rainy days
- 20
- The Mekong
- Low
| Month | J | F | M | A | M (current month) | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airhigh / low | ||||||||||||
| Rainmm | ||||||||||||
| Daysof rain | 3 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 23 | 12 | 5 | 3 |
| Mekonglevel | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Rising | Rising | High | High | Falling | Low | Low |
| Month | Low – high | mm | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Low | |
| Feb | 10 | Low | |
| Mar | 35 | Low | |
| Apr | 82 | Low | |
| May (current month) | 142 | Low | |
| Jun | 179 | Rising | |
| Jul | 288 | Rising | |
| Aug | 313 | High | |
| Sep | 195 | High | |
| Oct | 71 | Falling | |
| Nov | 23 | Low | |
| Dec | 20 | Low |
Vientiane in May
- By day
- 32°
- At night
- 25°
- Rain
- 254 mm
- Rainy days
- 23
- The Mekong
- Low
| Month | J | F | M | A | M (current month) | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airhigh / low | ||||||||||||
| Rainmm | ||||||||||||
| Daysof rain | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| Mekonglevel | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Rising | Rising | High | High | High | Falling | Low |
| Month | Low – high | mm | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Low | |
| Feb | 14 | Low | |
| Mar | 38 | Low | |
| Apr | 76 | Low | |
| May (current month) | 254 | Low | |
| Jun | 312 | Rising | |
| Jul | 372 | Rising | |
| Aug | 409 | High | |
| Sep | 310 | High | |
| Oct | 102 | High | |
| Nov | 22 | Falling | |
| Dec | 8 | Low |
Pakse in May
- By day
- 32°
- At night
- 25°
- Rain
- 191 mm
- Rainy days
- 23
- The Mekong
- Low
| Month | J | F | M | A | M (current month) | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airhigh / low | ||||||||||||
| Rainmm | ||||||||||||
| Daysof rain | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 1 |
| Mekonglevel | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Rising | Rising | High | High | High | Falling | Low |
| Month | Low – high | mm | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low | |
| Feb | 4 | Low | |
| Mar | 25 | Low | |
| Apr | 54 | Low | |
| May (current month) | 191 | Low | |
| Jun | 315 | Rising | |
| Jul | 446 | Rising | |
| Aug | 451 | High | |
| Sep | 343 | High | |
| Oct | 138 | High | |
| Nov | 36 | Falling | |
| Dec | 6 | Low |
The Mekong in Laos in May
The river stays low in May: the Mekong River Commission ends the dry season on May 31, and the sharp rise starts in July. In 2018, the monsoon began on May 5 in Luang Prabang and May 27 in Vientiane.
Down the Mekong by slow boat →
Photo by 松岡明芳 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Laos's May festival: Boun Bang Fai
In 2027 May Countryside across the country Each province sets its own date; in 2026, the tourism office listed it from May 1 to 30.
The rocket festival: villages build bamboo rockets and fire them into the sky to call the rain, at the start of the rainy season.
- Ask your hotel where and when the launches take place: dates vary from village to village.
- Keep well back from the launch site.
Things to do in Laos in May
Photo by Shutterstock
The slow boat in the first rains
A river still low and the first showers: a rain jacket for the deck, two days to Luang Prabang.
Huay Xai – Luang Prabang
Photo by Rob te Braake on Unsplash
The cloisters of Vientiane's temples
Shaded galleries of Buddha statues, best visited before it hits 32 °C.
Vientiane
Photo by Corto Maltese 1999 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
The Bolaven waterfalls fill up
The green season starts: from May to October the falls swell, says the tourism office; slippery trails.
Bolaven PlateauPlanning for Laos in May
- Rain and roads
- The rainy season runs from May to October; during the monsoon, road transport is often disrupted, the UK government warns.
- Public holidays
- Visakha Bucha falls on May 20, 2027 in Thailand; the Lao date had not been published as of October 2026. In 2026, Laos marked it on May 2, a month before Thailand, but the two calendars have been aligned again since July 2026.
- Packing
- A light rain jacket and quick-drying shoes.
Sources: climate, Open-Meteo (ERA5 archive, 1991-2020 averages); river levels, Mekong River Commission; festivals, Tourism Laos calendar; 2027 dates, Bank of Thailand; sights, Tourism Laos; safety and roads, FCDO. Updated October 13, 2026 by Pierre-Marie Coupry.