When is the best time to visit the Mekong Delta?

From December to March, the delta is dry and sunny, around 30°C: this is the best season, with Tet as the busiest time. From May to November, the rain comes back, almost daily at the height of the season. It is also fruit season, then flood season, when water spreads over the fields around Chau Doc and king tides flood the streets of Can Tho.

By Pierre-Marie Coupry · updated October 12, 2026 · sources

A boat heading up a Mekong Delta canal lined with flowering flame trees and water hyacinth under an evening sky — Photo by Shutterstock

The best time to visit the Mekong Delta, town by town

Our month-by-month verdict, based on the weather and the water level. The delta has a shorter dry season than Laos: the rains last into November.

Our take by stop and by month: ideal, good, fair or difficult
	J (current month)	F (current month)	M (current month)	A (current month)	M (current month)	J (current month)	J (current month)	A (current month)	S (current month)	O (current month)	N (current month)	D (current month)
Chau DocUpper delta, Cambodian border	Ideal	Ideal	Good	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Difficult	Fair	Good
Can ThoCentral delta, Hau River	Ideal	Ideal	Good	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Difficult	Fair	Good
Ben TreLower delta, coconut islands	Ideal	Ideal	Good	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Fair	Difficult	Difficult	Fair	Good

Our take by stop and by month: ideal, good, fair or difficult
Month	CĐ	CT	BT
Jan (current month)	Ideal	Ideal	Ideal
Feb (current month)	Ideal	Ideal	Ideal
Mar (current month)	Good	Good	Good
Apr (current month)	Fair	Fair	Fair
May (current month)	Fair	Fair	Fair
Jun (current month)	Fair	Fair	Fair
Jul (current month)	Fair	Fair	Fair
Aug (current month)	Fair	Fair	Fair
Sep (current month)	Fair	Fair	Difficult
Oct (current month)	Difficult	Difficult	Difficult
Nov (current month)	Fair	Fair	Fair
Dec (current month)	Good	Good	Good

Stops : CĐ Chau Doc · CT Can Tho · BT Ben Tre

Ideal
Good
Fair
Difficult

Mekong Delta weather

Temperature, rain and water level, month by month. Pick a town.

Climate and Mekong water level in Chau Doc, month by month
Month	J (current month)	F (current month)	M (current month)	A (current month)	M (current month)	J (current month)	J (current month)	A (current month)	S (current month)	O (current month)	N (current month)	D (current month)
Airhigh / low
Rainmm	24	13	42	106	189	207	212	221	276	302	116	48
Daysof rain	4	2	7	15	25	27	27	28	28	27	15	7
Mekonglevel	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Rising	High	High	High	Falling

Climate and Mekong water level in Chau Doc, month by month
Month	mm	River
Jan (current month)	24	Low
Feb (current month)	13	Low
Mar (current month)	42	Low
Apr (current month)	106	Low
May (current month)	189	Low
Jun (current month)	207	Low
Jul (current month)	212	Low
Aug (current month)	221	Rising
Sep (current month)	276	High
Oct (current month)	302	High
Nov (current month)	116	High
Dec (current month)	48	Falling

Climate and Mekong water level in Can Tho, month by month
Month	J (current month)	F (current month)	M (current month)	A (current month)	M (current month)	J (current month)	J (current month)	A (current month)	S (current month)	O (current month)	N (current month)	D (current month)
Airhigh / low
Rainmm	26	10	36	80	196	232	244	243	269	293	152	78
Daysof rain	4	2	5	12	25	27	28	28	28	27	19	10
Mekonglevel	Falling	Falling	Falling	Low	Low	Low	Low	Rising	High	High	High	High

Climate and Mekong water level in Can Tho, month by month
Month	mm	River
Jan (current month)	26	Falling
Feb (current month)	10	Falling
Mar (current month)	36	Falling
Apr (current month)	80	Low
May (current month)	196	Low
Jun (current month)	232	Low
Jul (current month)	244	Low
Aug (current month)	243	Rising
Sep (current month)	269	High
Oct (current month)	293	High
Nov (current month)	152	High
Dec (current month)	78	High

Climate and Mekong water level in Ben Tre, month by month
Month	J (current month)	F (current month)	M (current month)	A (current month)	M (current month)	J (current month)	J (current month)	A (current month)	S (current month)	O (current month)	N (current month)	D (current month)
Airhigh / low
Rainmm	24	9	24	70	211	264	259	273	312	314	145	73
Daysof rain	4	2	4	12	25	28	29	29	29	27	17	10
Mekonglevel	High	High	Falling	Falling	Low	Low	Low	Low	Rising	High	High	High

Climate and Mekong water level in Ben Tre, month by month
Month	mm	River
Jan (current month)	24	High
Feb (current month)	9	High
Mar (current month)	24	Falling
Apr (current month)	70	Falling
May (current month)	211	Low
Jun (current month)	264	Low
Jul (current month)	259	Low
Aug (current month)	273	Low
Sep (current month)	312	Rising
Oct (current month)	314	High
Nov (current month)	145	High
Dec (current month)	73	High

Air and rain: Open-Meteo, archive ERA5, 1991-2020 averages (retrieved October 11, 2026). Mekong level: Mekong River Commission, My Hoa station, median of 2020-2025, 0.6 m between the lowest and highest months. The current month is outlined.

Floods and tides in the Mekong Delta

Upstream, at Chau Doc, the Mekong flood arrives in July and peaks in October: this is the floating season, when boats cross the fields. Downstream, the tide rules: from September to December, king tides spill over Can Tho's waterfront, and in the dry season salt water creeps up the estuaries.

Level at Chau Docrelative level over the year

Floods and tides in the Mekong Delta
	J (current month)	F (current month)	M (current month)	A (current month)	M (current month)	J (current month)	J (current month)	A (current month)	S (current month)	O (current month)	N (current month)	D (current month)
Rowing through Tra Su flooded forestChau Doc, floating season	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	possible	yes	yes	yes	possible
Orchards full of fruitCai Mon, Vinh Long	no	no	no	possible	possible	yes	yes	yes	possible	no	no	no
Dry streets on Can Tho's waterfrontOutside king tides	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	possible	no	no	possible

Rowing through Tra Su flooded forestChau Doc, floating season

January (current month) : no
February (current month) : no
March (current month) : no
April (current month) : no
May (current month) : no
June (current month) : no
July (current month) : no
August (current month) : possible
September (current month) : yes
October (current month) : yes
November (current month) : yes
December (current month) : possible

Orchards full of fruitCai Mon, Vinh Long

January (current month) : no
February (current month) : no
March (current month) : no
April (current month) : possible
May (current month) : possible
June (current month) : yes
July (current month) : yes
August (current month) : yes
September (current month) : possible
October (current month) : no
November (current month) : no
December (current month) : no

Dry streets on Can Tho's waterfrontOutside king tides

January (current month) : yes
February (current month) : yes
March (current month) : yes
April (current month) : yes
May (current month) : yes
June (current month) : yes
July (current month) : yes
August (current month) : yes
September (current month) : possible
October (current month) : no
November (current month) : no
December (current month) : possible

Good time
Possible, with limits
Not recommended

Curve: Mekong River Commission, Chau Doc station, median of 2020-2025. Tra Su: local guides and operators, no official calendar. Fruit: VnExpress (January 2026). King tides: Can Tho hydro-meteorological station, via the press (2025 and 2026).

Mekong Delta festivals in 2026 and 2027

Vietnamese and Khmer festivals follow the lunar calendar. Around Tet, buses and hotels fill up days ahead.

Ok Om Bok, Khmer boat racesSoc Trang, Can Tho November around Nov. 23-24, 2026
Tet, Lunar New YearThroughout the delta February Feb. 6, 2027
Chol Chnam Thmay, Khmer New YearKhmer pagodas April mid-April
Southern Folk Cake FestivalCan Tho April late April (April 26-May 1 in 2026)
Via Ba Chua XuSam Mountain, Chau Doc May around May 26-June 1, 2027
Sene Dolta, Khmer ancestors' festivalKhmer pagodas September around Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2027

Tet 2027: civil service holiday February 4 to 10 (Vietnamese government, October 2, 2026). Other 2026-2027 dates: worked out from the lunar calendar and Cambodia's official dates, since the Vietnamese programs had not been published as of October 2026.

The Mekong Delta month by month

The delta in January

Ideal

This month

Dry and sunny: 29 to 30°C in the afternoon, 4 rainy days in Can Tho.

River: Falling; salt water starts moving up the estuaries.

The delta in February

Ideal

This month

The driest month. Tet on February 6, 2027: full buses and higher fares in the days before.

River: Strong salt intrusion in the lower delta.

The delta in March

Good

This month

Still dry, getting hotter: 33°C in Can Tho.

River: Salt intrusion peaks in early March.

The delta in April

Fair

This month

The hottest month; Khmer New Year in mid-April.

River: Lowest of the year at Chau Doc.

The delta in May

Fair

This month

The rains arrive: 196 mm in Can Tho.

River: End of the salt season.

The delta in June

Fair

This month

Afternoon showers almost daily; the first fruit ripens.

River: Still low upstream.

The delta in July

Fair

This month

Peak fruit season in the orchards of Cai Mon and Vinh Long.

River: Floodwater enters the delta.

The delta in August

Fair

This month

Wet and hot, 30°C; orchards still heavy with fruit.

River: The flood rises toward Chau Doc.

The delta in September

Fair

This month

Heavy rain; king tides in Can Tho in mid-September.

River: Floating season: boats in Tra Su forest.

The delta in October

Difficult

This month

The wettest month in Can Tho, 293 mm; flooded streets at king tides.

River: Flood peak upstream, fields under water around Chau Doc.

The delta in November

Fair

This month

The rain eases; Ok Om Bok at the full moon.

River: Falling; king tides still possible.

The delta in December

Good

This month

The dry season begins, 29°C in the afternoon.

River: Falling upstream.

Questions about the best time to visit the Mekong Delta

Do typhoons hit the Mekong Delta?

Rarely. The last major typhoon to strike the south, Linda, was in November 1997; Tembin weakened offshore in December 2017. For late 2026, the southern weather service said one or two storms could affect the region: check the forecasts if you travel in November or December.

Is salt water a problem for travelers?

Not much: no hotel or tourist site has closed because of salt. In bad years, tap water can turn brackish in the lower delta, as in Ben Tre in 2020, and some communes get water by barge, as Tan Phu Dong did in April 2024. For 2027, the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research expects intrusion close to 2016: drink bottled water.

Do king tides get in the way of visiting Can Tho?

Only for a few hours a day. Tides peak early in the morning and late in the afternoon; on October 22, 2025, the water reached a record 2.29 m, flooding streets at rush hour.

Sources: climate, Open-Meteo (ERA5 archive, 1991-2020 averages); river level, Mekong River Commission data portal (median of 2020-2025, each town's station); floods and king tides, Vietnam's national hydro-meteorological center and Vietnamese press (Tuoi Tre, VietnamPlus, 2025 and 2026); salt intrusion, Southern Institute of Water Resources Research (October 2026); festivals, Vietnamese government (Tet 2027), Vietnamese press and Cambodia's official calendar; fruit, VnExpress (January 2026); storms, Southern Hydro-Meteorological Station (April 2026). Updated October 12, 2026 by Pierre-Marie Coupry.