Hanoi winter packing list for travellers who packed for summer
You planned for Hội An beaches and Mekong heat, and Hà Nội greets you with a grey sky, drizzle and 14 °C. Northern Vietnam has a real winter from December to February, and most of it is spent outdoors — on a plastic stool, on a scooter, on the Old Quarter pavement. This is the short list of what to add, and where to find it a few minutes' walk from the Hanoi train street.
Hanoi weather, November to February
Long-term averages for downtown Hà Nội (Hoàn Kiếm / Đống Đa) (source: Wikipedia climate box, Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology).
| Month | Daytime high | Night low | Rain | Sun | Feels like |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | about 26 °C | about 19 °C | ~67 mm, ~7 rainy days | ~132 h | The good month. Warm afternoons, cool evenings. One light layer. |
| December | about 22 °C | about 16 °C | ~20 mm, ~5 rainy days | ~113 h | Dry but turning grey. First cold fronts arrive; evenings on the lake need a fleece. |
| January | about 20 °C | about 15 °C | ~23 mm, ~10 rainy days | ~69 h | Coldest month. Little sun, drizzle, 80 % humidity. Record low 2.7 °C. |
| February | about 21 °C | about 16 °C | ~25 mm, ~11 rainy days | ~48 h | The dampest month: "mưa phùn" drizzle most days, mould-grey light, the fewest sunshine hours of the year. |
Why 15 °C here feels like 8 °C at home: the air is 80 % humid, the wind comes down the streets off the Red River, and almost nothing is heated — not the café, not the homestay room, not the bus to Ninh Bình. Cold fronts from the north drop temperatures 5–10 °C overnight and keep them there for several days.
Packed for summer? The five things to add
In order of how often people actually buy them:
- A fleece. The single most useful item from December to February. Light enough to wear indoors, warm enough for a plastic stool at 9 p.m.
- A windproof or rain shell. Hà Nội's winter rain is a fine drizzle that soaks through a hoodie in twenty minutes. A thin shell over the fleece handles wind, drizzle and the back of a scooter.
- Long trousers, one pair that stretches and dries fast. Jeans get wet and stay wet in February.
- Closed shoes and socks. Flip-flops on a wet Old Quarter pavement in January are the fastest way to feel miserable.
- A beanie and a scarf for evenings, early trains and the Hạ Long or Ninh Bình boat. Gloves if you plan on a motorbike.
Travelling with children: a kids' fleece and a hooded shell first; everything else is optional.
What to wear where
- Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm Lake: fleece plus shell, closed shoes. Mornings around the lake are the coldest part of the day.
- Scooter or Grab bike: shell on top, scarf tucked in — wind at 40 km/h turns 15 °C into something that bites.
- Day trip to Hạ Long or Ninh Bình: everything on the list. Open boats have no shelter; see what to wear in Ninh Bình for the Tam Cốc side.
- Trains and buses: keep the fleece in your hand luggage — the air-conditioning often runs in winter too.
- Temples: shoulders and knees covered; in winter you will want them covered anyway.
- Heading south afterwards: fleece and shell pack flat. Keep them for Đà Lạt evenings and the sleeper train.
Where to buy warm layers near Train Street and the Old Quarter
The Gate Tôn Thất Thiệp is at 27 ngõ 8 Tôn Thất Thiệp, Ba Đình — a two-floor shop in a quiet alley a short walk from the Hanoi train street and about a kilometre west of Hoàn Kiếm Lake. It is open 09:00–22:00 every day, so it works after a day of sightseeing or before an early train.
The store sells export-surplus outdoor and everyday clothing — made in Vietnam for international outdoor labels, sold from the surplus of those runs — for men, women and children, with the price printed on every tag. For winter: fleece jackets and pullovers, puffer vests and light puffers, windbreakers and rain jackets, trekking trousers, beanies and scarves, and a kids' outdoor rack. Try the fleece on with the shell over it before you decide.
Staying south of the centre? The Nguyễn Trãi store (86 ngõ 72 Nguyễn Trãi) keeps the same hours. Heading on to Ninh Bình? There are two Tam Cốc stores, one near the boat dock, and anything bought in Hà Nội can be exchanged there.
A three-day Hanoi winter capsule
- Two thin tops that layer, one long-sleeved.
- One fleece or light puffer; one windproof or rain shell.
- One pair of stretchy, quick-dry trousers.
- Closed shoes with grip, two pairs of socks.
- Beanie, thin scarf, and the sunglasses you already packed — the sun does come out.
One extra kilo in the bag, and it covers Hà Nội, Hạ Long and Tam Cốc from December to February.
Quick answers
Yes, by Southeast Asian standards. January averages about 15–20 °C, but cold fronts bring grey, drizzly days around 10 °C, the record low is 2.7 °C, and almost nothing is heated. Bring or buy a fleece, a windproof layer and closed shoes.
The Gate Tôn Thất Thiệp, 27 ngõ 8 Tôn Thất Thiệp, Ba Đình — a short walk from the train street, open 09:00–22:00 every day — sells fleece, puffer vests, windbreakers, rain jackets, trousers, beanies and kids' outdoor clothing.
Yes. Exchange within 7 days, or return for a refund within 3 days, with the receipt and tags, unworn and unwashed, at any The Gate store — including Tam Cốc if you travel on. Sale items can be exchanged but not refunded.
A packable rain shell is more useful than an umbrella: winter rain is a fine drizzle, often with wind, and you will have your hands full on a scooter or a boat. An umbrella is fine for the city streets if you already carry one.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Hanoi, climate data for downtown Hanoi (Vietnam Institute for Building Science and Technology; record lows)
- Store addresses and hours: the Tôn Thất Thiệp and Nguyễn Trãi store pages; exchanges: returns & exchanges.