Advice as to a much cooler (temperature wise)to live during the summer

NomadBob123 wrote:

Hello All,  I still live in the US and plan to retire next year.  Have been to SE Asia about 5 times in the recent past.  The problem I know I am going to have is the heat.  Although I live in Florida and have also lived in Texas for many years, Georgia, etc meaning states with some serious heat, SE Asia is hot as hell.  Ok, maybe not He’ll but close...lol.  So to my questions, anyone have any advice as to a much cooler (temperature wise) to live during the summer months and then head to Hanoi or Phuket during 5he winter months?

Thanks in advance.

Try Dalat, much cooler.

NomadBob123 wrote:

The problem I know I am going to have is the heat.  Although I live in Florida ..... SE Asia is hot as hell.

The average temperature in HCMC in April, the warmest month, is only 86 F (30 C).  The coolest month is December at 80F (27C).  If you leave Florida in the period from June to September, it my be a little rainy in Vietnam but it will be cooler than Florida.  Average daytime temperatures in Orlando in August are 92F (33C) with evening lows of 73F (23C.)  Vietnam is humid in Summer but so is Florida.  If you travel in midsummer, the shock should be minimal.  My worst temperature shock 50 years ago was traveling to Hawaii from Oakland Army Base in January.  Days should actually be cooler in Vietnam than in Florida.   Nights may be a little warmer but you may be home with A/C evenings.  I experience no temperature shock each time I arrive in Vietnam from Hawaii which is about 2-3 C cooler during summer and 5 C cooler in winter.

The other thing is acclimation which will happen once you stay a while.  After a full year, you will hardly notice.  It's only the first 90 days or so that may be tough.

The onshore breeze at night in Saigon is the kiss of God, especially if you have access to a top-floor bar -or- a balcony in a multi-story residence. March temperatures can exceed 100 F during the day, which is why the French could wear their white suits to evening social settings.
Otherwise, Colin is right-on.

Hello everyone,

Please note that this new thread has been created from your posts on the Vietnam forum since they were off-topic on the thread where they were originally posted.

All the best,
Bhavna

I've been to Vietnam often, mostly between October and April, and always enjoyed the warm weather but when I was there last May it was actually *too hot* for me. I'd never had to deal with 40C temperature before and I would hide inside the hotel room during the afternoon. For a heat lover like me, it was unthinkable but true. So I totally understand why you'd want to live in a different place for summer months, it makes sense. The Đà Lạt suggestion is very good, or at least I suggest anywhere close to a river or ocean at least you're getting some "cooler" winds.

I used to think I wouldn't be able to deal with the heat coming from my well air conditioned life in the US and mandated to my wife that we find a house with AC in every room.  Well, after six months and now into a second house I rarely turn the AC on and the doors are wide open all of the time.  We do run the AC at night at 27* which would be an unthinkable temperature in the US. 

It's like when I used to visit Hawaii and thought it was so cool to see hotels, restaurants and bars with no walls or doors to the first floor or lobby.   Everything wide open. I now live like that.

Yeah I trying to avoid A/C when I can because it's not very healthy and I don't mind being warm, but when I sleep it's kind of a requirement for me so ideally I'd have an A/C unit in the bedroom and would close the bedroom door. (not so much about money, but for the environment).

NomadBob123 wrote:

The problem I know I am going to have is the heat.  Although I live in Florida and have also lived in Texas for many years, Georgia, etc meaning states with some serious heat, SE Asia is hot as hell.

I've lived on James Island in SC and over a canal in Punta Gorda, 3 miles from the Gulf in SW FL.  I cannot speak of Hanoi, but Saigon in the dry season (there's no summer in Southern Vietnam, only two seasons: dry and rainy) is comparable to SC but much better than FL.

High temperature was not the cause for my misery, it's the extreme heaviness of moisture in the air that was. 

SC wasn't too bad but during the dry season in FL, I could not breath every time I was half a dozen steps away from the house.  Our pool was exactly 3 steps from the lanai and that's the limit of my tolerance between May and Sept each year.  Walking from the parking lot to the supermarket's door each week was very taxing even for a person with excellent health. 

In Saigon during the most humid days, I walked to the market daily, went from one stall to another, did my shopping, walked home carrying bags of grocery, and as soon as I was in the apartment, headed to the shower.  I took 4 showers a day on the average, but at least I could function outside, and when the sun was down, I could head out again with my husband for our daily 3K walk. 

Never once in FL I could do that during the dry season.

In the winter months I have found Danang to be the most comfortable climate in my 9 years of travel in south east Asia.

THIGV wrote:

NomadBob123 wrote:

The problem I know I am going to have is the heat.  Although I live in Florida ..... SE Asia is hot as hell.

The average temperature in HCMC in April, the warmest month, is only 86 F (30 C).  The coolest month is December at 80F (27C).  If you leave Florida in the period from June to September, it my be a little rainy in Vietnam but it will be cooler than Florida.  Average daytime temperatures in Orlando in August are 92F (33C) with evening lows of 73F (23C.)  Vietnam is humid in Summer but so is Florida.  If you travel in midsummer, the shock should be minimal.  My worst temperature shock 50 years ago was traveling to Hawaii from Oakland Army Base in January.  Days should actually be cooler in Vietnam than in Florida.   Nights may be a little warmer but you may be home with A/C evenings.  I experience no temperature shock each time I arrive in Vietnam from Hawaii which is about 2-3 C cooler during summer and 5 C cooler in winter.

The other thing is acclimation which will happen once you stay a while.  After a full year, you will hardly notice.  It's only the first 90 days or so that may be tough.

This too was my experience. I too, thought Dalat would be great.
But I did get used to it and it is not so bad as summer in NYC.

Also as Cambiella said, I got used to taking shower every time I came home.
Didn't even mind the lack of electrically heated boater.

NomadBob123 wrote:

Hello All,  I still live in the US and plan to retire next year.  Have been to SE Asia about 5 times in the recent past.  The problem I know I am going to have is the heat.  Although I live in Florida and have also lived in Texas for many years, Georgia, etc meaning states with some serious heat, SE Asia is hot as hell.  Ok, maybe not He’ll but close...lol.  So to my questions, anyone have any advice as to a much cooler (temperature wise) to live during the summer months and then head to Hanoi or Phuket during 5he winter months?

Your lifestyle choices are going impact your ability to tolerate the heat.

For instance, if you are like MANY expats I know, you will stay up late drinking beer, sleep in until 10 AM, and then complain that you can't tolerate the heat when you go outside.

You will pretty much live your life indoors when the sun is up and only come outside at sundown or later.

HOWEVER, if you want to live as many locals do, you will get to bed sometime between 8 PM and 10 PM at night, and rise somewhere between 4 AM and 6 AM.

You'll be amazed at how many people are out walking (swimming at the beaches) and joining in group exercise activities in the predawn hours.

You'll probably do your fresh food shopping at a local market at about 6 AM.

If you didn't already eat a full breakfast, you'll find plenty of options starting around 7 AM (some earlier; some later).

At 8 AM you'll notice people starting to gather in their favorite spot for coffee.

You can get a lot done and see some great sights before the heat starts to get nasty between 10 AM and 12 NOON (when many foreigners are getting up and wondering why the beaches are deserted).

Many businesses will start closing between 11 AM and 1 PM, so you'll probably get lunch somewhere during that time.

If napping isn't a habit, you'll have the opportunity to change that.

Roughly between Noon and 4 PM will be an ideal time to schedule indoor activities, including as long of a nap as you need.

On a personal note, I've come to appreciate the lyrics to the song "Afternoon Delight" much more since moving here and having been in a relationship with a local woman.

This is also a great time to schedule a massage, and many spas offer discounted rates between 12 NOON and 5 PM

Between 3PM and 4 PM virtually all businesses will have reopened, and people will start walking and hitting the beaches between 4 PM and 6 PM. The heat outside should become bearable again then.

If you are going to bed between 8 and 10 you'll probably want dinner near 6 PM, and there will be plenty of options for open air dining.

Depending on where you live, you may need to use preventative measures to avoid mosquitoes before dawn and after sundown.

Take control of your life here and you'll likely be surprised how much heat you can stand.

Hi Bob, DaLat in Vietnam is a thrving city, as is Baguio in the Philippines. Neither get hot even in summer.

I second Baguio in the Phils -- thriving with lots of university activity. Not too sure about Dalat. More of a summer retreat , rather isolated and not much happening. Beautiful area, though. As one or two others have said, ocean breezes are your saviour, so Danang would be my pick: a city on the go but not (yet) as crazy and congested as Saigon or Hanoi, pleasant 'vibe', close to Hoi An too, Hai Van Pass, interior mountains. (Disclaimer: I've lived in Saigon for the past 5.5 years and still love it.)

Side notes re aircons: they do help with a good night's sleep (open windows and doors without screens are an invitation to dengue), but it's advisable to keep them within five degrees C of the outside temperature, not so much to save on electricty (which they gobble at a furious rate -- like radiant heaters in reverse) but for healthy body temperature regulation if you go outside. Oh, and do get them cleaned on a regular basis, they're breeders of airborne nasties. You can easily rinse out the mesh filters yourself every few months, but every once in a while get the professionals in to do a 'proper' interior clean. The real pros will do the outside radiator/condenser too.

Robvan

I have lived in HCMC off and on for the last 7 years.  Temperatures are always in the 90's, usually mid to upper 90's.  That doesn't count in the humidity.  Landing in Saigon and walking out of the airport, the hot, humid air hits you like a brick wall !

Da Lat Lam Dong. The Paris of Vietnam, The city of flowers. Check it out. Its In the highlands, always constant and cool. Saigonese come just to get out of the heat. The biggest problem is that within the last 6 years, tourism is doubling every year. The mountains and forests are beautiful to ride a moto  through. The lake is in the middle of the city center. This is the city of romance. This was the Vacation spot for the French. There are many vacant and rehabbed old big French style Architecture. I've lived in Texas, Arizona, Been through many of the humid hot states in the US and you will not suffer heat in Da lat as you did in the states that you mentioned. Good Luck with your choice. Oh, I not seen an air conditioner in Da lat. Just leave the windows open all year.

I just found dalat  far too boring. Could never live there

The question was temperature. Some like it hot...some do not.

Dalat is Amazing, in the summer. I spent 4 days there last week after going between HCMC and Hanoi. Last week the temperatures ranged from 75°f during the day to 65° at night. I loved it!!!!

Dalat is Amazing, in the summer. I spent 4 days there last week after going between HCMC and Hanoi. Last week the temperatures ranged from 75°f during the day to 65° at night. I loved it!!!!

Beautiful weather in Dalit, but after 2 days, couldn't get out of there fast enough. Nothing to do there.

Canman63 wrote:

Beautiful weather in Dalit, but after 2 days, couldn't get out of there fast enough. Nothing to do there.

What do you do in Da Nang that you can't do in Dalat? Spending a day at the beach?

WillyBaldy wrote:

Canman63 wrote:

Beautiful weather in Dalit, but after 2 days, couldn't get out of there fast enough. Nothing to do there.

What do you do in Da Nang that you can't do in Dalat? Spending a day at the beach?

Maybe not enough expat bars and cafes in Dalat.

Some will complain in heaven  Opinions are like Ass@#$%s,...we all have one. The Question was the summer weather.

colinoscapee wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

Canman63 wrote:

Beautiful weather in Dalit, but after 2 days, couldn't get out of there fast enough. Nothing to do there.

What do you do in Da Nang that you can't do in Dalat? Spending a day at the beach?

Maybe not enough expat bars and cafes in Dalat.

Exactly the spots I'm usually trying to *avoid* !

Exactly, not that I hangout on the beach, I still love the ocean, Boardwalk etc. Cool breeze.
And yes again, no nightlife at all in dalat, and lack of good western dining compared to Danang.
But that's just me.

You are right. That's just you...who is asking?  Da Lat is cool all year. Only place in Vietnam that has this weather in summer. I've talked to many who live in Dalat. Many moved away and came back. Some will not move away for a better job opportunity. Their preference. Who cares what you or I like. You keep harping on something no one cares about...except you. You live where you like and others will do what they like. Start your own blog about what you like. You might find some will disagree. Weather is cool and not humid in Dalat. Air is clean and the main cities air in cancerous! Facts! The man wants to retire and is concerned about the summer temperatures!!! Hmm retire and wildlife? I know many expats living and loving Da Lat. Fact

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Attaboy!   ..yet another champion for the silent majority...     

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Retired and wildlife??? Certainly not, but I still enjoy a little nightlife.
I'm not a fossil yet!
Maybe in another 10 years I'll exist in dalat.

Alexter - have you heard of any / many mosquitoes in Dalat? And more so - dengue?