This is the best time of year to be in Da Nang (weather)

I have probably mentioned this before at some point but if I didn't and this is brand new information to you I want to put it out there. This is the Vietnamese "winter" period and it is a great deal cooler than it is the rest of the year. This is not some freak storm, this is what it is like in this city, and I presume most of the rest of the country, every single year.

src

This is the time of year when the snow hits the streets and the ski resorts open and you need to get your winter boots out to trudge through the snowdrifts on the street and of course, prepare for snowball fights that break out all over the city at a moment's notice.

Ok, that is all a lie. It doesn't get anywhere near close enough to snow, let alone accumulate anything on the ground. In fact, it almost never crosses below 60 degree F or around 16 degrees C. For the most part you expect temperatures in the low to mid 70's during the day and mid to low 60's and night. While the locals bundle up like it is an arctic exploration, I find this temperature to be one of the only times of year that it is actually comfortable to be outdoors.

You see, and I realize that this is my own choice, it is what I consider to be absurdly hot and humid most of the year here and I'm afraid that I was just not built genetically to handle that. I am one of those guys that in most of the year I am a sweaty mess and if anyone ever suggested that I wear trousers I would be very opposed to that notion because even with very thin shorts and a vest / wife-beater shirt on, I sweat so much that I have to bring a small towel to almost anywhere that I go in order to avoid dripping all over the place.

src

I almost never get in the water here so in the rare instance that I happen to go down to the beach it is nice because there are almost no people around that spot during these months. I stuck my food in the water the last time I was down there and the water isn't cold. It almost feels like bath water compared to the air around it. I do think that people would get cold very quickly though from the air, not the water.

The one downside of this time of year is that is is gloomy and cloudy almost every day. This doesn't bother me a great deal since I spend a great deal of my time indoors, but for people who are prone to environmental depression, I don't think this would help very much.

src

it stays very cloudy most of the day here and this is probably a big part of the reason why it feels so cool out. The sun doesn't break through most days and when it does, it is temporary. One downside of this time of year is that it is significantly more likely to rain in an annoying "mist" for the entire day and it just wont stop, nor will it go ahead and rain properly. It's just a constant annoying drizzle. My English friends have told me this is very similar to much of the year back in the UK.

This is my favorite time of year in Da Nang and one of the only times that I can really enjoy the outdoors. Others complain that it is too cold and I have to say that I disagree. I love being able to comfortably wear jeans and a shirt without fear of melting through them or suffering heat stroke. Honestly, if I could find a place in the world where this was the weather every single day, I would move there in a heartbeat.

This guaranteed change in the weather is a big part of the reason why I am still in this country. I have been dragging my feet on getting out of Vietnam but didn't want to get the pieces put together to make this diaspora happen until after the best weather of the entire year has passed. I don't know exactly when that happens but I believe it is sometime after January. Until then, I am going to be really enjoying the cool weather both inside and outside my condo even if it does mean that I don't get to use the swimming pool for a while.