Design of High-quality Environment

CLIMATE DATA
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1. Average Weather in HCMC

In Ho Chi Minh City, the wet season is overcast, the dry season is partly cloudy,
and it is hot and oppressive year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature
typically varies from 22°C to 34°C and is rarely below 19°C or above 36°C.
The hot season lasts for 2.1 months, from March 16 to May 19, with an average
daily high temperature above 34°C. The hottest day of the year is April 20, with an
average high of 34°C and low of 26°C.
The cool season lasts for 4.6 months, from August 28 to January 17, with an
average daily high temperature below 32°C. The coldest day of the year is January
3, with an average low of 22°C and high of 31°C.

Figure 1. Average High and Low Temperature

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly
average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is
the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.
 Design of High-quality Environment

Figure 2. Average Hourly Temperature

2. Clouds
In Ho Chi Minh City, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds
experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year in Ho Chi Minh City begins around November 18 and
lasts for 4.7 months, ending around April 10. On February 27, the clearest day of
the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 47% of the time, and
overcast or mostly cloudy 53% of the time.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 10 and lasts for 7.3 months,
ending around November 18. On August 25, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is
overcast or mostly cloudy 93% of the time, and clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy
7% of the time.

Figure 3. Cloud Cover Categories

 Design of High-quality Environment
3. Precipitation
A wet day is one with at least 1 millimeter of liquid or liquid-equivalent
precipitation. The chance of wet days in Ho Chi Minh City varies very significantly
throughout the year.
The wetter season lasts 6.0 months, from May 9 to November 10, with a greater
than 32% chance of a given day being a wet day. The chance of a wet day peaks at
61% on September 28.
The drier season lasts 6.0 months, from November 10 to May 9. The smallest
chance of a wet day is 2% on February 5.
Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow
alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form
of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 61% on
September 28.

Figure 4. Daily Chance of Precipitation

4. Rainfall
To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the
rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the
year. Ho Chi Minh City experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.
The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from March 24 to December 26,
with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 13 millimeters. The most rain falls during
the 31 days centered around October 2, with an average total accumulation of 187
millimeters.
 Design of High-quality Environment
The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from December 26 to March 24.
The least rain falls around January 31, with an average total accumulation of 4
millimeters.

Figure 5. Average Monthly Rainfall

5. Sun
The length of the day in Ho Chi Minh City does not vary substantially over the
course of the year, staying within 45 minutes of 12 hours throughout. In 2017, the
shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 30 minutes of daylight; the longest day
is June 21, with 12 hours, 46 minutes of daylight.

Figure 6. Hours of Daylight and Twilight in October

The earliest sunrise is at 5:29 AM on May 29, and the latest sunrise is 47 minutes
later at 6:17 AM on January 26. The earliest sunset is at 5:26 PM on November 17,
and the latest sunset is 54 minutes later at 6:20 PM on July 11.
Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Ho Chi Minh City during 2017.
 Design of High-quality Environment

Figure 7. Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in October

6. Humidity
We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether
perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew
points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which
typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change
more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically
followed by a muggy night.
The chance that a given day will be muggy in Ho Chi Minh City is essentially
constant during October, remaining around 100% throughout.
For reference, on May 22, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions
100% of the time, while on January 28, the least muggy day of the year, there are
muggy conditions 78% of the time.
 Design of High-quality Environment

Figure 8. Humidity Comfort Levels in October

7. Wind
This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and
direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given
location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and
instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.
The average hourly wind speed in Ho Chi Minh City is essentially constant during
October, remaining within 0.3 kilometers per hour of 5.1 kilometers per hour
throughout.
For reference, on March 22, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind
speed is 8.5 kilometers per hour, while on October 25, the calmest day of the year,
the daily average wind speed is 4.9 kilometers per hour.
The lowest daily average wind speed during October is 4.9 kilometers per hour on
October 25.

Figure 9. Average Wind Speed in October

 Design of High-quality Environment
The wind direction in Ho Chi Minh City during October is predominantly out of the
west from October 1 to October 9, the south from October 9 to October 14, and the
east from October 14 to October 31.

Figure 10. Wind Direction in October

8. Solar Energy
This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the
surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in
the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by
 Design of High-quality Environment
clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible
light and ultraviolet radiation.
The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal
variation over the course of the year.
The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from February 1 to April 12,
with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh.
The brightest day of the year is March 13, with an average of 6.6 kWh.
The darker period of the year lasts for 5.0 months, from May 20 to October 20, with
an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.5 kWh. The
darkest day of the year is September 19, with an average of 4.0 kWh.

Figure 11. Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy

9. Topography
For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Ho Chi Minh City
are 10.823 deg latitude, 106.630 deg longitude, and 6 m elevation.
The topography within 3 kilometers of Ho Chi Minh City is essentially flat, with a
maximum elevation change of 21 meters and an average elevation above sea level
of 6 meters. Within 16 kilometers is essentially flat (97 meters). Within 80
kilometers contains only modest variations in elevation (991 meters).
The area within 3 kilometers of Ho Chi Minh City is covered by cropland (66%)
and grassland (14%), within 16 kilometers by cropland (53%) and shrubs (15%),
and within 80 kilometers by cropland (50%) and trees (16%).
 Design of High-quality Environment
10. Data Sources and References
This report illustrates the typical weather in Ho Chi Minh City year round, based on
a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions
from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.
Reference link: https://weatherspark.com/m/116950/10/Average-Weather-in-
October-in-Ho-Chi-Minh-City-Vietnam#Sections-SolarDay

11. Design Considerations:

 Orientate the building to take full advantage of cooling breezes, and position
landscaping and outbuildings to funnel breezes over, under and through the
building.
 Prioritise design for night-time sleeping comfort.
 Consider sleep-out spaces. Provide shaded outdoor living areas.
 Locate pools and spas on the northern side of the building where they are
shaded in the hot humid season and warmed during the dry season.
 Install ceiling fans in all rooms.

12. Windows and shading

 Shade all windows and walls, including south facing, with extended eaves
where possible or vertical shading where not.
 Use low solar heat gain coeffcient (SHGC).
 Use multiple layers of reflective roof and ceiling insulation to create a one-
way valve effect.
 Insulate internal wall surfaces well from any external thermal mass (e.g.
brick veneer).
 Exclude solar radiation from roof, windows and walls
 Consider shading the whole building with a fly roof

13. Insulation
 Refer to Insulation for appropriate insulation levels in each climate zone.
 Avoid bulk insulation to ceilings and walls except in conditioned spaces.
 Ventilate roof spaces well with fans or whirlybirds and design for
condensation removal
 Insulate elevated floors with reflective, closed-cell bulk insulation to resist
upward heat flow and condensation.
 Line open ventilated spaces with reflective foil insulation.