How many climate zones are there on Earth, and which one is Vietnam in?
We live under the skies of Vietnam, spending our years amid rain, wind and storms, sometimes hot and humid, sometimes bone-chillingly cold. So have you ever wondered which climate zone Vietnam actually lies in?
Earth's climate zones
The world's climate zones.
Earth has five heat belts, corresponding to five climate zones (one hot zone, two temperate zones and two cold zones)
The hot zone
- Boundaries: from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn.
- Sunlight strikes at a relatively high angle all year round, and the length of daylight varies little over the year. The region absorbs a relatively large amount of heat, so it is hot all year.
- Average rainfall: 1,000–2,000 mm.
The temperate zones
- Boundaries: from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle, and from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Antarctic Circle.
- They receive a moderate amount of heat, and the seasons are very distinct.
- Average rainfall: 500–1,000 mm
The two cold zones
- Boundaries: from the Arctic Circle to the North Pole and from the Antarctic Circle to the South Pole.
- The climate is frigid, with ice and snow all year round and persistent polar easterly winds.
- Average rainfall: below 500 mm
Vietnam's climate zone
Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate.
Vietnam lies in the tropical zone, with monsoons active throughout the year, which is why its climate is classified as tropical monsoon. The country lies entirely within the tropics, on the southeastern edge of mainland Asia, and borders the East Sea (Biển Đông), so it is directly influenced by the monsoons as well as the trade winds that typically blow at low latitudes.
A tropical monsoon climate is characterized by seasonal rainfall and monsoon winds. The rainy season lasts from May to October, when the summer monsoon blows. The dry season runs from November to April of the following year, when the cold, dry winter monsoon prevails. The average annual temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius, and the weather can be erratic.
Why does Vietnam have a humid tropical monsoon climate?
Vietnam's climate is hot but not arid like North Africa's, and humid but not humid year-round like the archipelagos of Southeast Asia.
Mysterious lake found "hanging" inside Thung Cave in Vietnam
A mysterious lake perched about 15 m above an underground river has been found in a side passage of Thung Cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.
22 new caves discovered in Vietnam's Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng
Explorers have found 22 new caves in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, Vietnam's "kingdom of caves," said to rival the 400 caves discovered there before.
22 stunning new caves discovered in Vietnam's Quảng Bình
British cavers found 22 new caves totaling 11.7 km in Quảng Bình (now part of Quảng Trị), including two in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.
Why a 3,900-square-kilometer iceberg broke apart
Shifting ocean currents in the Southern Ocean may have caused the giant iceberg A68a to break apart, a Princeton University study suggests.
New cave discovered in Vietnam's former Hà Giang province
A new cave, Sán Tớ, has been found in Mèo Vạc in northern Vietnam's former Hà Giang province, about 5 km from the town center and easy for visitors to reach.
