December is when Phu Quoc’s dry season settles in. The rain of November fades, the sea on the west coast turns flat and clear, and the island fills up: from the week before Christmas to the first days of January it is the busiest and most expensive time of the year. If you are coming for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, book flights and rooms early. If you can choose, the first half of the month has the same weather with fewer people.
December weather
| December | |
|---|---|
| Average high / low | 31 °C / 24 °C |
| Rain | 73 mm, about 7 days with rain |
| Humidity | 73% |
| Sunshine | about 240 hours in the month |
| Sea temperature | around 27–29 °C |
| Sunset | about 17:40 (early December) to 17:55 (end of the month) |
Temperature, rain and humidity: the island’s weather station in Duong Dong (WMO 48917), 2016–2024 averages; sunshine: Vietnam’s building climate standard. The sea temperature is an estimate from unofficial sources.
Expect hot, sunny days with a breeze and the occasional shower; rain rarely lasts long. Nights are warm enough for a T-shirt; a light layer is useful only on boats and in air-conditioned buses.
The sea. The dry-season wind comes from the north-east, so the west coast — Long Beach, Ong Lang, Bai Dai — is calm and at its best for swimming. On the south-east coast, at Sao and Khem, the same wind brings some chop on breezy days, which is why the kite surfers go there (see kitesurfing). December to March brings the clearest sea of the year around the An Thoi islands, the good season for snorkelling and island-hopping tours. The jellyfish season named by the marine protected area runs from April to August, so December is outside it.
Sunsets come early: the sun sets at about 17:40 in early December and before 18:00 all month. See the best sunset spots.
Christmas and New Year’s Eve
The big resort areas put on a full programme for the holiday season, and New Year’s Eve is a major night out. The programmes for Christmas 2026 and New Year’s Eve 2026–27 had not been announced when we checked in October 2026; this is what happened last year, and we will update the page when the new dates are published.
- Sunset Town, An Thoi: a “Beach Music and Fireworks Week” ran from 25 December 2025 to 4 January 2026, and New Year’s Eve ended with the “Spectacle Countdown 2026” and a large fireworks display at midnight (An Giang provincial portal). Come early, and plan how you will get back.
- Grand World, in the north: a countdown party called “The Rising Lights”, with light projections and fireworks over the lake (SGGP, January 2026).
- VinWonders stayed open late with a special edition of its ONCE night show, and the Vinpearl resorts held a beach countdown party with fireworks.
- Resorts and beach clubs run Christmas Eve dinners and New Year’s Eve parties, usually as set menus or tickets sold in advance. See beach clubs and nightlife.
Crowds, flights and prices
Over the four-day New Year holiday in 2026 (1–4 January), Phu Quoc received 175,797 visitors, two and a half times as many as a year earlier, including 29,888 from abroad (An Giang provincial portal, January 2026). The winter charter season brings large numbers of visitors from Russia and other former Soviet countries: in 2026 the charter flights began in late September, earlier than the year before, and some upscale hotels had stopped selling certain year-end dates by August (VOV, August 2026).
What that means in practice:
- Book early for anything between about 20 December and 3 January: flights, rooms, and the popular restaurants on New Year’s Eve. Room rates are at their highest of the year.
- Ferries and flights to and from the mainland are busy too. Avoid tight connections; see getting to Phu Quoc and ferries.
- Early December is quieter and usually cheaper, with almost the same weather.
- Getting around on New Year’s Eve: thousands of people leave the fireworks at the same time, so arrange your ride back before you go. See getting around.
What to do in December
- Beaches and islands. The calm west coast and clearer water make it a good month for island-hopping, snorkelling and the cable car to Hon Thom with the Aquatopia water park.
- Hiking and the national park. The trails dry out after the rainy season — see hiking. The waterfalls, on the other hand, are mostly dry from December.
- Markets and food. The night market and the seafood restaurants are at their busiest.
- Golf. Dry weather suits a round on one of the island’s two courses — see golf.
Health and safety
- Mosquitoes. Dengue is not just a rainy-season problem in the region: An Giang province recorded nearly four times as many cases in the first quarter of 2026 as a year earlier. Use repellent during the day as well as in the evening. See hospitals and medical care.
- Sun. Almost eight hours of sunshine a day near the equator: sunscreen, a hat and water, especially on boat trips.
- On the water. Wear a life jacket on every speedboat crossing, and stay out of the water when the sea is rough.
For the rest of the year, see the month-by-month weather guide and Phu Quoc in January.
Weather: station averages, see sources. Visitor figures: An Giang provincial authorities. Event details: press reports, January 2026.
