October is the genuine worst month — Old Town floods almost every year
Hoi An's Ancient Town — the UNESCO-listed riverside district that's the entire reason most people visit — sits low along the Thu Bồn river. October peak typhoon rainfall (well over 600mm) routinely floods the streets, sometimes to knee-deep or higher. Locals literally row boats through the Old Town during severe events. It's an iconic image but a brutal planning constraint.
Major floods have hit in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. The pattern is well-established and worth planning around.
What flooding actually means for visitors
- Old Town shops, tailors, lantern artists close for the duration
- Riverside restaurants and bars shut
- The famous nightly lantern lighting cancels
- Some hotels in the Old Town are inaccessible without wading
- Boat tours on the river get suspended
- An Bang and Cua Dai beaches close to swimmers (rip currents intensify)
Higher-ground hotels in the An Bang beach area or out toward the rice fields stay accessible during most events. Worth choosing those if your dates fall in the wet window.
The September–November pattern
September is the start of wet season build-up — rain is heavy but flooding rarely hits Old Town yet. October is when typhoon-driven rain combines with river levels rising to flood the historic district. November sees one or two late-season storms before the wet season ends.
If your dates are locked
- Late November — typhoon risk dropping fast, dry season asserting itself by month end. Worth the gamble.
- Stay at the beach — An Bang / Cua Dai hotels are above flood level. Day-trip into the Old Town when accessible.
- Reroute to Hanoi + Halong Bay — the north dries out in October while central Vietnam is still flooding.
For the full positive picture, see our best time to visit Hoi An guide.