Thailand and Vietnam Are Having a Moment this Summer

The single most important thing to understand about Thailand in summer is that the country has two coastlines and they operate on opposite monsoon schedules. The Andaman Coast, meaning Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi Island, and Koh Lanta, is wet from May through October. Plan a Phuket beach holiday in July and you will see red flags, canceled ferries, and choppy water that strongly discourages the activity you came for.

The Gulf of Thailand coast, running through Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao, runs its rainy season from October through December. In July and August, it's sunny, seas are calm, and the islands are running low-season pricing on what is effectively high-season weather. This is a structural arbitrage that rewards travelers who read past the headline.

Koh Samui averages 85-86°F in summer with mostly sunny skies and serviceable beaches. Hotel rates run from $18 a night for budget bungalows up through mid-range resorts at fractions of what you'd pay for comparable quality in the Maldives. Koh Tao, the smallest of the three and the one most serious about diving, runs PADI Open Water certifications for roughly $250-300, among the most competitive rates in the world. It's a three-hour ferry from Koh Samui and makes a clean pairing.

Bangkok in summer is something else. Daily highs run 91-93°F in June with humidity that adds another ten degrees of perceived experience, and afternoon rain arrives around 3 p.m. with the reliability of a scheduled event. The city has adapted to this arrangement with what amounts to a fully air-conditioned parallel civilization. The BTS Skytrain threads most major neighborhoods. Shopping malls operate as de facto public cooling centers, and no one is embarrassed about using them as such, which is sensible.

The temples are best before 10 a.m. The Grand Palace complex(500 baht, roughly $14, ticket sales close at 3:30 p.m.) and adjacent Wat Pho(home to a 46-meter reclining Buddha, 300 baht, open until 6:30 p.m.) sit across the street from each other and account for most of the essential Bangkok temple experience. Both have strict dress codes requiring covered shoulders and knees. Clothing rental is available at the Grand Palace entrance for 200 baht if your packing leaned entirely toward beach attire, which is a common and predictable oversight. Bangkok's Chinatown, Yaowarat Road specifically, operates around the clock regardless of the weather, because the vendors have been making street food in the rain since before tourism existed.

For hotels in Bangkok, summer rates make previously aspirational options reasonable. The Shangri-La Bangkok sits on the Chao Phraya River with two pools, five restaurants, and unobstructed river views from upper floors. The Hotel Icon Bangkok in Sukhumvit offers 78 bright, spacious rooms and a rooftop pool with skyline views, at rates more in keeping with what most people actually plan to spend.

Americans enter Thailand visa-free for 60 days. The one requirement is completing the Thailand Digital Arrival Card(TDAC) online within 72 hours of arrival. It takes about 10 minutes and costs nothing. There are third-party websites that will charge you for this service. They are not affiliated with the Thai government and you do not need them.

Vietnam runs 1,600 kilometers north to south with three distinct climate zones, and travelers who treat it as a single destination usually end up standing in the wrong kind of rain. Hanoi and the north are hot and wet in summer. Ho Chi Minh City and the south are in full wet season from May through October. Central Vietnam, covering Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue, has its dry season from February through August. Temperatures hit 88°F in July with mostly clear skies and calm seas. Summer is their best weather window.

Hoi An's Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site that survived the twentieth century without being redeveloped, which is a rarer achievement than it sounds. The economy runs on tailors, cooking classes, lantern-lit markets, and a localized noodle called cao lau that the restaurants will tell you can only be made using water from a single ancient well in town. This claim is asserted with a conviction that earns some points regardless of its verifiability.

An Bang Beach, fifteen minutes by bicycle from the town center, offers beach bars and hammocks at prices that make the math feel generous. At golden hour in summer, Hoi An is lit in a way that justifies every photograph taken of it.

Da Nang, 30 minutes north of Hoi An, works as a more practical base for travelers who want beach access and city infrastructure. The airport handles international arrivals, hotels run competitively, and the road between Da Nang and Hoi An is easy. Use it accordingly.

For lodging in Hoi An, Ha An Hotel occupies a restored colonial building two blocks from the Japanese Bridge in the Ancient Town. Twenty-four rooms, a lantern-lit courtyard with hammocks, breakfast included. Rates are genuinely reasonable. Within walking distance of town, Royal Riverside Hoi An is a clean four-pearl boutique with river views, a partly covered pool, and a solid free breakfast included in all rates. Travelers wanting to stay beachside have Boutique Hoi An Resort on Cua Dai Beach, with direct beach access, an infinity pool, and a quiet atmosphere that skews toward couples who've earned a vacation rather than a party.

Vietnam runs 20-30% cheaper than Thailand on daily costs. Clean, well-reviewed hotels in Hoi An run $20-40 a night. Street food and market meals are a few dollars. Domestic flights between Hanoi and Da Nang come in around $26-38 one way on Vietnamese carriers. For those who find train travel romantic, the Reunification Express between Hanoi and Da Nang takes roughly 16 hours. Decide in advance which traveler you are.

Americans need a visa for Vietnam. The e-visa costs $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entries, valid for up to 90 days, and is processed entirely online through the official Vietnamese government portal in 3-5 business days. Apply at least two weeks before departure. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your passport. A discrepancy as minor as a missing middle name has caused documented entry problems, and the process cannot be corrected retroactively once you're at the airport. The U.S. Embassy has no jurisdiction over Vietnamese visa decisions, which they will tell you directly and with sympathy.

Round-trip fares from the US to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) run $628-900 in summer, with September slightly cheaper than July. Routes to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City run $650-1,000 for comparable itineraries. Most connections route through Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, or Kuala Lumpur; Los Angeles to Bangkok averages around 20 hours total travel time. Set fare alerts on Airfarewatchdog for both Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK), Bangkok's secondary airport, which regularly turns up lower fares on different carriers.

The flights are long. They've always been long. That is what noise-canceling headphones, the in-flight movie queue, and the knowledge that your hotel in Hoi An costs $28 are for.

Europe will still be there next year, at approximately the same price.

Editor's Note: All entry requirements and visa fees reflect conditions as of June 2026. Policies change. Confirm current requirements through the U.S. Embassy in Thailand and the official Vietnam e-visa portal before booking.