Weather & Seasons

Q: What is the weather like in your country? A: It varies considerably by region. The north has four fairly distinct seasons — a cold winter by Vietnamese standards, a hot summer — whereas the south is essentially divided between a dry season and a wet season. The centre where I'm from is arguably the most variable: typhoons in autumn, relatively mild winters, and very hot summers. Not uniform at all. Q: Which season do you like best, and why? A: Early winter in the north, which I experienced during a period I spent in Hanoi. There's a brief stretch — roughly December to January — when the temperature is genuinely cool without being cold, and the light changes quality. It's quite different from what I grew up with. I find novelty in weather more than I find it in the familiar. Q: Does the weather ever affect your mood or plans? A: More than I'd like to admit, honestly. I'm much less inclined to go out and do things on heavily overcast days, which probably costs me several productive hours a month. I've tried not to arrange important decisions or difficult conversations on days like that, after noticing the pattern enough times. Q: Do you prefer hot weather or cold weather? A: Cool to mild, if I'm allowed to dodge the binary. I function noticeably better when it's cooler — concentration improves, sleep is better, and I'm more likely to walk rather than taking transport. But extremes in either direction are just uncomfortable.