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Dear Hanoians,
I've been offered a job with an NGO in Hanoi (from Canada), so I've been reading up. My question is: how bad are the winters in Hanoi? I've been reading some real winter horror stories, about mold growing on everything, houses with no heating, and feeling like you're camping all the time, because everything is wet and cold inside the house. Is that everyone's experience?
I'm really allergic to mold and mildew, so I'm worried about having to live in a moldy building, and being cold all the time.
Is there anything I can do to make those winter conditions more liveable? Is mold likely to be a big issue, with my allergies? Do people buy space heaters? Can you rent affordable apartments that do have central heating? What do you do?
Thanks for any info! :-)
answered about 15 months ago by Timbaf2000
It's not that bad and it's not that cold ! don't worry the worst thing in winter is that it is very dry .
answered about 15 months ago by Dratman
For the love of god ...your a canadian ..suck it up. There is no such thing as central heating in vietnamese houses. I went thru a Hanoian winter and I was wearing shorts and t shirt most time. Well one long sleeve shirt actually, but mostly shorts. And I am from Vancouver. The coldest in hanoi last year it didn't get below 8'C at night. Warm and nice and dry during the days. Can get chilly if your riding a motorbike as the wind chill is nasty...but only at nite. OH yeah the mold and milldew doesn't arive til march and april...and man is it bad. Which is why you high tail-it to south vietnam, thailand or malaysia.
answered about 15 months ago by alpha
We also need to remember that last year was unseasonably dry. That two months of dry air and blue skies we had from mid-November to mid-January last year isn't always like that. Things are considerably more damp post-Tet, but they aren't always dry before that either. As Dratman says, temperature should not be a problem. It rarely drops below 10'C, though it can be a little disorienting to westerns to come inside and find it just as chilly as it was outside. The only experience that comes close to "cold" is when it's about 10 or 12 out with a fine mist falling and you're driving across town on a motorbike. In those situations, gloves and a jacket are much preferred. If you've got a pretty serious mold/mildew allergy, you're going to need to get a dehumidifier as soon as you arrive. The walls will grow mold on them in the winter and spring, and good luck ever getting your clothes to dry. Personally, I like the winter. It's the summers that get me down...
answered about 15 months ago by madamewoo
Hi everyone, thanks for the info! Is it easy to buy a humidifier in Hanoi? Can one also buy a space heater? Yep, I must confess that I'm a bit wimpy about cold for a Canadian. What worries me the most is houses not having any heating. It gets quite cold in Canada, but at least you have nice toasty houses to come home to. :-) I lived in Bangkok last year, and can deal with high 30s temperatures just fine, but somehow cold just makes me miserable. What do people do to prevent mold in their houses, apart from dehumidifiers? Is it possible? Thanks!
answered about 15 months ago by Mike
I'm with you madamewoo.... cold makes me miseeable... and Ha Noi in winter makes me even more miserable..... its the grey skies and low cloud that get me down!!! In my humble opinion, dehumidifiers not a lot of use if you are stuck in a moldy house... I have alleries to mold. Best prevention I have found is to find a dry house facing in the right direction and with plenty of light... often a challenge in Ha Noi. Over ten years and a few houses in Ha Noi have spent a lot of time looking at these factors in choosing a house, and have NEVER had a mold problem and have never purchased a dehumidifier. Only exeption is the temperture/humidity controlled cure room I use in my handmade natural soap making business!!!
Thanks for your answer Mike! It's good to hear from someone who also has allergies. My big problem is: I think my housing is provided by the organisation I'll be working with in Hanoi (a university), so I don't know if I'll have a lot of choice in the matter. Does your average housing in Hanoi have mold? Thanks for answering so many questions from a hopefully soon-to-be New Hanoian. :-)
The third floor flat I live in now manages to stay fairly mold/mildew free...with the exception of clothes that's hung up to dry. They always need a fan. The (lakeside) villa I lived in before, on the other hand, was a regular petri dish. Getting off the ground floor and away from large bodies of standing water seems to help. The effectiveness of dehumidifiers is, admittedly, limited. The people I've known who made them work used them in single rooms that were better sealed than most Vietnamese buildings. If you've got the common loosely fitted windows and doors, you'll just be dumping out buckets of water without much noticeable effect. If you have a bedroom that is fairly well sealed, you can a least get some relief at night (what several of my friends said helped them get through it), and it will give you a place to dry your clothes. Hope it helps, and we'll be looking for you in the near future.
answered about 15 months ago by cheapie
To add to the above, yes you can buy space heaters - in the winter you see a lot of locals use them in the shops and things. Yes, you can also buy a dehumidifier. You probably can buy a humidifier too, but I don't know if you want one or if it's a typo above. The dehumidifier selection in town is limited. Best bet and a good value would be for you to shop at the Hapro duty free mart on Giang Vo/Lang Ha going away from the city. I don't have the address handy, but it's a block long government owned market. Giang Vo is a big wide street that becomes Lang Ha, another big wide street. There are dehumidifiers for $150-250, depending on the size. Note that you can buy stuff duty-free within 5 days of coming into Vietnam from overseas - so do your shopping early to save those tax payments. As for the mold/mildew thing - it's basically a by product of the building method here. Everything is pretty much bricks and concrete, with no efforts at having a seal / vapor barrier. So if you live on the lower levels of buildings, the moisture just comes through the walls. Everything being equal, you would want a higher floor. The construction method also gives you that old world draft in the house. There is basically no insulation in any of the houses here, whether in an old villa or in the newish foreign built high rises.
Hi Cheapie, thanks for the info! It's really good to know about the 5-day duty free! I'll make sure to take advantage of that. :-) I'll probably get a space heater too. What you write about construction methods is interesting. So even the new houses aren't better with respect to humidity? I guess I'll try to get a high floor. thanks!
I don't think the new houses are any better - both 20-story apartment towers and $3500/m villas. If it's indoors and you're nice and comfortable, that means the AC is cranked up. Oh, about the duty thing. Each incoming person has a total duty-free voucher amount. I don't remember what it is, but it's reasonably high - like $500USD or so. If you finished buying everything you need and have unused amounts, either the few locals milling about the store or the store clerks would be glad to make use of the credit. Just offer it to them to make an instant friend (you buy stuff for them, they pay for the stuff with cash then and there). Everyone wants to get one over on the man, the world over. p.s. the Hapro Mart is on Giang Vo, one block east of the Giang Vo convention center (which is the intersection of Giang Vo and La Thanh streets).
answered about 15 months ago by Chunnie
The weather is actually quite nice so you don't have to worry. It's not as bitter as I thought when I first came. Also, most of the air-conditioners here function as heaters and dehumidifiers as the same time so it's "all-in-one". If you stay in a reputable serviced apartment, all these would be taken care of. :)
answered about 15 months ago by KandA
Nothing like the weather to get everyone talking. What interests me is the duty free voucher business. Is this a Canadian/Vietnamese thing or does it extend to the land "down under" for when we leave and then return. How does one get to beat the tax man?
