Peak Sun Hours in Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- March (6.2)
- Worst month
- December (4.7)
- Climate
- Tropical · 27.5°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.08 | 6.03 | 4.54 | 2.08 | 26.2 | 71 |
| Feb | 5.87 | 6.60 | 5.19 | 2.18 | 28.0 | 62 |
| Mar | 6.16 | 7.00 | 4.89 | 2.38 | 29.8 | 59 |
| Apr | 6.08 | 7.18 | 4.61 | 2.41 | 30.7 | 61 |
| May | 5.31 | 7.07 | 3.28 | 2.50 | 29.4 | 74 |
| Jun | 4.96 | 6.94 | 2.69 | 2.54 | 27.4 | 84 |
| Jul | 4.92 | 6.95 | 2.51 | 2.58 | 26.7 | 87 |
| Aug | 4.94 | 7.01 | 2.43 | 2.60 | 26.6 | 88 |
| Sep | 4.85 | 6.88 | 2.35 | 2.61 | 26.5 | 88 |
| Oct | 4.80 | 6.53 | 2.83 | 2.39 | 26.5 | 87 |
| Nov | 4.78 | 6.09 | 3.61 | 2.19 | 26.3 | 84 |
| Dec | 4.66 | 5.81 | 3.85 | 2.14 | 25.7 | 79 |
GHI, Clear-sky, DNI, DHI in kWh/m²/day. Data: NASA POWER climatology (long-term monthly averages).
Off-grid calculator
Add appliances
- Add an appliance to size a system.
Sizing
- Daily load
- 0.00 kWh
- Panel wattage
- 0 W
- Panel count (400W modules)
- 0
- Battery bank
- 0.0 kWh
Sizing against worst-month PSH of 4.66 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.2 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Ho Chi Minh City is March (spring) at 6.16 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 4.66 kWh/m²/day. When sizing a year-round off-grid system, it's standard practice to design against the December value rather than the annual average — otherwise the battery bank runs low during the darkest weeks.
Ho Chi Minh City's solar conditions are well within the range where off-grid PV is a straightforward engineering exercise with standard-sized arrays and lithium batteries.
FAQ
- What are the peak sun hours in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Ho Chi Minh City averages 5.2 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.66 in December to 6.16 in March.
- How many solar panels do I need in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Ho Chi Minh City's annual average of 5.2 kWh/m²/day, a 5 kWh/day load needs roughly 4 × 400 W panels. Use the calculator above for your actual load.
- What size battery do I need in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Sizing against Ho Chi Minh City's worst month (December, 4.66 kWh/m²/day) with 2 days of autonomy at 80% depth of discharge, a 5 kWh/day load needs about a 12.5 kWh battery bank.
- How does Ho Chi Minh City's solar resource compare globally?
- Ho Chi Minh City sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.2 kWh/m²/day — excellent by global standards. For reference, top-tier desert sites average ~6.5 and high-latitude cities around 2.5 kWh/m²/day.
- How does the wet season affect solar generation in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Ho Chi Minh City's dry-season output peaks at 6.16 kWh/m²/day in March; the wet season drops it to 4.66 in December. That ~29% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like Vietnam, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Ho Chi Minh City?
- Ho Chi Minh City swings from 6.16 kWh/m²/day in March (dry) to 4.66 in December (wet) — roughly 29%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.