March starts the burning season in Northern Thailand.

I have been told that southern Thailand is fine air quality wise during this time.

Is this so?

If my memory serves me fairly well, I think burning in Indonesia mainly takes place in Jan.

Is this correct?

What about Cambodia and Laos?

I am told that most if not all of Vietnam is fine during March/April.

Anyone know for sure?

Myanmar?

Thanks.

I am thinking of taking a trip somewhere in SE Asia for most of March, as I live in Chiang Rai, and I don't want to go from one smoky area to another.

Gasp, choke...."Here.....in.....Northern.....<cough, cough, cough>....Thailand"....arghhhh!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/879040-smoke-smog-dust-2016-chiang-mai/

"I am told that most if not all of Vietnam is fine during March/April."

You'd think with the incredible heat and temperature gradients Vietnam on the coast can't - surely - be that bad.

u name a day and theyll be burning some crap inc plastics rubber etc etc ahhhhhhh breath that country air!!!

In northern Thailand the burning season lasts roughly October to May. More specifically air quality plummets several days after the rains stop and stays bad until the rains start. It's all because things burn better when dry. While March usually has the most hazardous air to breath, other months like February this year were awful and made the news multiple times. Also noteworthy that dry spells even in the middle of the rainy season will see burning ramp up and cause noticeably decreased air quality as well.

The air is now bad all year round,

Burning of agricultural fields takes place during the dry season of the respective region. So across Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand) it is from Dec-April and in Indonesia it is from July-Oct. Hope this helps. The actual air condition obviously depends on local climate/weather conditions. So if you have mountainous area and high pressure weather and no wind, you can get at times bad air from burning. Hope this helps.

"I am told that most if not all of Vietnam is fine during March/April."

You'd think with the incredible heat and temperature gradients Vietnam on the coast can't - surely - be that bad.

This is the best time of the year in the Southern Region and Coastal area's...............burning season?? its pretty much all year round in the Delta, whenever they cut the rice and prepare the fields for the next crop, could be 2 (and sometimes) 3 a year depending on the flooding. They predict this may be a 3 crop year because of the drought in Thailand & Cambodia and they won't open their dams to allow excess water to escape - we shall see. I normally run to the East Coast, Phan Tiet, Nha Trang or Mui Ne when it gets too bad, I like Dalat as well, but it gets boring after a week or so.

Currently they are burning cane field's in khon kaen. Wind is usually going s/w.so away from Laos. I hate it.good luck

I haven't seen the sky for 2 months in sukhothai.