What is the time zone in Vietnam? How does the time difference between Vietnam and some countries in the world vary?
What is the time zone in Vietnam? How does the time difference between Vietnam and some countries in the world vary?
The time zone in Vietnam is the 7th time zone according to the Decision No. 121-CP of 1967, which was amended by the Decision No. 134/2002/QD-TTg on the calendar calculation and management of the state calendar as follows:
Vietnam adopts the 7th time zone of the international time zone system as its official time. Therefore, Vietnam is in the 7th time zone. This time zone coincides with the time zones of neighboring countries such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
Before adopting the unified use of the 7th time zone (GMT+7), Vietnam used a total of 4 different time zones. These were UTC+7, UTC+8, and UTC+9, which were based on the French time zones.
*Time difference between Vietnam and some countries in the world:
Time difference between Vietnam and the United States: The average time zone in the United States is GMT-5. Compared to Vietnam's GMT+7 time zone, the time difference between Vietnam and the United States is 12 hours.
Time difference between Vietnam and Asian countries:
Time difference between Vietnam and Thailand, Cambodia, Laos: Vietnam shares the same time zone with these countries, which is UTC+7.
Time difference between Vietnam and Japan: The time zone in Tokyo is GMT+9, so Japan is 2 hours ahead of Vietnam.
Time difference between Vietnam and South Korea: Similar to Japan, South Korea's time zone is GMT+9, so the time difference between Vietnam and South Korea is 2 hours.
Time difference between Vietnam and China: Despite its large territory, China actually uses only GMT+8 as its time zone, which is 1 hour ahead of Vietnam.
Time difference between Vietnam and Russia: Russia uses GMT+3 as its time zone, so there is a 4-hour time difference between Vietnam and Russia, with Vietnam being ahead of Russia.
Time difference between Vietnam and European countries:
Time difference between Vietnam and the United Kingdom: The time in the UK is considered the standard time according to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+00). Therefore, Vietnam is 7 hours ahead of the UK. For example, when it is 10 PM in the UK, it is 5 AM the next day in Vietnam.
Time difference between Vietnam and Germany: Germany uses GMT+1 as its time zone, so there is a 6-hour time difference between Vietnam and Germany.
What is the time zone in Vietnam?
What are the current regulations regarding the Gregorian calendar in Vietnam?
The current regulations regarding the Gregorian calendar in Vietnam are as follows:
According to Section 2, Part II of Decision No. 121-CP of 1967:
Decision No. 121-CP of 1967 affirms that the Gregorian calendar is the official calendar used in state agencies, political, economic, cultural, and social organizations in Vietnam. It is also used in transactions between the state and the people and in transactions with foreign countries.
Currently, state agencies (administrative, judicial, specialized) and organizations at all levels commonly use the Gregorian calendar. However, there are still some sectors and certain activities that have not fully embraced the Gregorian calendar and still record dates based on the lunar calendar or use both the lunar and Gregorian calendars. The main disadvantage is the planning of production, particularly in agricultural seasonal timing based on the lunar calendar. This situation needs to be addressed, and agricultural planning should completely abandon the lunar calendar.
Decision No. 121-CP of 1967 requires the use of the Gregorian calendar in official documents and paperwork between state agencies and the people (such as letters, contracts between the people and the state, etc.).
As for the lunar calendar, the decision confirms its use for determining ethnic festivals, some historical commemorative days, and traditional ceremonies. Therefore, the current lunar-based holidays are still observed. Among them, there are purely lunar dates that can only be calculated using the lunar calendar, such as Lunar New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the full moon of the eighth lunar month, etc. However, historical dates like the death anniversary of Hung Kings or the anniversary of the Trung Sisters may be converted to the Gregorian calendar in the future to align with the calculation of official holidays.
Therefore, the lunar calendar is only used for determining certain traditional holidays, while collective and public activities can be calculated entirely based on the Gregorian calendar.
What are the current regulations on the lunar calendar in Vietnam?
Regarding the regulations on the lunar calendar in Vietnam, as stated in Section 3, Part II of Decision No. 121-CP of 1967 by the Meteorological Department guiding the use of the Gregorian calendar in Vietnam:
Decision No. 121-CP of 1967 introduced changes in calculating the lunar calendar to better align with the position of Vietnam. The lunar calendar should now be based on the official time of Vietnam to accurately determine the appearance of the moon in the country. The previous calculation method could result in a discrepancy of one day for the first day of the lunar month when there was no moon. Therefore, lunar months, leap months, leap years, and other calendar elements may differ from the old calendars.
According to the government's decision, all existing lunar calendars in Vietnam cannot be used to calculate lunar dates starting from January 1, 1968. The calendar used as the basis for determining major annual holidays will be determined by the Meteorological Department, following the guidelines stated in Decision No. 121-CP of 1967.
This amendment paves the way for lunar calendar calculations in Vietnam to become a scientific task closely linked to advancements in astronomy both domestically and globally.
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