1. Does Vietnam Use AM and PM?
Technically, Vietnamese speakers understand AM and PM, especially when they appear on digital devices, smartphones, airline tickets, and international documents. However, these abbreviations are rarely used in everyday conversations.
Instead of saying 7:00 AM or 7:00 PM, Vietnamese speakers usually add a word that indicates the time of day, such as sáng (morning), trưa (noon), chiều (afternoon), tối (evening), or đêm (night).
• 7:00 AM - 7 giờ sáng
• 12:00 PM - 12 giờ trưa
• 3:00 PM - 3 giờ chiều
• 7:00 PM - 7 giờ tối
• 11:00 PM - 11 giờ đêm
In everyday conversation, Vietnamese people also often do not use the 24-hour clock when speaking. Instead of saying 17:00 or 15:00, they usually say 5 giờ or 3 giờ and rely on the context to understand whether they mean morning, afternoon, or evening.
For example:
• Tôi tan làm lúc 5 giờ.
I finish work at 5 o'clock. (Usually understood as 5 PM because of the context.)
• Tôi thức dậy lúc 5 giờ.
I wake up at 5 o'clock. (Usually understood as 5 AM because of the context.)
• Tôi đi ngủ lúc 11 giờ.
I go to bed at 11 o'clock. (Usually understood as 11 PM.)
When there is a possibility of confusion, Vietnamese speakers add a time-of-day word, such as sáng, trưa, chiều, tối, or đêm. The 24-hour clock is mainly used in formal writing, schedules, transportation timetables, official documents, and public announcements.
Parts of the Day in Vietnamese
Vietnamese uses different words to distinguish times of the day instead of AM and PM.
• Sáng - Morning Around - 5:00 AM to before noon
• Trưa - Noon / Midday Around - 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
• Chiều - AfternoonAround - 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Tối - EveningAround - 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
• Đêm - NightAround - 10:00 PM to early morning
These time ranges are approximate, not fixed. For example, 11:30 may be described as either 11 giờ sáng or 11 giờ trưa, depending on the speaker and the situation.
The 12 Hour and 24 Hour Clock
Vietnam uses both the 12 hour and 24 hour clock systems.
The 12 hour clock is the most common in daily conversations.
Examples
• 6 giờ sáng
• 2 giờ chiều
• 8 giờ tối
The 24 hour clock is commonly used in official situations, including:
• Government documents
• School schedules
• Flight information
• Train and bus timetables
• Hospital appointments
• Television schedules
Examples
• 06:00 - Sáu giờ - 6 giờ sáng
• 14:00 - Mười bốn giờ - 2 giờ chiều
• 19:30 - Mười chín giờ ba mươi - 7 giờ 30 tối
• 22:15 - Hai mươi hai giờ mười lăm - 10 giờ 15 đêm
Basic Time Vocabulary
• Time - Thời gian
• Hour - Giờ
• Minute - Phút
• Second - Giây
• O'clock - Giờ
• Clock - Đồng hồ
• Watch - Đồng hồ đeo tay
• Alarm clock - Đồng hồ báo thức
• Timer - Đồng hồ hẹn giờ
• Stopwatch - Đồng hồ bấm giờ
• Set the clock - Chỉnh đồng hồ
• Check the time - Xem giờ
• Time zone - Múi giờ
Asking the Time
The most common question is:
• Bây giờ là mấy giờ?
What time is it?
Another natural version is:
• Mấy giờ rồi?
What time is it now?
Both expressions are widely used in everyday Vietnamese.
2. How to Read the Time in Vietnamese
Telling time in Vietnamese is straightforward once you understand a few common patterns. Unlike English, Vietnamese does not have direct equivalents for expressions such as past, to, or quarter past. Instead, speakers simply state the hour and minutes, or use a few special words such as rưỡi (half past) and kém (minutes to).
Exact Hours (O'clock)
When the time is exactly on the hour, Vietnamese simply uses giờ after the number. To emphasize that there are no minutes, you can add đúng (exactly), although this is optional.
• It's 1 o'clock - 1 giờ.
• It's 5 o'clock - 5 giờ.
• It's exactly 7 o'clock - 7 giờ đúng.
• It's exactly 12 o'clock - 12 giờ đúng.
In everyday conversation, most people simply say 7 giờ instead of 7 giờ đúng.
Minutes Past the Hour
To express minutes after the hour, Vietnamese simply says the hour followed by the minutes.
Pattern
[Hour] + giờ + [Minutes]
There is no Vietnamese word equivalent to "past."
• 3:05 - 3 giờ 5 phút
• 4:10 - 4 giờ 10 phút
• 7:20 - 7 giờ 20 phút
• 9:25 - 9 giờ 25 phút
• 11:40 - 11 giờ 40 phút
Notice that Vietnamese does not say something equivalent to ten past four. Instead, people simply read the numbers.
Half Past (Rưỡi)
The word rưỡi means half when telling time and is one of the most commonly used expressions in Vietnamese.
Instead of saying 30 minutes, native speakers usually use rưỡi.
• 4:30 - 4 giờ rưỡi
• 6:30 - 6 giờ rưỡi
• 8:30 - 8 giờ rưỡi
• 10:30 - 10 giờ rưỡi
People also understand 4 giờ 30 phút, but 4 giờ rưỡi sounds more natural in everyday speech.
Minutes To the Next Hour (Kém)
When the time is close to the next hour, Vietnamese often uses the word kém, which means minutes before the upcoming hour.
Pattern
[Next Hour] + giờ + kém + [Minutes]
• 4:55 - 5 giờ kém 5 phút
• 1:50 - 2 giờ kém 10 phút
• 7:45 - 8 giờ kém 15 phút
• 11:58 - 12 giờ kém 2 phút
In casual speech, phút is often omitted.
For example:
• 5 giờ kém 5
• 8 giờ kém 15
• 2 giờ kém 10
These expressions sound completely natural.
Quarter Past
English uses quarter past to mean 15 minutes after the hour.
Vietnamese does not have a special expression for this. People simply state the time.
• Quarter past two - 2 giờ 15 phút
• Quarter past six - 6 giờ 15 phút
• Quarter past nine - 9 giờ 15 phút
Although một phần tư literally means one quarter, it is not normally used when telling time.
Quarter To
English also uses quarter to for 15 minutes before the next hour.
Vietnamese expresses this using kém.
• Quarter to five - 5 giờ kém 15 phút
• Quarter to eight - 8 giờ kém 15 phút
• Quarter to twelve - 12 giờ kém 15 phút
This is one of the most common uses of kém.
Comparing English and Vietnamese Time Expressions
The table below shows how the two languages express common times differently.
• 3:00 - Three o'clock - 3 giờ
• 3:10 - Ten past three - 3 giờ 10 phút
• 3:15 - Quarter past three - 3 giờ 15 phút
• 3:30 - Half past three - 3 giờ rưỡi
• 3:45 - Quarter to four - 4 giờ kém 15 phút
• 3:50 - Ten to four - 4 giờ kém 10 phút
• 3:55 - Five to four - 4 giờ kém 5 phút
Common Mistakes
Many English speakers try to translate English expressions directly into Vietnamese. The examples below are grammatically possible in English but unnatural in Vietnamese.
• "Ten past six" - 6 giờ 10 phút
• "Quarter past two" - 2 giờ 15 phút
• "Half past five" translated as" - 6 giờ kém 30" 5 giờ rưỡi
• "Five and a half" - 5 giờ rưỡi
• "Quarter" translated as "một phần tư" when telling time - 15 phút hoặc giờ kém 15 phút
Everyday Examples
• The meeting starts at 9 giờ sáng.
• My lunch break is at 12 giờ trưa.
• I usually finish work at 5 giờ chiều.
• The movie begins at 7 giờ tối.
• I went to bed at 11 giờ đêm.
• The train leaves at 6 giờ rưỡi sáng.
• The store closes at 9 giờ tối.
• Please arrive before 8 giờ kém 10 phút.
3. Useful Time Expressions in Vietnamese
Besides telling the time, you'll often hear common expressions related to dates, schedules, and daily routines. Learning these phrases will help you understand everyday conversations more naturally.
• What time is it? - Bây giờ là mấy giờ?
• What time...? - Mấy giờ...?
• At what time? - Vào lúc mấy giờ?
• Around... - Khoảng...
• Exactly - Đúng
• Early - Sớm
• Late - Muộn
• On time - Đúng giờ
• Every day - Mỗi ngày
• Today - Hôm nay
• Tomorrow - Ngày mai
• Yesterday - Hôm qua
Examples
• Bạn đi làm lúc mấy giờ?
• Tôi thường dậy lúc 6 giờ sáng.
• Xe buýt đến khoảng 8 giờ.
• Cuộc họp bắt đầu đúng 9 giờ.
Types of Clocks and Timekeeping Devices
Here are the most common Vietnamese words for clocks and devices used to measure time.
• Clock - Đồng hồ
• Wall clock - Đồng hồ treo tường
• Desk clock - Đồng hồ để bàn
• Digital clock - Đồng hồ điện tử
• Watch - Đồng hồ đeo tay
• Smartwatch - Đồng hồ thông minh
• Alarm clock - Đồng hồ báo thức
• Timer - Đồng hồ hẹn giờ
• Stopwatch - Đồng hồ bấm giờ
The 24 Hour Clock in Vietnam
Although everyday conversations usually use the 12 hour system, official schedules almost always use the 24 hour clock.
You'll commonly see it on:
• Flight schedules
• Train tickets
• Bus timetables
• Hospital appointments
• School schedules
• Government documents
• Television program guides
• 08:00 - 8 giờ sáng
• 12:00 - 12 giờ trưa
• 14:30 - 2 giờ 30 chiều
• 18:45 - 6 giờ 45 tối
• 21:15 - 9 giờ 15 đêm
Sample Conversations
Asking for the Time
A: Bây giờ là mấy giờ?
B: Bây giờ là 8 giờ 20.
Asking About a Schedule
A: Cuộc họp bắt đầu lúc mấy giờ?
B: 9 giờ sáng.
Making an Appointment
A: Chúng ta gặp nhau lúc mấy giờ?
B: 2 giờ chiều được không?
A: Được.
Asking About Opening Hours
A: Ngân hàng mở cửa lúc mấy giờ?
B: 8 giờ sáng.
Tips for Learning Vietnamese Time
If you're just starting to learn Vietnamese, keep these simple tips in mind.
• Learn the numbers from 1 to 60 first.
• Memorize giờ, phút, giây, rưỡi, and kém.
• Practice reading digital clocks aloud.
• Listen to native speakers instead of translating directly from English.
• Remember that Vietnamese usually says the hour first, followed by the minutes.
Common Mistakes
Here are some mistakes that English speakers often make.
Using AM and PM in Everyday Speech
Although Vietnamese people understand AM and PM, native speakers rarely use these abbreviations in conversation.
Instead of saying:
• 7:00 AM
People normally say:
• 7 giờ sáng
Translating "Past" Directly
English uses expressions such as ten past three or quarter past five.
Vietnamese simply states the hour and the minutes.
• 3:10 - 3 giờ 10 phút
• 5:15 - 5 giờ 15 phút
Forgetting to Use Rưỡi
While 6 giờ 30 phút is correct, 6 giờ rưỡi sounds much more natural in everyday Vietnamese.
Misusing Kém
Remember that kém refers to the next hour, not the current one.
• 7:55 - 8 giờ kém 5 phút (Correct), 7 giờ kém 5 phút ✗(Incorrect)
4. Frequently Asked Questions
Does Vietnamese have words for AM and PM?
Not exactly. Vietnamese speakers usually identify the part of the day with words such as sáng, trưa, chiều, tối, and đêm instead of using AM and PM.
Is the 24 hour clock common in Vietnam?
Yes. The 24 hour clock is widely used in official schedules, transportation, schools, hospitals, and government documents. However, people usually switch to the 12 hour system in everyday conversation.
Do Vietnamese people always say "phút"?
No. In casual speech, phút is often omitted.
For example:
• 8 giờ 10
• 3 giờ 25
• 5 giờ kém 5
These expressions sound completely natural.
Is "rưỡi" more common than "30 phút"?
Yes. Native speakers usually say rưỡi when the minutes are exactly thirty.
For example:
• 7 giờ rưỡi
• 10 giờ rưỡi
instead of
• 7 giờ 30 phút
• 10 giờ 30 phút
5. Final Thoughts
Telling time in Vietnamese is much simpler than many learners expect. Instead of memorizing expressions like quarter past or ten to, focus on learning the basic patterns using giờ, phút, rưỡi, and kém. Once you're comfortable with these structures, you'll be able to understand daily conversations, read schedules, and communicate more naturally with Vietnamese speakers.