Lịch Âm Việt
Can Chi Explained: How to Find Your Vietnamese Zodiac Year
· 5 min read
Can Chi is the traditional Vietnamese way of naming years, months, days and hours. Each name pairs one of 10 Can (heavenly stems) with one of 12 Chi (earthly branches), the branches being the 12 zodiac animals. 2026 is Bính Ngọ (Horse) and 2027 is Đinh Mùi (Goat).
You’ll meet Can Chi when relatives ask “tuổi gì?” (“which year were you born in?”), on Tết greetings, and on wedding or giỗ invitations. You can work out any year’s Can Chi with two small calculations: the last digit of the year gives the stem, and the remainder after dividing by 12 gives the branch.
The 10 stems and 12 branches
Can (heavenly stems): Giáp, Ất, Bính, Đinh, Mậu, Kỷ, Canh, Tân, Nhâm, Quý.
Chi (earthly branches) and their animals in the Vietnamese zodiac:
| Chi | Animal | Chi | Animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tý | Rat | Ngọ | Horse |
| Sửu | Buffalo | Mùi | Goat |
| Dần | Tiger | Thân | Monkey |
| Mão (Mẹo) | Cat | Dậu | Rooster |
| Thìn | Dragon | Tuất | Dog |
| Tỵ | Snake | Hợi | Pig |
Note the Cat: where the Chinese zodiac has the Rabbit, Vietnam has the Cat. Sửu is normally the water Buffalo rather than the Ox.
Pair the first stem with the first branch (Giáp Tý), the second with the second (Ất Sửu), and so on. Because 10 and 12 share a factor, you only get 60 combinations before returning to Giáp Tý. This 60-step cycle is called Lục thập hoa giáp, and it’s why a Can Chi year comes back every 60 years: 1966 and 2026 are both Bính Ngọ.
Step 1: the stem from the last digit
| Last digit | Can | Last digit | Can |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Canh | 5 | Ất |
| 1 | Tân | 6 | Bính |
| 2 | Nhâm | 7 | Đinh |
| 3 | Quý | 8 | Mậu |
| 4 | Giáp | 9 | Kỷ |
1990 ends in 0, so its stem is Canh. 2027 ends in 7, so its stem is Đinh.
Step 2: the branch from the remainder after dividing by 12
| Remainder | Chi | Remainder | Chi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Thân (Monkey) | 6 | Dần (Tiger) |
| 1 | Dậu (Rooster) | 7 | Mão (Cat) |
| 2 | Tuất (Dog) | 8 | Thìn (Dragon) |
| 3 | Hợi (Pig) | 9 | Tỵ (Snake) |
| 4 | Tý (Rat) | 10 | Ngọ (Horse) |
| 5 | Sửu (Buffalo) | 11 | Mùi (Goat) |
Worked examples:
- 1990: 1990 = 12 × 165 + 10. Remainder 10 is Ngọ. With Canh: Canh Ngọ, Year of the Horse.
- 2027: 2027 = 12 × 168 + 11. Remainder 11 is Mùi. With Đinh: Đinh Mùi, Year of the Goat.
- 1999: 1999 = 12 × 166 + 7. Remainder 7 is Mão. With Kỷ: Kỷ Mão, Year of the Cat.
Shortcut without dividing: start from a year you know (2024 was Giáp Thìn, the Dragon) and count forwards or back through the 12 animals.
Can Chi of some years
Computed with the lunar calendar library used on lichamviet.com:
| Year | Can Chi | Animal | Year | Can Chi | Animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Ất Dậu | Rooster | 2000 | Canh Thìn | Dragon |
| 1954 | Giáp Ngọ | Horse | 2023 | Quý Mão | Cat |
| 1968 | Mậu Thân | Monkey | 2024 | Giáp Thìn | Dragon |
| 1975 | Ất Mão | Cat | 2025 | Ất Tỵ | Snake |
| 1985 | Ất Sửu | Buffalo | 2026 | Bính Ngọ | Horse |
| 1990 | Canh Ngọ | Horse | 2027 | Đinh Mùi | Goat |
The year changes at Tết, not 1 January
This is the most common mistake. A Can Chi year is a lunar year that starts on the first day of Tết:
- Tết of Bính Ngọ was 17 February 2026. Someone born on 10 February 2026 was born in Ất Tỵ (Snake).
- Tết of Đinh Mùi is 6 February 2027. 2 February 2027 is still the 26th day of the 12th month of Bính Ngọ.
- Someone born on 20 January 1985 was born on the 30th day of the 12th month of Giáp Tý, not Ất Sửu, because Tết 1985 was on 21 January.
If you were born in January or February, convert your birthday to the lunar date first with the solar to lunar converter (in Vietnamese). For the Tết dates of recent years, see Tết 2027, and for why a Chinese source can disagree in years like 1985, see Vietnamese vs Chinese lunar calendar.
Months, days and hours
Months. The 1st lunar month (tháng Giêng) is always a Dần month, the 2nd is Mão, and so on to the 12th (tháng Chạp), which is Sửu. The stem of the 1st month depends on the year’s stem:
| Year stem | 1st month is |
|---|---|
| Giáp, Kỷ | Bính Dần |
| Ất, Canh | Mậu Dần |
| Bính, Tân | Canh Dần |
| Đinh, Nhâm | Nhâm Dần |
| Mậu, Quý | Giáp Dần |
So in Đinh Mùi (2027) the 1st month is Nhâm Dần, the 2nd Quý Mão, and the 12th Quý Sửu.
Days. Days run in the same 60-step cycle, without any break for months or years. 17 October 2026 is a Giáp Tý day, so 60 days later, 16 December 2026, is Giáp Tý again. Working this out by hand needs Julian day numbers, so in practice people look it up.
Hours. Each two-hour period has a fixed branch (Tý is 23:00 to 01:00, Sửu 01:00 to 03:00, and so on), and the day’s branch decides which of them are the giờ hoàng đạo (auspicious hours). See auspicious hours explained.
Where to see Can Chi
- Lịch Âm Việt app: the day card on the Trang chủ (Home) tab shows “Năm Bính Ngọ, Tháng Mậu Tuất, Ngày Giáp Tý” (year, month, day) for the selected date. The large iPhone calendar widget shows it too, and on Mac and Windows it’s in the menu bar or tray tooltip.
- Website: the today’s lunar date page (in Vietnamese) shows today’s Can Chi.
FAQ
What year is 2026 in the Vietnamese zodiac?
Bính Ngọ, the Year of the Horse. The lunar year Bính Ngọ started at Tết on 17 February 2026.
What year is 2027?
Đinh Mùi, the Year of the Goat, starting at Tết on 6 February 2027.
I was born in January. Which year's Can Chi do I use?
The Can Chi year changes at Tết, not on 1 January. If you were born before Tết, you belong to the previous lunar year. For example, 20 January 1985 is the 30th day of the 12th month of Giáp Tý, not Ất Sửu.
How often does a Can Chi year repeat?
Every 60 years. 1966 and 2026 are both Bính Ngọ.
How is the Vietnamese zodiac different from the Chinese one?
The Vietnamese zodiac has the Cat instead of the Rabbit for Mão, and the Buffalo for Sửu. The stems and branches themselves are the same.
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