# Clock time, then part of the day in Vietnamese (A1)

> Vietnamese has no a.m. or p.m. Instead, you say the hour and then the part of the day: bảy giờ sáng is 7 a.m., bảy giờ tối is 7 p.m.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/clock-then-part-of-day/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**am / pm**

Pattern: `[number] + giờ + sáng / trưa / chiều / tối`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Vietnamese has no a.m. or p.m. Instead, you say the hour and then the part of the day: *bảy giờ sáng* is 7 a.m., *bảy giờ tối* is 7 p.m. The part of the day comes after the hour, even after the minutes: *tám giờ rưỡi sáng*, half past eight in the morning. With *nay* or *mai* it can also go first: *Tối nay bảy giờ nha.* Seven tonight, OK?

The parts of the day are *sáng* (morning), *trưa* (around midday), *chiều* (afternoon), *tối* (evening) and *đêm* (night). Noon is *mười hai giờ trưa* and midnight is *mười hai giờ đêm*. The edges are loose: you'll hear both *sáu giờ chiều* and *sáu giờ tối*. For the small hours, *sáng* is common: *hai giờ sáng*.

When it's obvious, the part of the day is left out: *Mấy giờ em về?* *Bảy giờ.* When it isn't, add it, or ask: *Bảy giờ sáng hay bảy giờ tối?*

Timetables, tickets and official notices use the 24-hour clock: *19 giờ*, often written *19h*. In conversation, people usually turn it back into *bảy giờ tối*, though you'll also hear *mười chín giờ* at work or on the news.

## Examples

- Em dậy lúc sáu giờ sáng. — I get up at six in the morning.
- Mười hai giờ trưa rồi, đi ăn thôi. — It's twelve noon, let's go and eat.
- Ba giờ chiều em đi đón con. — At three in the afternoon I go and pick up my child.
- Bảy giờ sáng hay bảy giờ tối? — Seven in the morning or seven in the evening?

## Compare

- [Telling the time: giờ, rưỡi, kém](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/telling-time/): clock time

Previous in Time and when things happen: [At a time: lúc / vào lúc, vào + day](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vao-luc-at-time/)
Next in Time and when things happen: [Dates: ngày, tháng, năm in that order; mùng for the 1st to the 10th](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/dates-order/)

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