Quick answer
Enter a Gregorian birth date to get the Vietnamese lunar year, its stem-branch name, zodiac animal and nạp âm element (for example 1990 is Canh Ngọ, the Horse, with the element Lộ Bàng Thổ, Earth). People born before Tết belong to the previous lunar year: someone born on 9 February 2024 is a Cat (Quý Mão), not a Dragon, because Tết fell on 10 February 2024.
What are the zodiac year and element?
In Vietnam the zodiac year and its element still shape everyday customs: who should be the first visitor at Tết, choosing wedding dates, colours that "match" your element. The most common mistake is the year boundary, because the lunar year starts at Tết rather than on 1 January. This tool converts the birth date with an astronomical lunar calendar set to Vietnam time before looking up the 60-year cycle, so January and February birthdays come out right.
How to look up your zodiac and element
- 1
Pick “Full date of birth” and enter the Gregorian date. If you only know the year, pick “Year only”.
- 2
Read the lunar year and stem-branch name, the zodiac animal, the nạp âm element and your Vietnamese age this year.
- 3
To see how two elements relate, choose one in “Compare with element”: generating, overcoming or neutral.
- 4
Scroll to the 60-year table to look up other years; the row for your year is highlighted.
Elements of frequently asked birth years
| Lunar year | Stem-branch | Animal | Nạp âm element |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984, 1985 | Giáp Tý, Ất Sửu | Rat, Ox | Hải Trung Kim (Metal) |
| 1990, 1991 | Canh Ngọ, Tân Mùi | Horse, Goat | Lộ Bàng Thổ (Earth) |
| 1995 | Ất Hợi | Pig | Sơn Đầu Hỏa (Fire) |
| 2000, 2001 | Canh Thìn, Tân Tỵ | Dragon, Snake | Bạch Lạp Kim (Metal) |
| 2024, 2025 | Giáp Thìn, Ất Tỵ | Dragon, Snake | Phú Đăng Hỏa (Fire) |
| 2026, 2027 | Bính Ngọ, Đinh Mùi | Horse, Goat | Thiên Hà Thủy (Water) |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table →
Each nạp âm element covers two consecutive years, so the 60-year cycle has 30 of them, six per element.
The generating and overcoming cycles
| Element | Generates | Generated by | Overcomes | Overcome by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal | Water | Earth | Wood | Fire |
| Water | Wood | Metal | Fire | Earth |
| Wood | Fire | Water | Earth | Metal |
| Fire | Earth | Wood | Metal | Water |
| Earth | Metal | Fire | Water | Wood |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table →
Examples
Born 9 February 2024
Tết of the Dragon year was 10 February 2024, so this person is still a Cat (Quý Mão, Kim Bạch Kim).
Born in 1990
Lunar 1990 is Canh Ngọ, the Horse, with the element Lộ Bàng Thổ (earth by the roadside). In 2026 their Vietnamese age is 37.
Water and Wood
Water generates Wood: a supportive pairing in folk belief.
Born 1 January 2000
Tết 2000 was on 5 February, so this date is still in the Rabbit year Kỷ Mão 1999, element Thành Đầu Thổ.
Common mix-ups
- Using the Gregorian year for a January or early-February birthday.
- The lunar year changes at Tết (between 21 January and 20 February). Enter the full date so the tool can convert it.
- Confusing the nạp âm element with the animal's element.
- The Horse branch belongs to Fire, yet the year Canh Ngọ 1990 has the nạp âm element Earth. When Vietnamese people ask your “mệnh”, they usually mean the nạp âm.
- Working out Vietnamese age as this year minus birth year.
- Vietnamese age counts the birth year as 1 and goes up at Tết: current lunar year − birth lunar year + 1.
- Treating an overcoming pair as incompatible.
- This is folk tradition; practitioners weigh many other factors. Don't base big decisions on it.
Stems, branches and the 60-year cycle
Each lunar year is named by one of 10 heavenly stems and one of 12 earthly branches. Both advance every year, so names repeat after 60 years (the least common multiple of 10 and 12): 1984 and 2044 are both Giáp Tý.
The Vietnamese zodiac has the Cat (Mão) instead of the Rabbit and the Buffalo/Ox (Sửu). The animal depends only on the branch.
What nạp âm means
Nạp âm assigns each pair of consecutive years in the cycle an element with an image, such as Hải Trung Kim (gold in the sea) or Phú Đăng Hỏa (fire of the oil lamp). The table is fixed and the tool uses the version printed in Vietnamese almanacs.
The birth date is converted with Hồ Ngọc Đức's Vietnamese lunar calendar algorithm at UTC+7, the same one used by our lunar calendar converter, so results match calendars printed in Vietnam even in years when Vietnamese and Chinese New Year differ.
A note on use
Zodiac signs and elements are cultural tradition, shown here for reference. The tool does not offer fortune-telling or advice.
Glossary
- Can chi
- Stem-branch name of a year (also of months, days and hours), for example Bính Ngọ.
- Nạp âm
- The element and image assigned to each pair of years in the 60-year cycle.
- Five elements
- Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth, linked by a generating cycle and an overcoming cycle.
- Tuổi mụ
- Vietnamese age: you are 1 in the year you are born and gain a year at each Tết.
Frequently asked questions
Which animal am I if I was born before Tết?
The previous lunar year's animal. Born on 25 January 2025, before Tết on 29 January, you are still a Dragon (Giáp Thìn).
What is 2026?
The lunar year 2026 (from 17 February 2026) is Bính Ngọ, the Horse, with the nạp âm element Thiên Hà Thủy (Water).
Is this the same as the feng shui “cung phi”?
No. Nạp âm depends only on the birth year; cung phi also depends on gender. This tool shows nạp âm.
How much older is my Vietnamese age?
Usually one year more than your actual age, and two more between Tết and your Gregorian birthday.
Which years are supported?
1900 to 2100, the range of the lunar calendar algorithm.
How accurate is it?
Stem-branch names and nạp âm come from a fixed table, and the lunar year is computed astronomically to match Vietnamese calendars. Compatibility meanings are folk belief.
Ratings and comments
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