Time Zone and Business Hours in Vietnam
Vietnam is UTC+7 year-round with no daylight saving. Banks close for lunch, government offices close early, and Tết shuts everything for a week.
Vietnam runs on Indochina Time (ICT, UTC+7) all year. There is no daylight saving time, no clock change, no spring-forward weekend. The whole country is on one time zone, and that has been true since 1975.
That makes it 7 hours ahead of London winter time, 6 hours ahead of London summer time, 12 hours ahead of New York winter time, 13 hours ahead of New York summer time, and the same time as Bangkok and Jakarta.
A working life rhythm
Vietnamese days start early and break for lunch.
- Morning — productive 07:30 to 11:30
- Lunch (and nap) — 11:30 to 13:30, sometimes 14:00 in summer
- Afternoon — 13:30 to 17:30
- Evening — markets, food stalls and family time from 17:30
Schedule meetings around the lunch window. A 1pm meeting in HCMC is fine; an 11:30am meeting is not (someone is leaving for pho).
Government offices
Government offices, ministries and the immigration department:
- Mon–Fri 08:00–11:30, 13:30–16:30 (some until 17:00)
- Closed weekends
- Closed all public holidays
You must arrive at least an hour before closing for anything paperwork-related, and you should always have a backup day. Friday afternoon is the worst time to attempt anything official.
Banks
Banks operate on the same broken-by-lunch model:
- Mon–Fri 08:00–11:30, 13:30–16:30
- Saturday morning at major branches 08:00–11:30 only
- Closed Sunday
- ATMs operate 24/7
Foreign-card cash withdrawals work at ATMs around the clock. See money and banking for which banks to use.
Post offices
- Mon–Sat 07:30–17:00 (no lunch break at main branches)
- Sunday open in larger cities, closed in smaller ones
- The main HCMC and Hanoi post offices stay open until 18:00 or 19:00
EMS international shipping has its own counters and faster hours.
Restaurants
| Type | Typical hours |
|---|---|
| Pho stalls | 06:00–10:00 then often closed (breakfast only); some until 14:00 |
| Bun cha (Hanoi) | 11:00–14:00 — sells out and closes |
| Banh mi carts | 06:00–10:00 and 16:00–20:00 |
| Com tam (HCMC) | 06:00–21:00 |
| Mid-range Vietnamese restaurants | 10:00–22:00, often continuous |
| Western restaurants | 11:00–14:30 and 17:30–22:30 |
| Beer hoi (street beer corner) | 16:00–22:00 |
| Late-night street food | 18:00 till 02:00 in HCMC's District 1 and Hanoi's Tay Ho |
Street food etiquette covers how to navigate the smaller stalls.
Shops and malls
- Local shops (clothing, electronics, hardware): 08:00–21:00, no lunch break
- Malls (Vincom, Aeon, Lotte, Saigon Centre): 10:00–22:00
- Convenience stores (Circle K, GS25, FamilyMart): 24/7 in cities
- Supermarkets (Co.op, Big C, Lotte Mart, Aeon): 08:00–22:00
- Markets (Ben Thanh, Dong Xuan): 06:00–18:00, dead by 17:00
Pharmacies
- Day pharmacies — 08:00–22:00, often closed for lunch in smaller towns
- 24-hour pharmacies — at every district hospital and increasingly via chains (Pharmacity, Long Chau, An Khang)
In an emergency, the night gate of any district hospital can sell prescription drugs at night.
Tourist sites
| Site type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Hanoi) | 07:30–10:30 Tue–Thu, Sat–Sun. Closed Mon, Fri and Sep–Oct for embalming |
| Imperial Citadel of Hue | 07:00–17:30 |
| Hoi An Old Town | Always open; ticket booths 07:00–21:30 |
| Cu Chi Tunnels | 07:00–17:00 |
| Most temples | 06:00–18:00 |
| Cao Dai Holy See ceremony | Daily at 12:00 (the one you want) |
| Most museums | 08:00–11:30, 13:30–17:00 — many close Mondays |
Always check the day before. Some sites close for renovation or for state functions with little online notice.
Public holidays
Working days off for offices and banks in 2026:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan | International New Year |
| 14–22 Feb | Tết (Lunar New Year) — varies by year, the major shutdown |
| 26 Apr | Hung Kings Festival (10th day of 3rd lunar month) |
| 30 Apr | Reunification Day |
| 1 May | International Labour Day |
| 2 Sep | Vietnamese Independence Day |
| 1–2 Sep | Often a long weekend |
The 30 Apr–1 May and 2 Sep windows are the heaviest domestic travel periods after Tết. Trains, buses and beach hotels book out.
Tết — what really happens
Vietnamese Lunar New Year is the deep shutdown. From around three days before to about a week after, the country slows then stops:
- Trains and flights double-priced and full from about 10 days before
- Banks close, ATMs run dry early on, top them up beforehand
- Many restaurants and shops close 3–10 days (variable)
- Tourist sites open, but with reduced services
- Hotel prices drop in cities, rise on beaches
- Cities empty as residents go home; the Old Quarter of Hanoi is genuinely quiet for the first time all year
- The atmosphere is wonderful if you embrace it — flowers, family meals, kumquat trees on every corner
In 2026, Tết fell 17 February. In 2027 it is 6 February. If your trip overlaps, plan for it — do not stumble in.
Time zone notes for remote workers
- Vietnam morning aligns well with India and the rest of SEA.
- Vietnam afternoon overlaps Europe morning (perfect for European clients).
- Vietnam evening (after 20:00) aligns with US east-coast morning.
- US west-coast standard hours are deeply painful for Vietnam-based workers.
For a European client, mornings in Vietnam are the dead zone — schedule your gym, beach run or motorbike ride then.
Comments
No comments yet.