Vietnamese Zodiac Animals

It has become 2025. In Vietnam, the Vietnamese New Year is approaching its end, so there is still a little time left until January 1st (January 29th in the Gregorian calendar). This year’s zodiac animal is the Snake, just like in Japan, Vietnam also has twelve zodiac animals. In this article, we will talk about the Vietnamese zodiac animals.

The twelve animals of Vietnam and Japan

The basic concept of the twelve animals is the same in both Japan and Vietnam, but there are zodiac signs that differ from those common in each country. The twelve animals that differ from Japan are: "Ushi (cow)" → "Water buffalo," "Usa (rabbit)" → "Cat," "Sheep" → "Goat," "Hai (wild boar)" → "Pig." Although they differ, they are all animals that are somewhat similar. There are various theories about why "Usa (rabbit)" → "Cat" differs so clearly from "Ushi (cow)." There are various theories about why this is so, such as that when zodiac signs were transmitted from China to Vietnam, the pronunciation of the Chinese word for rabbit was similar to the pronunciation of the Vietnamese word for cat, so cats became the zodiac signs that were most commonly used by Vietnamese people.

Is there a lot of piglets in the pig year?

The Vietnamese Pig Year is said to bring good luck and fortune, and especially boys born in that year are said to bring wealth. Therefore, many Vietnamese people make children during this year, and the timing of the Pig Year brings about a phenomenon where a baby boom occurs compared to other years. It is said that in the past, if a birth occurred at the very last moment before the year changed, doctors would adjust it with a cesarean section or other procedures to ensure the baby was born during the Pig Year. However, nowadays, obstetricians generally refuse to perform any artificial procedures that would put mothers and babies at risk.

Opportunities to be mindful of the zodiac in everyday life

Both Japan and Vietnam mainly focus on zodiac signs in the beginning of the new year. Once the New Year period is over, there will be no more opportunities to see decorations featuring the zodiac signs of that year, and people will probably not even consciously notice them. If it’s a year of a zodiac that doesn’t exist in Japan, it might be that they just don’t realize it’s a decoration inspired by the twelve animals and just pass it off as a coincidence. By the way, most people in Vietnam don’t even know that Japan has zodiac signs, so if you bring up the topic of zodiac signs or the differences between the twelve animals in Vietnam and Japan, they might be more interested in hearing about it. Since it’s the beginning of the new year, why not try having a little chat with a Vietnamese person about zodiac signs as a way to start something?

@Tiemdieuuoc

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