Qibla · Ca Mau
Qibla direction in Giá Rai
To face the Kaaba in Giá Rai, turn to 289.4° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (19.4° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 7,121 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Giá Rai should follow.
The compass rose shows the Qibla of Giá Rai as a needle at 289.4°. With a phone app set to true north, simply turn until it reads 289°. A traditional magnetic compass also works, provided you allow for the local difference between magnetic and true north.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Giá Rai
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 19.4° towards north: the result is the bearing of 289.4°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 19° off.
The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Giá Rai, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Giá Rai to Mecca points to 280.9° (west), 8.5° away from the correct 289.4°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 32 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
The value of 289.4° is the direction in which the shortest route from 9.2344° N, 105.4583° E sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.
Distance from Giá Rai to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 7,121 km from Giá Rai as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 7,147 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 53 min, although most pilgrims from Giá Rai connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Giá Rai run 4 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Giá Rai rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Giá Rai
On 87 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Giá Rai while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in August (28 days); for example, on 15 April 2027 it happens at 12:04 local time.
On 152 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in March (31 days), for instance on 1 February 2027 at 07:05.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | 07:05 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 08:13 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 09:12 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 10:06 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 11:10 |
| 15 April 2027 | 12:04 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 13:10 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 14:18 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 14:11 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 13:04 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 11:48 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 10:48 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 09:39 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 08:38 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 07:22 |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Giá Rai: at 16:18 and 16:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Giá Rai compared with other cities
Compared with Hanoi, 1,312 km away, the Qibla in Giá Rai is turned 5.9° further clockwise (289.4° against 283.6°), and Mecca is 334 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Bạc Liêu (30 km), prays towards 289.4°, the same bearing to the tenth of a degree.
Across the 98 cities in Vietnam on this site, the Qibla ranges from 282.3° in Lao Cai to 289.4° in Ca Mau, a spread of 7.2°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.
See all cities on the Qibla page for Vietnam.
Qibla in cities near Giá Rai
Qibla in Giá Rai: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Giá Rai?
It is 289.4° from true north, which is west: 19.4° north of west.
How far is Giá Rai from Mecca?
7,121 km in a straight line over the globe, and 7,147 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Giá Rai?
On 87 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Giá Rai not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 280.9°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Giá Rai at 289.4°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 289.4° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.