Qibla · Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)
Qibla direction in Ho Chi Minh City
To face the Kaaba in Ho Chi Minh City, turn to 288.7° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (18.7° north of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 7,185 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Ho Chi Minh City should follow.
The compass rose shows the Qibla of Ho Chi Minh City as a needle at 288.7°. 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 Ho Chi Minh City
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 18.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 288.7°. 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 Ho Chi Minh City, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of one of the mosques of Ho Chi Minh City 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 Ho Chi Minh City to Mecca points to 279.4° (west), 9.3° away from the correct 288.7°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 36 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 288.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 10.8230° N, 106.6297° 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 Ho Chi Minh City to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 7,185 km from Ho Chi Minh City as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 7,198 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 8 h 57 min, although most pilgrims from Ho Chi Minh City connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Ho Chi Minh City 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 Ho Chi Minh City rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Ho Chi Minh City
On 80 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Ho Chi Minh City while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (28 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 12:46 local time.
On 155 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 06:44.
| 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 | — | 06:44 |
| 15 February 2027 | — | 07:51 |
| 1 March 2027 | — | 08:49 |
| 15 March 2027 | — | 09:44 |
| 1 April 2027 | — | 10:47 |
| 15 April 2027 | — | 11:40 |
| 1 May 2027 | 12:46 | — |
| 15 May 2027 | 13:53 | — |
| 1 June 2027 | — | — |
| 15 June 2027 | — | — |
| 1 July 2027 | — | — |
| 15 July 2027 | — | — |
| 1 August 2027 | 13:47 | — |
| 15 August 2027 | 12:40 | — |
| 1 September 2027 | — | 11:25 |
| 15 September 2027 | — | 10:25 |
| 1 October 2027 | — | 09:16 |
| 15 October 2027 | — | 08:16 |
| 1 November 2027 | — | 07:00 |
| 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 Ho Chi Minh City: at 16:18 and 16:27 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Ho Chi Minh City compared with other cities
Compared with Hanoi, 1,137 km away, the Qibla in Ho Chi Minh City is turned 5.2° further clockwise (288.7° against 283.6°), and Mecca is 398 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Thu Dau Mot (18 km), prays towards 288.6°, a difference of 0.1°.
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 Ho Chi Minh City
- Thu Dau Mot288.6° · 18 km
- Can Giuoc288.8° · 24 km
- Bien Hoa288.7° · 25 km
- Bến Cát288.6° · 37 km
- Trảng Bàng288.6° · 38 km
- Tan An288.8° · 40 km
Qibla in Ho Chi Minh City: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Ho Chi Minh City?
It is 288.7° from true north, which is west: 18.7° north of west.
How far is Ho Chi Minh City from Mecca?
7,185 km in a straight line over the globe, and 7,198 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Ho Chi Minh City?
On 80 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 Ho Chi Minh City not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 279.4°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Ho Chi Minh City at 288.7°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 288.7° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.