In the Vietnamese zodiac, the animal called Mão is the Cat.
Mão is the fourth position in the Vietnamese twelve-animal cycle. Vietnam’s tradition differs from the standard Chinese zodiac at this position, where the corresponding animal is the Rabbit. The Vietnamese Cat is therefore one of the clearest examples of regional variation in East Asian zodiac traditions.
The difference may reflect language, cultural interpretation, or the historical transmission of calendrical traditions. Vietnamese sources generally identify the year as Mão, while English-language references may spell it Mao or use the phrase Year of the Cat.
This should not be confused with the Vietnamese Buffalo, which occupies the Ox position, or with the Dragon, which remains the fifth animal. The animal sequence still contains twelve signs and follows a repeating twelve-year pattern.