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Gold Expert
A mot luong gold bar (một lượng, "one tael" in Vietnamese) is a gold bar weighing 37.5 grams, which is 1.2057 troy ounces. Many sold in the United States are marked .9999 fine, the purity Vietnamese buyers call vàng 9999. The bar's metal value in dollars is therefore 1.2057 times the spot price of gold per troy ounce, and its retail price is that figure plus a premium.
This guide explains where the 37.5 g weight comes from, how to read the markings on a bar, how to work out a 1 luong gold price in the USA, and what happens when you sell one in Northern Virginia.
What "một lượng" means
A lượng is the traditional Vietnamese unit for weighing gold, equal to 37.5 grams. It is also called a cây in everyday speech, and in English a tael. The Singapore Bullion Market Association's overview of Vietnam's gold market, written by Huynh Trung Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Gold Traders Association, gives the unit as 1 tael = 37.5 grams.
The smaller unit is the chỉ, one tenth of a lượng, or 3.75 grams. Jewelry and small gold rings in Vietnamese shops are commonly weighed and priced in chỉ. "Một" simply means "one", so a một lượng bar is a one-tael bar.
| Unit | Grams | Troy ounces | Avoirdupois ounces |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lượng (cây, tael) | 37.5 | 1.2057 | 1.3228 |
| 1 chỉ (1/10 lượng) | 3.75 | 0.12057 | 0.13228 |
| 1 troy ounce | 31.1035 | 1 | 1.0971 |
The troy ounce figures use the definition in NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: exactly 480 grains, or about 31.103 grams (31.1034768 g to seven decimal places). A troy ounce is the unit in which gold and silver are priced worldwide, and it is about 10% heavier than the ordinary avoirdupois ounce used on a kitchen scale. So when someone asks how many ounces are in 1 luong of gold, the answer for pricing purposes is 1.2057 troy ounces, not 1.32.
Why a Vietnamese unit appears on bars sold in America
Mot luong bars are sold in the US largely for Vietnamese-American families who save and give gold by the tael, as families in Vietnam do. A bar sized in lượng lets a buyer here hold gold in the unit their family already counts in, and pass it on or sell it in that unit.
In Vietnam itself, one brand has dominated the gold bar market. Huynh Trung Khanh's SBMA overview reports that SJC bars held about 90% of the domestic bullion market, and that from 2012, under Decree No. 24, the SJC tael bar was treated as the national bar brand under the close supervision of the State Bank of Vietnam. That arrangement has since changed: Vietnam's national broadcaster VOV reported that Decree 232/2025 ended the state monopoly on gold bar production, effective 10 October 2025, allowing licensed banks and enterprises to produce bars.
Mot luong bars sold in the United States are a separate product. They are made to the Vietnamese weight standard but not necessarily in Vietnam. Check the maker named on the bar or its assay card rather than assuming its origin from the Vietnamese wording.
Reading the bar: weight, purity and "vàng nữ thần"
Most mot luong bars carry four pieces of information. Knowing what each one claims makes a bar easier to buy, sell and insure.
- "Một Lượng" or "Mot Luong". The weight in the Vietnamese unit, often shown alongside "37.5 g" or "37.50 grams".
- Purity, usually "9999" or ".9999". This is the fineness, the share of pure gold by weight: .9999 means 99.99% gold. Vàng 9999 ("four-nines gold") is the Vietnamese name for this grade, and it corresponds to 24 karat.
- A serial number. It ties the bar to its assay card and to the maker's records.
- A design. Many US-made one-tael bars carry a Statue of Liberty image. In Vietnamese the statue is Nữ thần Tự do, the Goddess of Liberty, which is why these bars are often searched as vàng nữ thần or "vang nu than 9999". The design identifies a style of bar; it does not change the gold content.
Many bars come sealed in plastic with an assay card, a printed card stating the bar's weight, purity and serial number, issued by the maker. Keep the bar in its sealed packaging with its card. An intact card does not make a bar more valuable than its gold, but it makes the bar easier to identify and can make selling simpler.
A note on the fine gold figure: 37.5 grams at .9999 contains 1.2055 troy ounces of pure gold, marginally less than the bar's 1.2057 gross weight. It is worth asking which of the two figures a quote uses.
How to work out a 1 luong gold price in the USA
The US price of a mot luong bar starts from one multiplication: 1.2057 × the current spot price of gold per troy ounce. Spot price is the current market price for immediate delivery of one troy ounce of gold, quoted in US dollars. The result is the bar's melt value, what its gold is worth at that moment.
| What you want to know | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Melt value of 1 lượng (37.5 g) | Spot price per troy oz × 1.2057 |
| Melt value of 1 chỉ (3.75 g) | Spot price per troy oz × 0.12057 |
| Melt value of any gram weight | Spot price per troy oz ÷ 31.1035 × grams |
| Retail price of a bar | Melt value + the seller's premium |
| What a dealer pays when you sell | Melt value, less a buying margin |
The premium is the amount above melt value charged for a finished product; it covers manufacturing, packaging, distribution and the dealer's margin. A 37.5 g bar's premium depends on the maker, the packaging and current supply. A spread is the difference between what a dealer charges to sell and what it pays to buy. How the two fit together is explained in our guide to spot prices, premiums and dealer spreads.
One caution for families comparing prices across countries. A price quoted in Vietnam for one lượng reflects Vietnam's domestic market, with its own supply rules and brand dynamics, so converting a Vietnamese dong price into dollars does not tell you what a mot luong bar is worth in the US. The US calculation above is the one that applies here.
Selling a mot luong bar in Northern Virginia
You can sell a mot luong bar at either of The Bullion Bank's Northern Virginia counters, in Chantilly or Vienna. The offer is based on the bar's gold content at current market prices, which is why the weight and purity above matter more than the design.
Our counter tests metal with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), a non-destructive method that reads a metal's elemental composition from the energy it gives off under X-rays. Our Cash for Gold page states that the analyzer identifies 26 different metals, that the process is explained to you, and that once testing is complete you receive a same-day offer based on current precious metals prices, with payment the same day if you accept. XRF reads the surface of the metal; what it can and cannot see inside a bar is covered in our article on XRF gold testing.
Bring an unexpired government photo ID showing your current address, and expect to be asked for a second, corroborating document. Virginia's precious metals dealer law excludes coins, but Va. Code § 54.1-4100 defines a coin as metal stamped by authority of a government with a fixed value as money. On a plain reading, a privately made bar does not meet that definition, so the chapter's identification and record-keeping duties would apply to its sale. The full set of requirements, and why the counter asks for them, is on our page on Virginia precious metals dealer law.
Buying gold in a tael-friendly size
The Bullion Bank does not sell mot luong bars. If you want gold in a comparable size, a one-ounce bar or coin is the closest standard weight, at 31.1 grams against the lượng's 37.5. Our current gold bars and coins are listed on the bullion page.
If what matters to you is giving gold by the lượng or chỉ, for a wedding, Tết or a family savings tradition, the weight conversions above let you compare any product against the unit your family counts in.
This article is educational and reflects general information about precious metals and collectible coins. It is not investment, tax or legal advice, and The Bullion Bank is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer or tax professional. Metal prices fluctuate and past performance does not indicate future results. Consult a qualified professional about your own situation.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 luong of gold?
One lượng is 37.5 grams, the traditional Vietnamese unit for weighing gold. It is also called a cây or a tael. One lượng divides into 10 chỉ of 3.75 grams each. A mot luong bar is therefore a 37.5-gram bar, usually marked with that weight alongside the Vietnamese wording.
How do I convert 1 luong of gold to ounces?
One lượng equals 1.2057 troy ounces, using the NIST definition of a troy ounce as 480 grains, about 31.103 grams. Gold is priced in troy ounces, so that is the figure to use. On an ordinary kitchen scale, which weighs in avoirdupois ounces, the same 37.5 grams reads as about 1.32 ounces.
What is the 1 luong gold price in the USA?
Multiply the current spot price of gold per troy ounce by 1.2057 to get the melt value of one lượng. A bar's retail price adds the seller's premium, and a dealer buying from you typically pays melt value less a buying margin. Because spot changes throughout the trading day, any quoted price is valid only at the time it is given.
What does "vàng 9999" mean?
Vàng 9999 is Vietnamese for gold that is 99.99% pure, often called "four nines" gold, equivalent to 24 karat. Many mot luong bars sold in the US are marked .9999. The mark states purity only; the bar's weight, stated separately, determines how much gold it contains.
Where can I sell a mot luong gold bar in Northern Virginia?
The Bullion Bank buys gold bars at 4086 Airline Pkwy, Chantilly, and 131 Maple Ave W, Vienna, Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. The bar is tested by XRF and you receive a same-day offer. Bring an unexpired government photo ID showing your current address.
Bring your bar in, or ask a question first
The Bullion Bank has bought and sold precious metals in Northern Virginia since 2008. If you have a mot luong bar, a chỉ ring or other gold weighed in Vietnamese units, bring it to either counter or call first with questions.
The Bullion Bank — Chantilly
4086 Airline Pkwy
Chantilly, VA 20151
(703) 705-5151
Mon–Fri 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. · Sat 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. · Sun closed
The Bullion Bank — Vienna
131 Maple Ave W
Vienna, VA 22180
(703) 705-5252
Mon–Fri 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. · Sat 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. · Sun closed
