ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

ASEAN Common Time

Hey there, kiddo! So have you ever noticed that when you call your grandma who lives in a different city, you have to check what time it is where she is before you call her? Well, imagine this on a much bigger scale, but with countries instead of cities. That's why we have something called "ASEAN Common Time."

ASEAN is short for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This is a group of ten countries in Southeast Asia that have decided to work together on things like trade, politics, and culture. However, each of these countries has its own timezone, which can make things a bit confusing when it comes to meetings or business transactions.

So, to make it easier for everyone, ASEAN countries have agreed to follow the same time zone, which is called "ASEAN Common Time" or ACT. This means that if you're in the Philippines or Vietnam, you'll be on the same time as if you were in Malaysia or Indonesia. This helps everyone to synchronize their clocks and schedules so that they can work together seamlessly, without having to worry about different time zones.

In short, ASEAN Common Time is like a big clock that all of the countries in Southeast Asia have agreed to follow so that they can work together better. It's kind of like when you and your friends all agree to meet at the playground at 3 pm, so you don't have to worry about who will be late or early. Pretty cool, right?