Encoding

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group Text and Number

Command ID: btnConvert

What it does

The command opens the Convert Font encoding window, which converts Vietnamese text between three encodings: Unicode, VNI and TCVN3. The source encoding is detected automatically from the font name of each cell, so you only choose the target.

This comes up constantly when taking over legacy documentation: drawings, estimates and specifications produced in the .VnTime (TCVN3) or VNI-Times era open on a modern machine as gibberish such as C«ng tr×nh. Converting to Unicode makes the text readable, searchable and safe to copy again.

How to use

1. Select the cells to convert, if you only want to work inside one range.
2. Go to tab DVD Addin → group Text and Number → Encoding.
3. In the Convert Font encoding window, choose:
   • Target encoding — Unicode (Times New Roman), VNI (VNI-Times) or TCVN3 (.VnTime).
   • Scope — Selection, Active sheet or All sheets.
   • Skip formula cells — ticked by default, leaving formula cells untouched.
4. Click Apply.
5. The window does not lock Excel: select another range and click Apply again. Click Close when finished.

Example

You receive the old estimate workbook of a refurbishment project and the specification sheet reads Bª t«ng cèt thÐp because it was written in the .VnTime (TCVN3) font.

Open the command, set Target encoding to Unicode (Times New Roman), Scope to All sheets, keep Skip formula cells ticked and click Apply. The whole workbook returns to readable Unicode Vietnamese, usable in lookup formulas and safe to copy into new documents.

The reverse direction works too: when a counterpart still requires TCVN3 templates, pick TCVN3 (.VnTime) as the target encoding.

Notes

• The source encoding is inferred from the cell's font name. If someone changed the font by hand without converting (for example forcing TCVN3 text into Times New Roman), the detection can be wrong.
• The All sheets scope touches the entire open workbook — check before clicking Apply.
• Unticking Skip formula cells lets the conversion rewrite formula cells, which can break them; untick only when you really need it.
• Results are written straight into the cells and Ctrl+Z cannot undo this — keep a copy of the original file.
• Each target encoding comes with its standard font (Times New Roman / VNI-Times / .VnTime), so column widths may look different once character widths change.

Related

• To Unicode — one-click conversion to Unicode without opening the window.
• To VNI — one-click conversion to the VNI encoding.
• To TCVN3 — one-click conversion to the TCVN3 encoding.
• Smart Data Cleaning… — repairs Cống-style mojibake, a different problem from legacy font encodings.