Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

bán anh em xa mua láng giềng gần

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: bán anh em xa, mua láng giềng gần

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

neighbors are better than relatives who live far away

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

hàng xóm gần hơn anh em xa

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Prioritize those close to you over those related by blood

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Ưu tiên những người gần gũi

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: sell far relatives buy near neighbors

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Sources & notes

Listed on Vietnamese Wikiquote “Tục ngữ Việt Nam” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “bán anh em xa mua láng giềng gần” mean?

neighbors are better than relatives who live far away

Is “bán anh em xa mua láng giềng gần” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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