bán anh em xa mua láng giềng gần
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: bán anh em xa, mua láng giềng gần
Sense 1
Meaning · English
neighbors are better than relatives who live far away
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
Meaning · English
Prioritize those close to you over those related by blood
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.