Tiếng Việt · Proverb Candidate

Có mặt ông Sứ, vắng mặt thằng Ngô

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Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: trước mặt ông sứ, vắng mặt thằng ngô

Meaning · English

When one person is present, another is absent

Literally: When Mr. Sứ is present, Ngô is absent

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 “Có mặt ông Sứ, vắng mặt thằng Ngô” mean?

When one person is present, another is absent Literally: When Mr. Sứ is present, Ngô is absent

Is “Có mặt ông Sứ, vắng mặt thằng Ngô” formal or informal?

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

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