Giặc bên Ngô không bằng bà cô bên chồng
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: giặc bên ngô, không bằng bà cô bên chồng
Meaning · English
A distant relative by marriage can be more troublesome than a stranger.
Literally: Enemy from Ngô is not as bad as aunt from husband's side
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 “Giặc bên Ngô không bằng bà cô bên chồng” mean?
A distant relative by marriage can be more troublesome than a stranger. Literally: Enemy from Ngô is not as bad as aunt from husband's side
Is “Giặc bên Ngô không bằng bà cô bên chồng” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.