Tiếng Việt · Slang Attested

lặn mất tăm

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

To vanish without a trace — go silent, ghost everyone, disappear from the group chat.

Literally: To dive and leave not even a bubble (tăm) on the surface.

How to use it

✓ Use it when

Teasing a friend who disappears whenever it’s time to pay, work, or reply.

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora Origin Mạng xã hội · Vietnamese internet culture

Examples

Tới lúc chia tiền thì nó lặn mất tăm.When it was time to split the bill, he dove and left no bubbles.

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Curated editorially (owner-requested humorous-slang research, July 2026). Era: Long-established colloquialism.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent without a trace Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review. English Near equivalent mất hút con mẹ hàng lươn to be gone without a trace after committing misdeeds Tiếng Việt · via without a trace

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Common questions

What does “lặn mất tăm” mean?

To vanish without a trace — go silent, ghost everyone, disappear from the group chat. Literally: To dive and leave not even a bubble (tăm) on the surface.

Is “lặn mất tăm” formal or informal?

lặn mất tăm is generally informal; connotation: humorous.

What is the closest equivalent?

“without a trace” (English) — near equivalent.