sống ảo
[səwŋ͡m˧˦ ʔaːw˧˩]
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
(verb) to live vainly in the virtual world (i.e. the Internet)
Register: informal
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
Living for the feed — curating a glamorous online life detached from reality.
Literally: To live virtually.
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Teasing over-produced selfies and vacation photos taken purely for posting.
Register: informalConnotation: teasingEra: ~2015 – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Origin
Mạng xã hội · Vietnamese internet culture
Examples
Đi cà phê 5 phút, chỉnh ảnh sống ảo 2 tiếng.Five minutes at the café, two hours editing photos for the virtual life.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Curated editorially (owner-requested humorous-slang research, July 2026). Era: ~2015 – present.
Common questions
What does “sống ảo” mean?
(verb) to live vainly in the virtual world (i.e. the Internet)
Is “sống ảo” formal or informal?
sống ảo is generally informal.