Modern Vietnamese slang

trẻ trâu An immature, attention-seeking person (originally a young teen) who acts loud, reckless, or edgy, especially online. GATO Jealous of someone else’s success or good fortune — envious hating. chạy mất dép To flee in such a panic that you leave your sandals behind — to run for it, comically fast. bể kèo A plan or deal that falls through; to flake on an arrangement (kèo = a bet or plan). lặn mất tăm To vanish without a trace — go silent, ghost everyone, disappear from the group chat. ăn hành To get wrecked, suffer, or be put through the wringer (originally gaming slang). gánh team To carry the team — doing everyone’s share while teammates spectate. hóng hớt To eagerly lurk for gossip and drama — front-row seat, popcorn ready. chán như con gián Bored out of your mind — the rhyme (chán/gián) does the comedy. chuyện nhỏ như con thỏ “No big deal” — a trivially easy matter, with a rabbit rhyme for flavor. đơ như cây cơ Frozen stiff — stunned into a blank stare, buffering like a crashed app. hết nước chấm Beyond words; nothing left to add — so complete (good or absurd) that even the dipping sauce ran out. đỉnh của chóp The peak of the peak — absolutely top-tier. tới công chuyện “Now it’s on” — trouble (or serious business) has officially arrived; also “going all out”. báo thủ A walking disaster — someone whose “help” reliably creates expensive problems for family and friends. ra dẻ Acting like it; putting on airs — pretending to a role you haven’t earned. phông bạt All facade — flexing a lifestyle or generosity that’s pure backdrop, no substance. mười điểm không có nhưng A perfect ten, no “buts” — flawless, full marks. ăn nói xà lơ Talking nonsense; saying something totally off — “xà lơ” is a playful take on “sai lơ” (dead wrong). chằm Zn Depressed/„so done” — nerd-humor spelling: Zn is zinc (kẽm), so “chằm kẽm” ≈ “trầm cảm”. ét ô ét “S.O.S!” — mock distress call for funny emergencies. xu cà na Unlucky; doomed-day energy — “xu” from xui (unlucky) plus a fruity flourish. mlem mlem Yum — for delicious food or a delicious-looking someone; “kiwi kiwi” is the fruitier sequel. luật hoa quả The “law of fruit-ma” — karma, respelled: nhân (cause/karma) also means “kernel”, so the internet swapped in fruit. mai đẹt ti ni “My destiny” — fated love, pronounced the way a Thai drama made famous. mãi mận Forever wonderful; unbreakably tight — mận puns on mặn mà (charming), keo means glue-tight. sít rịt Uncannily lucky or unlucky — a “secret”-tier coincidence (from English “secret”). cẩu lương “Dog food” — public displays of affection force-fed to the single people watching. xịt keo Frozen in place — so stunned you’re hairspray-set where you stand. lemỏn Stuck-up, “extra” — chảnh spelled as citrus: lemon + a Vietnamese hook mark, because chảnh sounds like chanh (lemon). anh iu Texting-cute spelling of “anh yêu” — darling (to a man), keyboard-softened. em iu Texting-cute spelling of “em yêu” — darling (to a woman), keyboard-softened. gấu bự Big bear — an extra-sized (or extra-beloved) boyfriend/girlfriend; “gấu” is the classic slang for one’s S.O. dc Texting shortcut for “được” — can / OK / fine. bt Texting shortcut with two readings: “biết” (to know) or “bình thường” (normal, meh) — context decides. ms Texting shortcut for “mới” — just / new. “ms về” = just got home. vx Texting shortcut for “vẫn” — still. “vx ổn” = still fine. nx Texting shortcut for “nữa” — more / also. “j nx” = what else? nc Texting shortcut for “nói chuyện” (to chat) — or “nước” (water); context decides. ng Texting shortcut for “người” — person. trc Texting shortcut for “trước” — before / first. “đi trc nha” = heading out first. z Southern-flavored texting shortcut for “vậy” — so / like that. “sao z?” = what’s wrong / how come? sn Texting shortcut for “sinh nhật” — birthday. “cmsn” = chúc mừng sinh nhật (happy birthday). xl Texting shortcut for “xin lỗi” — sorry. klq Texting shortcut for “không liên quan” — unrelated / off-topic (the polite cough before changing the subject). chs Texting shortcut for “chả hiểu sao” — no idea why / somehow. ykr Texting shortcut for “ý kiến riêng” — just my personal opinion (IMO). qtqđ Texting shortcut for “quá trời quá đất” — an awful lot; extremely (Southern-flavored exclamation). dth Texting shortcut for “dễ thương” — cute, adorable. stt Texting shortcut for “status” — a social-media post. “lên stt” = to post about it. atsm Texting shortcut for “ảo tưởng sức mạnh” — delusionally overconfident about one’s own abilities. tks Borrowed “thanks” — thank you, keyboard-sized. oki Cutesy “OK” — agreement with sprinkles. dm Vulgar expletive initialism (đ* má) — “damn it / f—”. Extremely common online as pure exclamation; still an obscenity. sml Vulgar “get wrecked / worked to the bone” — initialism of “sấp mặt l*”: face-down exhausted or utterly defeated. sin lũi Sorry — a deliberately cutesy respelling of "xin lỗi", used in texting to make an apology sound light and affectionate. pha ke Fake; counterfeit or phony — the English word "fake" respelled the way Vietnamese pronounces it. j z tr Texting abbreviation of "gì vậy trời" — "what on earth?!", an exclamation of disbelief. gòy soq Cutesy texting spelling of "rồi xong" — "welp, that's it, it's over", said with mock resignation. chếc gồi Cutesy spelling of "chết rồi" — "I'm dead / uh-oh", a playful cry when something goes wrong. chu pa pi mô nha nhố A nonsense phrase meaning roughly "I know nothing about it" — feigned innocence, borrowed from the Spanish-language "Chupapi Muñañyo" prank no star where It's fine, no problem — a joke word-for-word "translation" of "không sao đâu" (không = no, sao = star, đâu = where). Classic Vietnamese-Engl ơ mây zing gút chóp Amazing, good job! — the English phrase respelled in Vietnamese, popularized as a catchphrase by coach Binz on Rap Việt (2020). Đông Lào A tongue-in-cheek internet name for Việt Nam itself — literally "East Laos" — used to discuss domestic affairs with plausible deniability, o Phây búc Facebook — the platform's name respelled the way Vietnamese pronounces it; often shortened to "Phây". phanh xích lô A loud, smacking kiss — named after the squeal of a cyclo's brakes. to6 Toxic — a coded respelling of the English word, with the digit 6 standing in for the "-xic" ending; said of poisonous people, relationships, vuýp Top-tier, VIP-grade — an exaggerated phonetic respelling of "VIP", said admiringly (or mock-admiringly) of anything fancy. nấu xói To badmouth or gossip about someone — "nói xấu" with its syllable onsets swapped nói-lái-style, written backwards online to slip past keywor check var To demand or run a fact-check on someone's claim — borrowed from football's VAR video review — especially calling out inflated charity donat 1 Jack One Jack — five million đồng: the meme currency unit minted from a celebrity child-support scandal. cà hẩy The cà hẩy — the hip-thrust shimmy dance move that swept Vietnamese TikTok. cà nhính Cà nhính — gleeful, wriggling excitement; delight you can't sit still through. CMNR CMNR — initialism of 'chuẩn mẹ nó rồi': exactly right, damn straight. cộng tươi Cộng tươi — a fresh-faced heartthrob; a boy so clean-cut he looks factory-new. dịu kha Dịu kha — soft, soothing, easy on the soul; the Gen-Z coinage for gentle vibes. elm Elm — teencode respelling of 'em', the affectionate junior pronoun. fame Fame — clout, renown; borrowed English for one's standing on Vietnamese social media. G9 G9 — texting shorthand for 'good night', Vietnamese-style (G + nine = 'nite'). Hồng Hài Nhi Hồng Hài Nhi — 'Red Boy' from Journey to the West, repurposed for a young man dating a much older woman. hút độc rắn Hút độc rắn — 'sucking snake venom': slang for oral sex. lịch sử đi bạn ơi 'Lịch sử đi bạn ơi' — a soft-toned pun on 'lịch sự đi bạn ơi': mind your manners, friend. Namkiki Namkiki — a derogatory regionalist nickname for southerners ('Nam Kỳ'); recorded here as discriminatory slang to recognize, not to use. nà ní Nà ní — Vietnamese respelling of Japanese 'nani': whaaat?!, disbelief in anime intonation. ngoan xinh yêu Ngoan xinh yêu — 'well-behaved, pretty, lovable': the tripartite compliment for someone adorably wholesome. sẽ gầy Sẽ gầy — punning slang ('will get thin') for same-sex intimacy between men. slay Slay — borrowed English: to absolutely nail it; serving excellence with style. thăm ngàn Thăm ngàn — Vietnamized Thai 'tham-ngan' (ทำงาน): to work, to grind; popularized by Thai-drama fandom. trôn Trôn — Vietnamized 'troll': to wind someone up online for laughs. ultr Ultr — compressed 'u là trời' ('oh my heavens'): the keyboard gasp of Vietnamese Gen Z. yang lake Yang lake — bilingual pun on 'giang hồ' (yang ~ giang, lake ~ hồ): a wannabe gangster, said with a smirk. căng đét Stretched drum-tight — a situation, deadline, or atmosphere at maximum tension; "đét" is the snap that pushes "căng" (tense) to its limit. vãi cả nồi An over-the-top intensifier for shock or awe — "vãi" cranked up by the absurd "cả nồi" (the whole pot). Deliberately silly, mildly crude. vãi chưởng A martial-arts-flavored "holy smokes" — "chưởng" (palm strike, from kung-fu novels) turns the crude intensifier "vãi" into cartoonish amazem đỉnh vãi Crazily good — "đỉnh" (peak) with the crude booster "vãi": praise that has stopped being polite and started being sincere. xà lơ Talking nonsense, wildly off the mark — the viral Southern pronunciation of "sai lơ" (dead wrong), immortalized by the "nói xà lơ" clip. ảo ma Surreal to the point of suspicion — internet shorthand for "that can't be real". Often extended into the nonsense chant "ảo ma Canada". ảo tung chảo So surreal the wok flips — maximum-strength "unbelievable", the cartoonish upgrade of "ảo" for things that break your sense of reality. chảnh chó Stuck-up with attitude — "chảnh" (snobby) sharpened by a rude tail; teasing among friends, cutting toward anyone else. chấm hỏi A spoken "?" — flat, one-beat bafflement borrowed from typing culture: the message made zero sense and here is your punctuation to prove it. chất như nước cất Cool beyond impurity — a rhyming boast: as "chất" (stylish) as distilled water is pure. The rhyme is the point. cháy hết mình To burn all of yourself — perform, play, or party with nothing held back; the stage-culture ideal of total commitment. cười banh nóc Laughter that blows the roof off — a room-wrecking fit of hilarity, the Vietnamese cousin of "bring the house down". cười ỉa Crude hyperbole for uncontrollable laughter — the vulgar top shelf of "I'm dying"; comment-section language, not dinner-table language. cười xỉu Laughing to the point of fainting — the compact, comment-ready hyperbole; part of the productive Gen-Z "X + xỉu" (faint) family. hài vl Comment-section shorthand for "ridiculously funny" — "vl" is a vulgar abbreviation working as a pure intensifier. hết bài Out of plays — no tricks, arguments, or moves left; the moment you fold your hand. hết cứu Beyond saving — a case (a crush, a haircut, a friend's taste) so far gone that rescue is officially off the table. khó đỡ Impossible to parry — behavior or situations so absurd there is no graceful response; you just take the hit. muốn xỉu About to faint — the all-purpose overwhelm marker, equally valid for deadlines, crushes, prices, and cuteness. rụng tim Heart falls right out — mostly a swoon (unbearable cuteness or charm), occasionally a genuine jump-scare drop. sập nguồn Powered off like a dead phone — a human shutting down from exhaustion: face-first into bed, unreachable till morning. sốc tận óc Shocked all the way to the brain — news so wild it bypasses the heart and rattles the skull directly. xỉu ngang Fainting sideways — collapsing theatrically from shock, cuteness, or a price tag; often doubled as "xỉu ngang xỉu dọc" (fainting in every di xỉu up xỉu down Fainting up AND down — the Vietnamese-English mashup for being repeatedly, comprehensively overwhelmed. 10 điểm A perfect score awarded conversationally — "ten points, no notes"; often capped with the meme tail "không có nhưng" (no "but" attached). anh trai quốc dân The "nation's big brother" — a male figure the whole internet adopts as its ideal older brother: dependable, warm, universally liked. bóc drama To unwrap a scandal for an audience — narrating and dissecting online drama piece by piece, the way commentary channels serve it. bóc phốt To expose someone publicly with receipts — posting the evidence of shady behavior for the internet to judge. dính phốt To get caught in a scandal — the stain sticks to you once your misstep hits the feed. câu like Fishing for likes — engineering posts around emotional bait or cheap hooks purely to farm reactions. câu view Chasing views with bait — shock thumbnails, misleading titles, manufactured stunts; reach first, truth later. content bẩn "Dirty content" — media built on staged outrage, humiliation, or fakery to farm engagement; the internet's junk food nobody defends. content rác Garbage content — low-effort, zero-value posts churned out to fill feeds; quantity with the quality removed. đu fame To cling to someone else's fame — riding a trending name or scandal for reflected attention. đu trend To hop on a trend — joining the viral dance, sound, or meme of the week; "đu" (to swing/cling) makes the chase physical. lên xu hướng To hit the trending tab — when a clip or topic breaks into the platform's trending list and the numbers go vertical. rep ib Shop-speak for "replying in your DMs" — "rep" (reply) + "ib" (inbox); where the price talk moves when the comments get crowded. thả care To drop the Facebook "care" react (the hugging heart) — a one-tap gesture of sympathy, sincere or performative. thả haha To hit the "haha" react — sometimes real laughter, often the internet's driest form of mockery; context decides which. diễn sâu Overacting the moment — performing emotions several sizes too deep for the occasion, on camera or off. tấu hề Clowning for the crowd — deliberately (or obliviously) turning yourself into the comedy act of the moment. hề hước Meme misspelling of "hài hước" (funny) — used to call something clown-level ridiculous rather than genuinely witty. mất não Brainless-mode — doing something so dumb your brain looks uninstalled; usually self-deprecating or teasing. sân si Petty and score-keeping — from the Buddhist trio tham-sân-si (greed, anger, delusion), repurposed for people who cannot let the smallest sli kém duyên Charm-deficient — jokes and comments that land wrong; tactlessness dressed as humor. đi đường quyền To "throw hands" — respond with (usually imaginary) martial-arts fury; internet shorthand for escalating from words to theatrical combat. tổng tài The domineering CEO archetype from C-drama and web novels — impossibly rich, cold to everyone, soft for exactly one person; used teasingly f con nhà người ta The mythical "other family's kid" — the flawless child every Vietnamese parent compares you against: better grades, better manners, better e chị đẹp "Pretty big sister" — the affectionate title for a glamorous, capable older woman the internet collectively admires. cây hài The designated comedian of a group — the person who cannot let a moment stay unfunny; every class and office has one. dân chơi nửa mùa A half-season player — someone performing the high-roller lifestyle on a starter budget; the image is rented, the swagger borrowed. boy phố The city-street boy archetype — streetwear, bike runs at midnight, effortless cool; Hanoi's answer to the downtown kid. girl phố The city-street girl archetype — independent, style-fluent, at home in the urban night; the female counterpart of "boy phố". idol tóp tóp A "TikTok idol" — said with a smirk: famous on tóp tóp (the Vietnamese phonetic spelling of TikTok), and often only there. thánh chém gió The patron saint of tall tales — "chém gió" (slashing wind) is bragging into thin air, and this person holds the title belt. thánh ngủ The saint of sleep — capable of sleeping anywhere, anytime, through anything; the group's certified hibernation champion. thánh nhọ The saint of bad luck — the friend misfortune follows personally: rain on their parade, out-of-stock on their order, red lights on their com thánh soi The saint of scrutiny — the commenter who finds the typo, the continuity error, the ex's like, the pixel out of place. thánh bùng kèo The saint of bailing — agrees to every plan, attends none; "bùng kèo" (ditching the deal) elevated to sainthood. sống chậm Slow living — deliberately downshifting to savor what the rush skips; the anti-hustle ideal of the wellness era. deadline dí Deadline in hot pursuit — "dí" is the chase: the work is behind you, gaining, and your weekend is what it eats. cưng xỉu Cute enough to faint over — "cưng" (precious) plus the fainting booster; standard-issue caption under puppy and baby content. xịn sò Fancy-schmancy — playful upgrade of "xịn" (premium) for anything impressively swanky, from gadgets to wedding setups. nhân vật chính Main-character status — living (or posing) like the story revolves around you; admiring or ironic depending on who is filming. quá uy tín Ironically "so trustworthy" — praise for flawless follow-through, or a wink at someone whose promises historically expire; tone does the wor ngon hết nước chấm So good there is no dipping sauce left to describe it — a grinning superlative born at the family table. ngon nhức nách Deliciousness that "aches the armpit" — gleefully absurd anatomy for food (or deals) too good to review calmly.