Vietnamese slang: a friendly guide for beginners

Vietnamese slang is mostly short, punchy words for reacting, complimenting and teasing, used among friends and online. A small set, like đỉnh (awesome), toang (it's all gone wrong) and thả thính (flirting), will help you follow casual conversation, as long as you save it for people your own age.

This guide groups the most useful slang by what you would use it for, with a plain meaning and a rough pronunciation for each.

Before you start: who is slang for?

Slang in Vietnamese follows the same rules as anywhere:

• Use it with friends, classmates and people your age.
• Avoid it with elders, teachers, bosses and anyone you have just met in a formal setting.
• Expect it to date quickly. Some words last for years; others fade in months.
• Meanings can shift by region and by group, so if a term seems fuzzy, ask.

Vietnamese also has a strong politeness system built on pronouns and particles. Slang does not replace that. You can drop a slang word into a sentence and still be respectful, but not with everyone.

Reaction words

These are the sounds and short phrases people use when something surprises them.

• Trời ơi ("choy uh-ee," Southern; "troy uh-ee," Northern) means "Oh my god." It is everyday and not really slang, but it is everywhere. See what trời ơi means.
• Ối giời ơi ("oy zoy uh-ee") is a more dramatic, Northern-flavored version.
• Ủa ("oo-ah") is "Huh?" or "Wait, what?"
• U là trời is a playful, exaggerated "OMG" popular online.
• Xỉu ("syoo") literally means to faint. As slang, it means "I can't even."

Compliment words

• Đỉnh ("ding") literally means "peak" or "summit." As slang, it means awesome or top-tier. Đỉnh của chóp ("ding koo-ah chohp," roughly "peak of the peak") is the extra-enthusiastic version. A Duma Meow cat says Trời ơi... đỉnh quá! ("Oh wow... so epic!"). There is a whole post on đỉnh quá and đỉnh của chóp.
• Ngầu ("ngow") means cool, usually in a tough or stylish way.
• Chất ("chut") literally means "quality" or "substance." In slang, something chất has style or class.

Teasing and joking words

• Cà khịa ("kah khee-ah") means teasing or poking at someone to get a reaction. It can be friendly or a little sharp.
• Lầy ("lay") describes someone goofy and mischievous, the friend who will not stop joking.
• Trẻ trâu ("cheh chow") literally "young buffalo," means an immature kid acting tough, often online. It is an insult, so use carefully.
• Quê ("kweh") literally means "countryside" or "hometown," but in slang it means embarrassed. Quê quá! means "So embarrassing!"

Life-situation words

• Toang ("twahng") means everything has fallen apart. The exam went badly? Toang rồi.
• Gato ("gah-toh") means jealous. It comes from the phrase ghen ăn tức ở (jealous of someone's good fortune) and sounds like the French word for cake.
• Hóng ("hohng") means waiting eagerly for news or gossip.
• Sống ảo ("sohng ow") literally "living virtually," describes someone who poses for photos and lives for social media.
• Thả thính ("tah ting") means flirting. Thính is roasted rice powder used as fishing bait, so it is literally "scattering bait."

English words with a local twist

Vietnamese happily borrows English: chill, flex, crush, OK and many more show up in everyday speech, sometimes with slightly shifted meanings. Chill often means relaxed or laid-back, and crush is the person you like. These are easy wins for English speakers, though pronunciation is often adapted to Vietnamese sounds.

Texting shortcuts

Online, Vietnamese drops diacritics and shortens words. ko or k means không (no), dc or đc means được (okay, can), j means gì (what), and ny means người yêu (boyfriend or girlfriend). Gen Z has its own layer on top of this, covered in Vietnamese Gen Z slang you will see online.

A note on swearing

Vietnamese has plenty of strong words, and you will hear them in films and on the street. They are not slang to experiment with. Mild exclamations like trời ơi and ối giời ơi do the same emotional job without any risk.

How to learn slang without sounding forced

• Listen first. Notice who uses a word and in what mood before you try it.
• Start with reactions. Đỉnh quá! and Toang rồi! are easy to use correctly.
• Use one word at a time. A sentence crammed with slang sounds like a parody.
• Watch comedy and cartoons. Short, casual skits are full of natural slang in context.

Pick two words from this list, listen for them in a show or video this week, and only then try them out with a friend.