easy1000words / Vietnamese guides / Slang, texting and swear words
Vietnamese Gen Z slang
Decode Vietnamese Gen Z slang from TikTok and Facebook: khum, u là trời, cạn lời, thả thính and 36 more, with audio, meanings and where each came from.
- 40 phrases to hear
- 6 min read
- Updated November 1, 2026
- u là trờiOMG!
- hết nước chấmbeyond words
- đỉnh nóc, kịch trầnthe absolute best
Scroll Vietnamese TikTok for five minutes and half the comments won't be in any dictionary. Gen Z Vietnamese is built from puns, English borrowed and bent, Chinese web slang, gaming talk and deliberately cute misspellings, and it changes every year.
Here are 40 words you'll meet in comments, captions and group chats, with what they mean and where they come from. Some started as a single viral clip; others have settled into everyday speech for people in their thirties too.
For the shortened spellings (k, j, z, đc) see Vietnamese teencode. For older, everyday slang like nhậu and chém gió, see Vietnamese slang.
Reactions: OMG, I'm dead, I can't even
Most Gen Z slang is reaction. These turn up under every video, often repeated or stretched with extra letters (u là trờiii). They're friendly and safe with people your age. With your partner's parents, maybe not.
Reactions are also where you'll see the crude intensifiers vãi and vl, roughly damn and worse (đẹp vãi = damn gorgeous). Young people use them constantly, but they're swear words underneath, so recognise them rather than copy them.
- u là trờiOMG!A playful trời ơi. U là trời, crush nhắn tin! = OMG, my crush texted!
- xỉuI'm dead (too cute, too funny)Literally 'to faint'. Dễ thương xỉu = so cute I fainted.
- cạn lờispeechless, I can't evenLiterally 'out of words'. For something silly or annoying.
- hết nước chấmbeyond wordsLiterally 'out of dipping sauce'. Usually praise: đẹp hết nước chấm.
- đỉnh nóc, kịch trầnthe absolute bestLiterally 'top of the roof, up to the ceiling'. The long version adds bay phấp phới (flying high).
- Ủa alo?Hello?? Excuse me?Mock disbelief, as if checking the line is still connected.
- ét o étSOS, help!The letters S-O-S said the Vietnamese way. For any small crisis.
Cute ways to say no, OK and let's go
Gen Z loves softening words until they sound like baby talk. Không (no) becomes khum, and English let's go becomes gét gô. It's playful and a little flirty, and between friends it signals you're not being serious.
Quay xe is the one you'll use most: it fits any sudden reversal, from a friend who swore off milk tea and ordered one the next day to a plan that collapsed at the last minute.
In the app's Texting phrasebook, cute spellings like hok and khum are read out in full, so you hear the plain word behind them.
- khumnopeA cute không, said with a pout. Also hông, hem.
- gét gôlet's go!English, Vietnamese-style. Usually with lots of exclamation marks.
- ổn ápdecent, pretty goodLiterally 'voltage regulator', a pun on ổn (fine). Ổn áp đấy! = Not bad!
- quay xeto U-turn, change your mindLiterally 'turn the vehicle around'. For a sudden change of plan or opinion.
- bùng kèoto flake on plansKèo = plans, bùng = to bail. Lại bùng kèo hả? = Bailing again?
Flirting and relationships
Dating talk is where Gen Z slang is richest, and much of it has spread to everyone. If you're dating or using dating apps in Vietnam, you'll see these within a week.
The English words work as Vietnamese ones, with Vietnamese grammar: crush của mình is my crush, and hội FA is the singles' club. For phrases to use on the date itself, see how to flirt in Vietnamese.
- thả thínhto flirtLiterally 'to scatter bait'. Thính is toasted rice powder used as fish bait.
- cảm nắngto have a crushLiterally 'to get sunstroke'. Also say nắng.
- đổto fall for someoneLiterally 'to topple over'. Đổ rồi! = I've fallen for them!
- crusha crush (the person)From English. Crush nhắn tin rồi! = My crush texted!
- mập mờa situationshipLiterally 'blurry'. More than friends, not yet a couple.
- cẩu lươngcouples' PDA (literally 'dog food')From Chinese web slang: couples 'feed' it to singles. Also cơm chó.
- FAsingle (Forever Alone)From English. Mostly said about yourself, around Valentine's Day.
- tra nama scumbag guy, a playerFrom Chinese web slang. The female version: tra nữ.
Drama, roasting and showing off
Comment sections run on drama, and Gen Z has a word for every role: the person who exposes, the crowd that watches, the show-off and the clown. Drama itself is a Vietnamese word now: drama quá! is so much drama!
Most of these are teasing. A few (trẻ trâu, sân si) are real criticism, so be careful who you aim them at.
- trẻ trâuimmature, edgy kidLiterally 'young buffalo'. Big in gaming and comment wars.
- hóngto wait eagerly for gossipHóng drama = to follow the drama. Comments often just say hóng.
- bóc phốtto call someone out publiclyPhốt = a scandal or slip-up; bóc = to peel open.
- cà khịato take digs, to trollOften just khịa. Playful or nasty, depending on who's doing it.
- gáyto brag (too early)Literally 'to crow' like a rooster. Gáy sớm = to celebrate too soon.
- flexto show offEnglish word, Vietnamese grammar: flex xe mới = show off a new bike.
- phông bạtfake, all for showLiterally 'backdrop canvas'. Sống phông bạt = living a staged life.
- sân sipetty, nosyFor people who compare themselves and gossip about everyone else.
- chúa hềa total clownLiterally 'king of clowns'. Fond or mocking.
- tấu hàito clown aroundLiterally 'to perform comedy'. Đừng tấu hài nữa! = Stop joking around!
Gaming slang that escaped
A lot of Gen Z slang started in mobile games like Liên Quân (Arena of Valor) and on gaming livestreams, then spread to school, work and dating. You'll hear these from people who have never played a game in their life.
Gà and báo thủ are fine between friends who've just lost a match together. Aimed at a colleague who's struggling, they sound mean.
- gànoob, weak playerLiterally 'chicken'. Gà mờ = total beginner.
- báo thủa liability, drags the team downA pun on cao thủ (pro player).
- out trìnhway out of your leagueTrình = skill level. Also outside games: Cô ấy out trình anh rồi.
- ăn hànhto get crushedLiterally 'to eat onions'. For a beating in a game, or in an exam.
- test nhân phẩmto test your luckNhân phẩm means dignity, used jokingly for luck. For raffles and lucky draws.
Moods and feelings
Finally, the words for how you feel, from scared to stunned to broke. They turn up in captions as much as in chat, and several started as a line in a viral video.
Xin vía shows a very Vietnamese idea: good luck can be shared. Post good exam results or a new job and expect a stream of xin vía comments, often naming the luck wanted: xin vía đỗ đại học (some of your luck for the university exam).
- rénscared, intimidatedRén rồi! = Now I'm scared. Usually half-joking.
- đơfrozen, stunnedLike a frozen screen. Nghe xong đơ luôn = I just froze.
- còn cái nịtleft with nothingLiterally 'only the rubber band left'. After a lost bet or an expensive month.
- xin víaasking for some of your luckLiterally 'asking for your spirit'. Commented under exam results and good news.
- thao túng tâm lýto gaslight, manipulateA serious term turned meme, now used jokingly for any persuasion.
Practise these 5 in the app, free
Tip Slang from a foreigner gets laughs, mostly the good kind. One well-timed u là trời beats ten in a row.
Questions
What does khum mean?
Khum is a cute spelling and pronunciation of không (no, not). Em khum biết is I dunno, said with a pout. It's playful, used in texts and in speech between friends and couples. Hông and hem are softer versions you'll hear in the South.
What does thả thính mean?
Thả thính means to flirt, literally to scatter bait: thính is the toasted rice powder fishermen throw to draw fish. Someone who flirts with everyone thả thính khắp nơi. If you take the bait, you đớp thính.
Should foreigners use Vietnamese Gen Z slang?
In small doses, yes. A well-timed u là trời or khum from a foreigner usually gets a delighted laugh. Overdo it and it sounds like you're trying too hard. Save it for people your age: with elders, teachers or at work it can come across as cheeky.
Is Gen Z slang the same in the North and South?
Mostly. Online slang spreads nationwide through TikTok and Facebook, so toang, xỉu or gét gô mean the same in Hanoi and Saigon. The accent behind it differs, and a few cute forms lean Southern, like hông for không.
Where does Vietnamese Gen Z slang come from?
Everywhere at once: puns on Vietnamese words (ổn áp), English respelled the Vietnamese way (gét gô, ét o ét), Chinese web slang (cẩu lương, tra nam), mobile games (gà, báo thủ) and lines from viral videos. Many fade in a year or two. The useful ones stick.