easy1000words / Vietnamese guides / Slang, texting and swear words
Vietnamese insults and comebacks
From đồ ngốc to mất dạy: common Vietnamese insults with audio, how strong each one is, what riders shout in traffic, and calm ways to answer back.
- 44 phrases to hear
- 6 min read
- Updated November 1, 2026
Strong language. This guide explains swear words and insults so you understand what you hear.
- não cá vànggoldfish brain
- ngu như bòthick as a brick (literally 'dumb as a cow')
- óc bã đậutofu for brains
Most Vietnamese insults aren't swear words. They're about brains (ngu), manners (vô duyên, mất dạy), laziness and stinginess, and they range from affectionate teasing to fighting words. Tone and pronouns decide which: đồ ngốc from your partner is a cuddle, đồ ngu from a stranger is not.
Each insult below has a strength. 1 is teasing, fine between friends. 2 is rude and stings when it's meant. 3 is fighting words, and those mostly live in our guide to Vietnamese swear words.
Learn these to understand what's said around you and to answer calmly, not to start arguments. The last two sections cover traffic rage and comebacks that end a row instead of making it worse. The app's Insults & swear words phrasebook (18+) has every one recorded, with its strength.
Why mày and tao make anything an insult
Vietnamese pronouns show who's older and how close you are (more in Vietnamese pronouns). Between best friends, mày (you) and tao (I) are normal. Anywhere else, switching to them says the gloves are off: Anh nói gì? is a question, Mày nói gì? is a challenge.
Two more pieces build insults. Đồ plus a noun means you [thing]: đồ ngốc, you silly thing. And thằng (for a man) or con (for a woman) in front of a name or noun adds contempt.
- màyyou (rude)Strength 2. Normal between close friends; to a stranger or elder, a slap in the face.
- taoI, me (rude)Strength 2. Switching from tôi to tao means the gloves are off.
- thằngthat guy (contemptuous)Strength 2. For a man you look down on, or a close mate.
- con mụthat old bagStrength 2. A contemptuous way to refer to a woman.
Calling someone stupid
The most common family of insults, and the clearest scale. The first three are fine between friends and even couples. By óc chó you're being properly rude, though gamers throw it around all day.
For drama, people repeat the word: ngu ơi là ngu is so, so stupid, usually said to someone who has just locked their keys in the house again.
- đồ ngốcsilly, dummyStrength 1. Affectionate between friends or couples.
- não cá vànggoldfish brainStrength 1. People say it about themselves too.
- ngáodopey, cluelessStrength 1. Youth slang for spaced-out.
- đồ nguidiotStrength 2. Fine to a mate who messes up, insulting to a stranger.
- ngu như bòthick as a brick (literally 'dumb as a cow')Strength 2. Also ngu như heo (South), ngu như lợn (North).
- óc bã đậutofu for brainsStrength 2. Bã đậu is soybean pulp.
- óc chódumbass (literally 'dog brain')Strength 2. Huge in gaming. Funnily, also the word for walnut.
Lazy, useless or stingy
Household and office nagging. Mostly strength 1 or 2, aimed at flatmates, partners, siblings and slow colleagues. Vô tích sự and đồ ăn hại are what a frustrated parent says to a teenager who won't help at home.
- làm biếnglazyStrength 1. Southern; Northerners say lười.
- lề mềslowcoach, dawdlingStrength 1. Mild nagging.
- keo kiệtstingy, cheapskateStrength 1. Often just keo.
- vô tích sựgood for nothingStrength 2. A classic nag at a partner or flatmate.
- đồ ăn hạiwaste of spaceStrength 2. Someone who eats and contributes nothing.
- đồ ăn bámfreeloaderStrength 2. For someone living off other people's money.
Tactless, fake or shameless
Vô duyên deserves a special mention. Duyên is charm or grace, so vô duyên is someone without it: the person who makes a clumsy joke at the wrong moment, asks a nosy question or overshares. It's mild, very common, and you can even use it about yourself to apologise for a clumsy remark.
The rest of this group is about character: liars, snobs, two-faced friends and the ungrateful. For more everyday words like chảnh and xạo, see Vietnamese slang.
- vô duyêntactless, out of lineStrength 1. Very common and useful.
- chảnhstuck-up, snobbyStrength 1. Chảnh chó is ruder (strength 2).
- xạofull of it, lyingStrength 1. Southern; Northerners say điêu.
- mặt dàyshameless (literally 'thick face')Strength 2. For someone who asks for more when they already owe you.
- hai mặttwo-facedStrength 2. Also thảo mai: fake-nice.
- ăn cháo đá bátungrateful (literally 'eat the porridge, kick the bowl')Strength 2. Southern: ăn cháo đá chén.
- đồ lừa đảoscammer, crookStrength 2. For a seller who rips you off.
Insults about upbringing
These hit harder than stupid, because they insult how someone was raised, and that means their parents. Mất dạy, literally untaught, is the big one: said in anger, it can start a fight.
Hỗn and láo are what older people say to cheeky younger ones. If an elder says them to you, you've crossed a line, usually with the wrong pronoun or a tone that sounded like backchat. A quick Dạ, cháu xin lỗi (I'm sorry, to someone your parents' or grandparents' age) repairs most of it.
- hỗncheeky, disrespectfulStrength 1. For disrespect to someone older.
- láoinsolentStrength 2. Northern; in the South nói láo means to lie.
- vô văn hóauncivilised, no classStrength 2. For queue-jumpers, litterers and loud phone calls.
- mất dạyill-bred, no mannersStrength 2, but it stings like a 3. It insults the family.
- ăn nói kiểu gì vậywhat kind of way to talk is that?Strength 1. Calls out rudeness. Northern: ăn nói thế à?
Traffic rage: what riders shout
On a motorbike in Saigon or Hanoi you'll hear these daily. Most shouting is over in seconds and forgotten at the next light. The endings tell you where you are: vậy and hả in Saigon, thế and à in Hanoi.
If someone shouts at you, a raised hand and xin lỗi (sorry) usually ends it. Don't stop to argue: road disputes can escalate fast, and nothing good comes from a roadside shouting match.
- đi đứng kiểu gì vậywhat kind of driving is that?Strength 1. The standard shout at a bad rider.
- mắt để đâu vậywhere are your eyes?Strength 1. Northern: mắt để đâu thế?
- có biết chạy xe khôngdo you even know how to ride?Strength 1. Southern chạy xe; Northern đi xe.
- bấm còi cái gìwhat are you honking for?Strength 1. Heard at every red light.
- chạy như ăn cướpriding like a maniacStrength 1. Literally 'riding like a robber'.
- mù hảare you blind?Strength 2. Rude but common. Northern: mù à?
- đường nhà mày hảdo you own the road?Strength 2. Mày is what makes it rude.
Calm comebacks and walking away
The best Vietnamese comebacks are cool, not crude: a shrug in words. The first five work with friends and online, where they land as cheeky rather than aggressive. The last three are for when you want the argument over.
- ai hỏi đâuwho asked?Strength 1. Cutting but not crude.
- ủa rồi saouh, so what?Strength 1. Very Southern. Northern: thế thì sao?
- nhìn lại mình đilook at yourself firstStrength 1. The reply to a hypocrite.
- nói như đúng rồieasy for you to sayStrength 1. Sarcastic and super common.
- giỏi thì làm điif you're so good, do it yourselfStrength 1. For backseat drivers and armchair experts.
- Bình tĩnh, mọi chuyện sẽ ổn thôi.Calm down, everything will be fine.Bình tĩnh on its own works too.
- Bỏ qua cho em lần này nhé.Please let it go this time.Em: said to someone older. Swap in your own pronoun.
- Tôi xin lỗi, tôi sai rồi.I'm sorry, I was wrong.Neutral tôi works with anyone. Ends most rows fast.
Practise these 8 in the app, free
Tip Keeping your voice down is the strongest move in a Vietnamese argument. Whoever shouts in public tends to look worse, whatever the facts.
Questions
Is đồ ngốc an insult?
Barely. Đồ ngốc is strength 1, more you silly thing than idiot, and couples use it affectionately all the time. Đồ ngu is the real insult: fine to a mate who has messed up, offensive to a stranger.
What does mất dạy mean?
Literally untaught: someone with no upbringing or manners. Because it blames the family that raised them, it stings far more than stupid. Said in anger it often starts a real fight, so it's one to recognise, not use.
What does vô duyên mean?
Tactless, awkward, out of line. Duyên is charm or grace, so vô duyên means without it. People say it about clumsy jokes, nosy questions and bad timing. It's mild and very common.
Is it rude to call someone mày?
With a stranger, an elder or anyone you're not close to, yes, very. Between close friends of the same age it's normal. If you're learning, use anh, chị, em or bạn until a friend switches to mày and tao with you first.
How do you respond to an insult in Vietnamese?
Among friends, a light comeback works: Ai hỏi đâu? (who asked?) or Nhìn lại mình đi (look at yourself first). With a stranger, especially in traffic, step back: Bình tĩnh (calm down) or a simple xin lỗi ends most rows. Answering mày with mày only escalates.