What does “có sao nói vậy” mean in Vietnamese?
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B2 Vietnamese listening practice · Southern Vietnamese · Picked for people who know more
Có sao nói vậy is a Vietnamese idiom that translates roughly as “I say it the way it is” or “I tell it straight.” Speakers use it to describe themselves: someone who refuses to soften, dress up, or fake an emotion they don’t feel. The phrase fits a self-image that runs through Vietnamese conversation, films, and social media: that being direct can feel more honest than being polite.
In this reel, a model resists fake-romantic wedding-photo poses, saying “tôi là có sao nói vậy” (“I’m a 'tell it like it is' person”). Younger Vietnamese pair it with thẳng thắn (“direct, frank”) when they want to mark the same trait without slang.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Vietnamese reality dating shows (Người Ấy Là Ai, Bạn Muốn Hẹn Hò)
- ▸In Vietnamese family arguments about being too blunt
- ▸In Vietnamese influencer self-introduction videos
- ▸In Vietnamese workplace feedback culture
- ▸In Vietnamese songs about heartbreak and frankness (Mỹ Tâm, Hà Anh Tuấn)