đồ vô dụng
What does đồ vô dụng mean? đồ vô dụng is a Vietnamese strong that translates to “useless piece of shit / good-for-nothing” in English.
Literal Translation
thing without use
Meaning & Usage
"useless piece of shit / good-for-nothing"
You serve no purpose. You contribute nothing. In a culture that deeply values usefulness to family and community, being declared 'vô dụng' is saying you've failed at the most basic requirement of existing.
Examples in the Wild
A wife angry at her husband: 'Đồ vô dụng! Việc gì cũng không xong!' (You useless thing! Can't finish a single task!)
When to Use It
Context
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- Expressing strong frustration or emphasis
- Direct confrontation (use with caution)
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Around elders or authority figures
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
This hits differently in Vietnamese culture than 'useless' does in English. Vietnamese identity is heavily bound to what you provide — to your parents, your family, your community. 'Vô dụng' doesn't just mean you can't do things; it means you have no reason to exist in the social fabric. Commonly aimed at sons who can't find work or husbands who don't earn.
More in Vietnamese 🇻🇳
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“fag / queer”
Derived from the French word 'pédéraste'. It is the most ubiquitous term for a gay man or an effeminate male in Vietnam.
xạo lồn
“bullshitting / talking out of your ass”
Lying, boasting, or fabricating stories to look impressive. 'Xạo' means lying/fake; 'lồn' is added purely as an aggressive metric of magnitude.
địt mẹ mày
“fuck your mother / motherfucker”
The full Northern form with the target pronoun attached. If 'địt mẹ' is a grenade, adding 'mày' is pulling the pin and throwing it directly at someone's face. This isn't venting frustration — this is declaring war.
đm
“fuck / wtf”
The texting abbreviation of 'đụ má.' Two letters that every Vietnamese person under 40 can decode instantly. It's become so ubiquitous in online spaces that it functions less as profanity and more as punctuation — surprise, frustration, emphasis, even approval.
mẹ mày
“your mother / fuck you”
Just two words — 'your mother' — but in Vietnamese, this is a complete insult. You don't need to specify what about their mother. The implication hangs in the air, and everyone fills in the worst possible meaning. It's the loaded gun of Vietnamese profanity: the trigger is pulled by context.
địt mẹ
“motherfucker / fuck your mother”
Northern Vietnamese equivalent of 'đụ má.' Uses formal 'mẹ' instead of casual 'má,' making it more severe. The gravest insult in Vietnamese culture.
mặt lồn
“cunt-face / fuckface”
Your face looks like female genitalia. It's as crude and direct as it sounds — a pure shock-value insult that combines the face (your public identity) with the most taboo body part. There's no subtlety here, just maximum offense per syllable.
đồ mặt dày
“shameless person / thick-skinned bastard”
Your face is so thick that nothing — no embarrassment, no social pressure, no shame — can penetrate it. In a culture where 'mặt' (face) is everything, having a thick one means you've abandoned all social contracts.