# Ra / vào / lên / xuống / về in Vietnamese (A2)

> You know that đi takes a place straight after it: đi chợ. To say which way you're going, Vietnamese has a set of direction words, each a verb on its own…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/direction-verbs/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**out / in / up / down / back / across / to**

Pattern: `(đi) + ra / vô / lên / xuống / về / qua / tới + [place] · lên / xuống + xe`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: ra, vao, len, xuong, ve

Saigon: vô / vào; tới; qua | Hà Nội: vào; đến / tới; sang

You know that *đi* takes a place straight after it: *đi chợ*. To say which way you're going, Vietnamese has a set of direction words, each a verb on its own: *ra* (out), *vô* (in; *vào* in writing and in Hà Nội), *lên* (up), *xuống* (down), *về* (back, home), *qua* (over, across; in Hà Nội, *sang*) and *tới* (to, arrive at; *đến* in writing and in Hà Nội).

The place comes straight after them: *ra biển* (go out to the beach), *vô nhà* (go inside), *lên lầu* (go upstairs; in Hà Nội, *lên gác*), *qua nhà bạn* (go over to a friend's). *Đi* can come first or be left out: *Em đi ra chợ* and *Em ra chợ* mean the same. They also work alone: *Vô đi!* Come in!

*Lên* and *xuống* are also getting on and off: *lên xe* (get on the bus, get in the car), *xuống xe* (get off). *Về* is going back where you belong: *về nhà*, *về quê*. *Lại* is coming over to the speaker: *Lại đây!* Come here!

Which word fits a trip across the country, *ra Hà Nội* or *lên Đà Lạt*, has its own page. After another verb, the same words say which way the action goes: *chạy ra*, *đứng lên*.

## Examples

- Saigon: Anh vô nhà ngồi chơi đi. | Hà Nội: Anh vào nhà ngồi chơi đi. — Come in and sit down for a bit.
- Saigon: Con lên lầu ngủ đi. | Hà Nội: Con lên gác ngủ đi. — Go upstairs to bed.
- Saigon: Chiều nay em qua nhà chị chơi nha. | Hà Nội: Chiều nay em sang nhà chị chơi nhé. — Come over to my place this afternoon.
- Saigon: Mình xuống xe ở đây nha. | Hà Nội: Mình xuống xe ở đây nhé. — Let's get off here.

## Words in this pattern

- [lên](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/len-go-up/#lx_len): go up
- [ra](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ra-go-out/#lx_ra): go out
- [vào](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/vao-on/#s_vao_enter): enter
- [về](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ve-go-back/#lx_ve): go back
- [vô](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/vo-go-in/#lx_vo_in): go in
- [xuống](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/xuong-go-down/#lx_xuong): go down

## Compare

- [Verb + direction: chạy ra, mang về, đứng lên](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/v-direction-complement/): motion verb + direction
- [đi + place, no 'to': đi Hà Nội, đi chợ, đi làm](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/di-place-no-prep/): go to (no preposition)
- [Direction words follow the map and the speaker: ra Hà Nội, vô Sài Gòn, lên Đà Lạt, lên lầu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vao-ra-north-south/): which direction word for which place
- [Out of, leave: ra khỏi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ra-khoi/): get out of
- [Getting more or less: adjective + ra / lên / đi / lại](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/adj-change-ra-di/): become more / less …
- [Went and came back, back from: đi … về, ở … về](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/di-ve-return-from/): be back from

Previous in Places and movement: [Made of: (làm) bằng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bang-material/)
Next in Places and movement: [Out of, leave: ra khỏi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ra-khoi/)

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