# Được cho là: is believed / said to in Vietnamese (B2)

> Được cho là means "is believed to, is said to": Vụ cháy được cho là do chập điện (the fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault).

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-cho-la/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**is believed / said to**

Pattern: `[subject] + được cho là + [verb or noun]`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal · Medium: written

Typed without accents: duoc cho la

*Được cho là* means "is believed to, is said to": *Vụ cháy được cho là do chập điện* (the fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault). It comes right after the subject, and a verb, an adjective or a noun can follow: *được cho là thủ phạm* (believed to be the culprit).

News reports use it to pass on something not yet confirmed, without saying who believes it: police, witnesses or experts. Like "reportedly" or "allegedly" in English, it protects the reporter. You'll see it in crime and accident reports, in foreign news (*được cho là có liên quan đến …*, believed to be linked to …) and in features on history or science (*được cho là lâu đời nhất*, believed to be the oldest). Papers use it too, for views that are widely held but unproven.

It's the passive of *cho rằng* (hold that). *Nhiều người cho rằng …* says many people think so; *… được cho là …* says the same with the people left out.

Compare *được xem là* (is regarded as), which states a settled view, often a positive one: *được xem là biểu tượng của thành phố* (regarded as the symbol of the city). *Được cho là* leaves room for doubt.

In conversation, people say *nghe nói* (I heard) or *hình như* (it seems): *Nghe nói là do chập điện.*

## Examples

- Vụ cháy được cho là bắt nguồn từ sự cố chập điện ở khu vực bếp. — The fire is believed to have started from an electrical fault in the kitchen area.
- Người đàn ông được cho là đã lừa đảo hàng chục người qua mạng xã hội. — The man is alleged to have defrauded dozens of people through social media.
- Ngôi chùa được cho là có lịch sử hơn 300 năm. — The pagoda is said to be more than 300 years old.
- Thiếu ngủ được cho là một trong những nguyên nhân gây suy giảm trí nhớ. — Lack of sleep is believed to be one of the causes of memory loss.

## Compare

- [Holding a view: cho rằng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cho-rang/): hold that, believe
- [Regarded as: được xem là / được coi là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/duoc-xem-la/): is regarded as

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