# Không … bằng: not as … as in Vietnamese (A2)

> You know bằng for "as … as": cao bằng, as tall as. Put không before the adjective and it says "not as … as": Ở đây không mắc bằng ở quận 1.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-bang-less/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**not as … as**

Pattern: `[A] + không + [adjective] + bằng / như + [B]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: khong … bang

Variants:

- không ai / không gì / không đâu + [adjective] + bằng + [X] (nobody, nothing, nowhere is as … as X)
- không ai / không gì + [adjective] + hơn + [X] (nobody, nothing is more … than X)

You know *bằng* for "as … as": *cao bằng*, as tall as. Put *không* before the adjective and it says "not as … as": *Ở đây không mắc bằng ở quận 1.* It's not as expensive here as in District 1 (in Hà Nội, *không đắt bằng*).

This is how Vietnamese usually says "less … than". Phrases like "less expensive" have no everyday match: you say "not as expensive as", or use the opposite word with *hơn*: *rẻ hơn*, cheaper.

*Như* works in the same place and sounds a little softer, more like describing than measuring: *Sài Gòn không lạnh như Hà Nội.* After a verb, the whole thing comes after the verb and its object: *Em nói tiếng Anh không giỏi bằng chị.* I don't speak English as well as you.

*Không bằng* on its own means "not as good as": *Phở ở đây không bằng phở mẹ nấu.* The phở here isn't as good as Mum's.

Put *không ai*, *không gì* or *không đâu* first, and it says nobody, nothing or nowhere comes close: *Trong lớp, không ai giỏi bằng Lan.* Nobody in the class is as good as Lan.

In writing you'll also meet *kém … hơn* for "less … than", a later pattern.

## Examples

- Saigon: Ở đây không mắc bằng ở quận 1. | Hà Nội: Ở đây không đắt bằng ở quận 1. — It's not as expensive here as in District 1.
- Sài Gòn không lạnh như Hà Nội. — Saigon isn't as cold as Hà Nội.
- Em nói tiếng Anh không giỏi bằng chị. — I don't speak English as well as you.
- Phở ở đây không bằng phở mẹ nấu. — The phở here isn't as good as Mum's.
- Trong lớp, không ai giỏi bằng Lan. — Nobody in the class is as good as Lan.

## Compare

- [As … as: bằng / như](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bang-nhu-as-as/): as … as
- [Less … than: kém / ít … hơn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/kem-less/): less … than
- [Nobody, nothing, nowhere: không … ai / gì / đâu](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/qword-khong-nobody/): nobody / nothing

Previous in How much, and comparing: [No preposition after some adjectives: giỏi toán, gần nhà](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/adj-object/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [Really, truly: thật / thật là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/that-really/)

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