# Không kém gì: no less than in Vietnamese (B2)

> Không kém after an adjective means "no less …, just as …": Kỹ năng mềm cũng quan trọng không kém, soft skills are just as important.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-kem-gi/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**no less than**

Pattern: `[A] + [adjective] + không kém (gì) + [B]`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal

Typed without accents: khong kem gi

*Không kém* after an adjective means "no less …, just as …": *Kỹ năng mềm cũng quan trọng không kém*, soft skills are just as important. To name what you compare with, add *gì* and the second thing: *A* + adjective + *không kém gì* + *B*. *Hàng nội địa không kém gì hàng nhập khẩu*, domestic goods are every bit as good as imports.

When the quality is clear, the adjective can be left out, as in that last example. *Gì* adds emphasis and is optional; so is *so với* (compared with) before the second thing. The phrase says B's level has been matched, not that it has been passed.

It's a stock phrase in news and reports, especially to bring in a second point: after one important factor, the writer adds that another is *quan trọng không kém*.

Its opposite is *kém* (less): *Hàng này kém hơn hàng nhập*, these goods are worse than imports. The *không* turns "less" into "no less", so don't drop it.

In everyday Saigon speech, people say *không thua gì*: *Ngon không thua gì nhà hàng*, as good as any restaurant. *Cũng … như* (just as … as) is the neutral way: *Cũng ngon như nhà hàng.*

## Examples

- Chất lượng nhiều sản phẩm nội địa hiện không kém gì hàng nhập khẩu. — Many domestic products are now every bit as good as imports.
- Bên cạnh kiến thức chuyên môn, kỹ năng mềm cũng quan trọng không kém. — Alongside professional knowledge, soft skills are just as important.
- Trận đấu của đội tuyển nữ hấp dẫn không kém gì các trận của đội nam. — The women's team's match was every bit as exciting as the men's games.
- Giá thuê văn phòng ở Thủ Thiêm nay cao không kém khu trung tâm. — Office rents in Thủ Thiêm are now just as high as in the city centre.

## Compare

- [Less … than: kém / ít … hơn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/kem-less/): less … than

Previous in How much, and comparing: [Manner word before the verb in formal writing: tích cực tham gia](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/manner-before-verb/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [Second biggest, after X: … thứ hai, sau …](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/thu-hai-sau/)

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