Manner word before the verb in formal writing: tích cực tham gia

In everyday Vietnamese, a word that says how something is done comes after the verb: làm nhanh (work fast), nói rõ (speak clearly). In formal writing, a two-syllable describing word can move in front of the verb instead: nhanh chóng triển khai (swiftly roll out), tích cực tham gia (actively take part), kiên quyết xử lý (deal firmly with). The meaning is the same as with the word after the verb; the style is not.

You'll meet this order constantly in news reports, government instructions and official plans, which are full of agencies that chủ động (proactively), kịp thời (promptly) or nghiêm túc (seriously) do something. In front of the verb, the word reads as part of the instruction: not just "deal with it", but "deal with it firmly".

As a rule, only two-syllable words move. A one-syllable word like nhanh or rõ stays after the verb, in speech and in writing. The few one-syllable words that do sit in front, such as vội (hurriedly) in vội chạy ra and lén (secretly) in lén nhìn, are everyday words you learn one by one.

In conversation, keep the everyday order: Anh làm nhanh giùm em. When a writer wants the word after the verb, một cách often joins them: giải quyết một cách nhanh chóng.