# Thông qua: through / via in Vietnamese (B2)

> Thông qua means "through, by way of": it names the channel, the means or the activity through which something happens.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/thong-qua/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**through / via**

Pattern: `thông qua + [means or channel]`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal

Typed without accents: thong qua

*Thông qua* means "through, by way of": it names the channel, the means or the activity through which something happens. It goes before a noun, or *việc* + a verb: *Người dân có thể nộp hồ sơ thông qua cổng dịch vụ công.* Residents can submit their documents through the public services portal.

Compare *bằng*, which names a tool, a vehicle or a language used directly: *trả bằng thẻ* (pay by card), *đi bằng xe buýt* (go by bus). *Thông qua* is for a route or a go-between: a website, an agent, a programme, a process. *Tuyển dụng thông qua phỏng vấn* (recruit through interviews). Plain *qua* does the same job and is the usual word in speech: *mua qua mạng* (buy online), *biết qua bạn bè* (hear about it through friends).

*Thông qua* has a second meaning you'll see in every report from a parliament or council: "pass, approve" a law, resolution or plan. *Hội đồng nhân dân tỉnh đã thông qua nghị quyết về học phí.* The provincial People's Council has passed a resolution on school fees. Here it's the main verb, and the document comes straight after it.

So look at the position. After the main verb, followed by a channel, it's "through". After the body that decides, followed by a law or plan, it's "pass".

You'll meet both in news, government texts and papers (*thông qua khảo sát*, through a survey). In conversation, plain *qua* is more natural: *Tôi biết chỗ này qua một người bạn.* I found this place through a friend.

## Examples

- Người dân có thể nộp hồ sơ thông qua Cổng dịch vụ công quốc gia. — Residents can submit their applications through the National Public Service Portal.
- Dữ liệu được thu thập thông qua phỏng vấn sâu 30 hộ gia đình. — Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 30 households.
- Thông qua chương trình này, hơn 2.000 học sinh vùng cao đã nhận được học bổng. — Through this programme, more than 2,000 pupils in the highlands have received scholarships.
- Hội đồng nhân dân thành phố đã thông qua nghị quyết hỗ trợ học phí cho học sinh. — The city People's Council has passed a resolution to help pupils with school fees.

## Compare

- [By, with, in: bằng (transport, tool, language)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bang-by-means/): by / with / in

Previous in News, official and academic writing: [The past and coming period in the news: vừa qua, tới](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vua-qua-toi/)
Next in News, official and academic writing: [To some extent: phần nào, ở một mức độ nào đó](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/phan-nao/)

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