# Vậy thì / thế thì: well then in Vietnamese (A2)

> Vậy thì means "in that case" or "well then". It starts your reply when you draw a conclusion from what someone has just said, usually to suggest or…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vay-thi-in-that-case/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**well then**

Pattern: `Vậy thì / Thế thì + [suggestion]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: vay thi, the thi

Situations: [Shops and services](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/?use=service)

Saigon: vậy thì | Hà Nội: thế thì

*Vậy thì* means "in that case" or "well then". It starts your reply when you draw a conclusion from what someone has just said, usually to suggest or decide something: *Em chưa ăn hả? Vậy thì đi ăn với anh.* You haven't eaten? Well then, come and eat with me. In Hà Nội it's *thế thì*.

It's handy at the market. When the seller tells you the price, *Vậy thì lấy em hai ký* means "In that case, I'll take two kilos" (in Hà Nội, *hai cân*). In quick speech *thì* is often dropped: *Vậy mai gặp nha.* See you tomorrow, then. To spell out the condition, say *nếu vậy thì*, "if that's the case".

*Vậy thì* looks forward, to what you'll do now. *Vậy là* (in Hà Nội, *thế là*) looks back and tells what happened as a result: *Vậy là em trễ chuyến bay.* And so I missed the flight.

At the end of a sentence, *vậy* alone means "then, I suppose", accepting a second choice: *Thôi, ăn bún vậy.*

## Examples

- Saigon: Em chưa ăn hả? Vậy thì đi ăn với anh. | Hà Nội: Em chưa ăn à? Thế thì đi ăn với anh. — You haven't eaten? Well then, come and eat with me.
- Saigon: Mai em bận hả? Vậy thì thứ bảy nha. | Hà Nội: Mai em bận à? Thế thì thứ bảy nhé. — You're busy tomorrow? Saturday, then.
- Saigon: Vậy thì lấy em hai ký. | Hà Nội: Thế thì lấy em hai cân. — In that case, I'll take two kilos.
- Saigon: Vậy mai gặp nha. | Hà Nội: Thế mai gặp nhé. — See you tomorrow, then.

## Words in this pattern

- [thế](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/the-so/#s_the_so): so
- [thế thì](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/the-thi/#s_the_thi): in that case
- [vậy](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/vay-so/#s_vay_then): in that case
- [vậy thì](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/vay-thi/#s_vay_thi): in that case

## Compare

- [And so, so then: vậy là / thế là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/the-la-so-then/): and so (it happened)
- [(I'll do it) then: … vậy at the end](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/vay-final-resigned/): then, no other choice

Previous in Linking ideas: [If (you) were to: person + mà + verb … thì](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ma-if-hypothetical/)
Next in Linking ideas: [Like that, so: như vậy / như thế](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nhu-vay-like-that/)

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