# kẹt xe meaning in Vietnamese: to be stuck in traffic

> kẹt xe means “to be stuck in traffic, traffic jam” in Vietnamese. Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ket-xe/ · Updated 2026-10-18

**kẹt xe**: stuck in traffic

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: ket xe

## 1. stuck in traffic (verb)

to be stuck in traffic, traffic jam

Also a noun: *Kẹt xe quá!*, "The traffic's terrible!" In Hà Nội: *tắc đường*.

- Saigon: Xin lỗi, tui bị kẹt xe. | Hà Nội: Xin lỗi, tôi bị tắc đường. — Sorry, I got stuck in traffic.
- Saigon: Giờ này kẹt xe lắm. | Hà Nội: Giờ này tắc đường lắm. — The traffic is really bad at this time.

In Hà Nội you say [tắc đường](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/tac-duong/#s_tac_duong).

Saigon only

Previous: [kém](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/kem-weak/)
Next: [kế toán](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ke-toan/)

---

Add to Vietnamese Buddy: https://app.vietnamesebuddy.com/waitlist?source=word%3Aw_ket_xe
In the app, any word you meet while reading can go into your lexicon with its audio, ready to study with flashcards and spaced repetition.