# lên meaning in Vietnamese: to go up (A1)

> lên means “to go up, to come up” in Vietnamese. It can also mean get on, turn. Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/len-go-up/ · Updated 2026-10-18

**lên**: go up · get on · turn

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: len

## 1. go up (verb)

to go up, to come up

Also for travelling to the highlands: *lên Đà Lạt*.

- Saigon: Em lên lầu lấy đồ nha. | Hà Nội: Em lên tầng lấy đồ nhé. — I'll go upstairs and get my things.
- Saigon: Cuối tuần tụi mình lên Đà Lạt. | Hà Nội: Cuối tuần bọn mình lên Đà Lạt. — This weekend we're going up to Da Lat.

Level: A1

Grammar: [Moving in a direction: ra, vô / vào, lên, xuống, về, qua, tới](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/direction-verbs/)

## 2. get on (verb)

to get on, to get in

The opposite is *xuống xe*, to get off.

- Saigon: Lên xe đi, trễ rồi! | Hà Nội: Lên xe đi, muộn rồi! — Get in, we're late!
- Mình lên xe buýt ở chợ Bến Thành. — We get on the bus at Ben Thanh Market.

Level: A2

## 3. turn (verb)

to turn (an age)

Said of young children: *bé lên ba*, the little one is turning three.

- Con tui năm nay lên năm. — My child turns five this year.
- Bé lên mấy rồi? — How old is the little one now?

Level: A2

## Opposite

- [xuống](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/xuong-go-down/#s_xuong_get_off): get off

Previous: [lẹ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/le-quick/)
Next: [lên mạng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/len-mang/)

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