Meaning
Sitting in the sun.
Cultural Background
There is a strong cultural divide: tourists and youth love 'tắm nắng', while many locals avoid it to keep their skin pale. Coastal cities like Nha Trang and Da Nang are hotspots where 'tắm nắng' is the primary activity for foreign visitors. Sunbathing for infants is considered essential medical advice for bone health. In winter, 'tắm nắng' or 'sưởi nắng' is a cherished way to stay warm during rare sunny days.
Morning is best
In Vietnam, the sun is very strong. If you want to 'tắm nắng' like a local, do it before 8:00 AM.
Avoid Midday
From 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, it's not 'tắm nắng', it's 'cực hình' (torture)!
Meaning
Sitting in the sun.
Morning is best
In Vietnam, the sun is very strong. If you want to 'tắm nắng' like a local, do it before 8:00 AM.
Avoid Midday
From 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, it's not 'tắm nắng', it's 'cực hình' (torture)!
Skin color
Don't be surprised if your Vietnamese friends wear masks and gloves in the sun; they aren't being rude, they are just protecting their skin.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct phrase.
Hôm nay trời rất đẹp, chúng ta ra bãi biển ___ nhé?
You go to the beach to 'tắm nắng' (sunbathe) when the weather is beautiful.
Which sentence is correct?
How do you say 'The cat is sunbathing'?
'Tắm nắng' is the correct phrase for living beings enjoying the sun.
Match the situation to the phrase.
You are at a pharmacy buying sunscreen for your beach trip.
Sunscreen (kem) is used for sunbathing (tắm nắng).
Complete the dialogue.
A: Tại sao em bé lại ra ngoài lúc sáng sớm? B: Dạ, để em bé ___ ạ.
In Vietnam, babies are taken out early to sunbathe for health.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Tắm Nắng vs Phơi Nắng
Tắm Nắng
- • Relaxing
- • Health
- • Beach
Phơi Nắng
- • Drying clothes
- • Working
- • Forced
Practice Bank
4 exercisesHôm nay trời rất đẹp, chúng ta ra bãi biển ___ nhé?
You go to the beach to 'tắm nắng' (sunbathe) when the weather is beautiful.
How do you say 'The cat is sunbathing'?
'Tắm nắng' is the correct phrase for living beings enjoying the sun.
You are at a pharmacy buying sunscreen for your beach trip.
Sunscreen (kem) is used for sunbathing (tắm nắng).
A: Tại sao em bé lại ra ngoài lúc sáng sớm? B: Dạ, để em bé ___ ạ.
In Vietnam, babies are taken out early to sunbathe for health.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsNo, that sounds like a literal translation from English. Always use 'tắm nắng'.
It's neutral. You can use it with friends or with a doctor.
Generally, no. Most prefer fair skin, but the younger generation is changing this.
'Tắm nắng' is for pleasure/health; 'phơi nắng' is for drying things or forced exposure.
You say 'Tôi bị cháy nắng'.
Yes! 'Con chó đang tắm nắng' is perfectly natural.
It's a compound verb.
Between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM.
No, but you can use 'ở' to specify a location.
Yes, it often appears in summer-themed pop songs.
Related Phrases
phơi nắng
similarto expose to the sun
cháy nắng
builds onsunburn
kem chống nắng
similarsunscreen
sưởi nắng
similarto warm oneself in the sun
nắng sớm
similarearly morning sun
