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Card games in Vietnam

This page is part of the National and Regional Card Games Index of the Card Games Web Site.

I know of three types of cards in use in Vietnam for different games:

• The standard international 52 card pack is used for various games, including:
  • the climbing game Tien Len [with accents: Tiến Lên];
  • the game Catte [with accents: Cắt Tê], in which each player is dealt six cards and the object is to win the last trick;
  • Xì Lác or Xì Dách, a game similar to Blackjack (21) but without the possibility to Split or Double;
  • Xập Xám Chướng, which is the Vietnamese name for Sap Sam Cheung (13 Cards) or Chinese Poker.
  Rules for all of the above games can be found at the Asian Games Site vinagames.com, where it is possible to play them on line.

• A special 32 card pack of two colour chess cards is used for the trick-taking game Tam Cúc (three chrysanthemums, also known as Tứ Sắc), described by Jude Wudarczyk in The Playing-Card Vol XXVI No 1 (1997) pp 2-8.

• A special 120 card three suited money pack is used for the rummy game Tò Tôm (more correctly, Tổ Tôm) described by Michael Dummett in his article "A Vietnamese Card Game" (Ludica 2, p255 - Fondazione Benneton Studi Ricerche/Viella, Roma, 1996).

The World Casino Directory includes a listing of Casinos in Vietnam.