{"id":4654,"date":"2020-10-01T16:27:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T08:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=4654"},"modified":"2022-10-05T22:09:02","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T14:09:02","slug":"vietnamese-board-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/vietnamese-board-games\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Vietnamese Board Games & Tabletop Games To Play On A Fun Afternoon Out With Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnamese board games and tabletop games to play with friends<\/h2>\n
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Bonding with friends over a fun board game never gets old, and while the likes of Monopoly or Catan are tried-and-true names that have stood the test of time, many Vietnamese talents have also come up with their own board games that can actually give these titans a run for their money.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, if you are on the lookout for something different \u2013 something with a dash of local flavor perhaps \u2013 give these <\/span>9 Vietnamese board games<\/b> and tabletop games a try the next time you hit up a board game caf\u00e9 with your friends.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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1. Ma \u0111\u00f3i GrabFood \u2013 Vietnamese version of Werewolf<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Grab.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Werewolf – the popular game where you use deduction and reasoning to find the bad guy in your group – should be an all-too-familiar name to any board game fan, and <\/span>Ma \u0111\u00f3i GrabFood<\/b> is an attempt to give this massively popular game a localized, more down-to-earth makeover. So, instead of villagers fending off werewolves, you\u2019ll be playing average Vietnamese foodies and GrabFood drivers who must unite to survive against the <\/span>Ma \u0111\u00f3i <\/span><\/em>(hungry ghosts).<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit:<\/span> Grab.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The rules remain mostly the same: each player is given a secret role with unique abilities. Some become hungry ghosts whose goal is to haunt other players to remove them from the game, while others can possess special traits such as having 2 lives or the ability to save another player from being killed by hungry ghosts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>An illustration of the different types of hungry ghosts<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit:<\/span> Grab.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Each round begins with a night cycle, where everyone closes their eyes and the game master calls on each player to perform their respective role without letting others know who they are. Then when day comes, the game master relays the outcome of the actions – such as who gets \u201cmurdered\u201d in the game – to everyone, based on which the players must discuss among themselves to find out who the hungry ghosts are.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Grab.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The game ends when all the hungry ghosts are found out, or they successfully eliminate the majority of players while remaining undetected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the roles are assigned randomly and no one knows who is who, your best friend in real life could very well be a hungry ghost who wants to kill you in-game. As such, you have nothing but your own reasoning to rely on. This is a game that\u2019ll put your logic and deduction skills to the test.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 8-10<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 15 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND100,000 (~USD4.30)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Moderate to Hard<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. B\u1eafn G\u00e0 L\u00e0 T\u1ea1ch \u2013 PUBG on the table<\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit:<\/span> B\u1eafn G\u00e0 L\u00e0 T\u1ea1ch<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The online first-person shooter game PlayerUnknown\u2019s Battlegrounds (PUBG) took the Internet by storm in 2018 and practically spawned an entire new video game genre called battle royale, where 100 players fight on a huge map to become the last man (or woman) standing. Now, <\/span>B\u1eafn G\u00e0 L\u00e0 T\u1ea1ch<\/b> is about as close as you can get to that in board game form.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> B\u1eafn G\u00e0 L\u00e0 T\u1ea1ch<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

While not quite able to support 100 players, the game can accommodate as many as 9 \u2013 which is already a sizable group. And the battle royale<\/em> spirit is still there: players drop into random locations on the map without knowing each other\u2019s whereabouts. From there, they must roam around to pick up equipment to better prepare themselves for confrontations when they inevitably run into another player.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span>Image credit:<\/span>B\u1eafn G\u00e0 L\u00e0 T\u1ea1ch<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, in true battle royale style, the battlefield gets progressively smaller as the game goes on, meaning that before long, there won\u2019t be any place to hide and your only chance is to fight and win.<\/span><\/p>\n

But <\/span>B\u1eafn G\u00e0 L\u00e0 T\u1ea1ch<\/span><\/em> also adds a more unique flavor to the formula: even if you do get taken out, it won\u2019t be the end of the line. Instead, you\u2019ll turn into a chicken and can throw eggs at other players to mark their locations, allowing others to spot them more easily. This way, even when you no longer have a shot at winning, you can get revenge on the one who eliminated you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 6-8<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 16 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND450,000 (~USD19.34)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b> <\/span>Moderate<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. \u0110\u1ed3ng H\u00e0nh \u2013 travel across Vietnam from the comfort of your chair<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> \u0110\u1ed3ng h\u00e0nh \u2013 tr\u00f2 ch\u01a1i Vi\u1ec7t Nam<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has spelled the premature demise of many a vacation plan, but with <\/span>\u0110\u1ed3ng H\u00e0nh, <\/b>we can still reminisce about what it\u2019s like to travel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Playing on a simplified map of Vietnam that features 26 of the country\u2019s biggest provinces and cities, your goal is to manage the 3 resources \u2013 rice, wood, and iron \u2013 that will support you as you travel to all 26 locations on the map.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Video credit:<\/span> Board Game VN<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As everyone shares a common goal, there is no competition between players in <\/span>\u0110\u1ed3ng H\u00e0nh<\/span><\/em>. Instead, the challenge comes from bandits that spawn randomly on the map after each turn, forcing you to spend resources to fend them off. Of course, moving also consumes resources, so you need to plan your route to travel far on as few supplies as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> naboardgames.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The game also comes with a deck of 26 cards giving you information about the cities and provinces, from their history to signature landmarks and notable delicacies to try.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 2-4<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 10 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND450,000 (~USD19.34)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b> <\/span>Easy to Moderate<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. L\u00ean M\u00e2m \u2013 cooking Vietnamese foods with cards<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Ng\u0169 H\u00e0nh Games<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve \u201ctraveled\u201d across Vietnam with <\/span>\u0110\u1ed3ng H\u00e0nh<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>it\u2019s time to familiarize yourself with the country\u2019s cuisine with <\/span>L\u00ean M\u00e2m<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this cute little card game, players take turns dishing out cards, representing the act of adding food ingredients to a pot. Once there are enough ingredients to make a dish, the person who added the final ingredient takes credit and earns points. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Alternatively, if you don\u2019t have the cards needed to finish creating a dish yourself, you can sabotage others by playing special action cards such as \u201cflipping the pot\u201d. This discards all the ingredients on the playfield and forces everyone to start over.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit:<\/span> Meeple in Saigon<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The dishes featured in <\/span>L\u00ean M\u00e2m <\/span><\/em>are staple Vietnamese recipes that you should feel instantly at home making. For instance, to make <\/span>b\u00e1nh t\u00e9t<\/span><\/em> \u2013 the traditional cake eaten during the Lunar New Year \u2013 you need pork, mung beans, sticky rice, and salted eggs. Meanwhile, for bitter melon stew, look for bitter melons, spring onions, minced meat, and wood ear.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit:<\/span> Ng\u0169 H\u00e0nh Games<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 2-4<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 10 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b> <\/span>VND170,000 (~USD7.31)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Easy<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. L\u1edbp h\u1ecdc M\u1eadt Ng\u1eef: Cu\u1ed9c \u0111ua sao ch\u1ed5i \u2013 save the planet as your horoscope<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> L\u1edbp h\u1ecdc M\u1eadt Ng\u1eef<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Adapted from the popular Vietnamese manga of the same name,<\/span> L\u1edbp h\u1ecdc M\u1eadt Ng\u1eef<\/b> allows you to play as the characters from the manga, each with their own unique traits and abilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The premise is straightforward: a meteor shower is coming, and your job is to visit the many shops around the map to retrieve supply crates before they are destroyed. The player with the most supply crates at the end becomes the winner.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> L\u1edbp h\u1ecdc M\u1eadt Ng\u1eef<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Meteors destroy a random shop on the map every turn, and if you happen to be in that shop, you\u2019ll be caught in the blast and lose a crate. Thankfully, you can also play special cards to turn the tide in your favor. These have multiple effects, from switching your place with another player to rendering you immune to any bad event.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>You can use cards with special effects to gain an advantage<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit:<\/span> Board Game VN<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If you are a fan of horoscopes or you like cute <\/span>chibi <\/span><\/em>characters, L\u1edbp h\u1ecdc M\u1eadt Ng\u1eef is just the game for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 2-6<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 10 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND440,000 (~USD18.91)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Easy to moderate<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. Bom L\u1eafc \u2013 simple yet hilarious game to play in a large group<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Board Game VN<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Bom L\u1eafc<\/b> is the perfect game to play in large groups. It has virtually no player cap and takes not even a minute to learn, yet it can be a ton of fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rules cannot be simpler: you roll a dice and then pass it to another person to either side of you based on the number you get. For instance, if you roll a 3, pass the dice to the third person to your left or right. The process is repeated until someone rolls 1 or a number greater than the current number of players. That person is then considered to have \u201cexploded\u201d and is removed from the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Board Game VN<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Now, if you\u2019re thinking it\u2019s just a boring dice game, the fun of <\/span>Bom L\u1eafc<\/span><\/em> lies in the special effect cards, which everyone is given one of at the start. They allow you to pass the explosion to another player, rob someone of their card, and carry out plenty of other effects that can set off hilarious chain reactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 10-20<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 10 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND160,000 (~USD6.88)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Easy<\/span><\/p>\n

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7. X\u00f3m Chim \u2013 a quirky representation of Vietnamese daily life<\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit:<\/span><\/i> X\u00f3m Chim<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

X\u00f3m Chim<\/strong> <\/span><\/em>aims to portray Vietnamese daily life in a quirky, tongue-in-cheek manner. Becoming one of the 7 residents of <\/span>x\u00f3m chim<\/span><\/em> (<\/span><\/i>Bird Hamlet<\/span>), <\/span><\/i>you\u2019ll go about the neighborhood working toward your goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each character has different objectives to achieve, but they mostly boil down to accumulating a specific amount of money \u2013 which you can do by going to workplaces \u2013 and, well, making others pee their pants.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span><\/i> X\u00f3m Chim<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

See, as you perform actions such as hitting up the market to buy special cards that give you perks or going to work, your character will develop an urge to pee, and once that crosses a certain threshold, you\u2019ll pee your pants and lose a turn. Others can play pranks on you to speed up the process, so be careful. When another player approaches you, you can be sure that they have no good intentions in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Throughout the game, you can obtain cards that grant you perks<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit:<\/span> X\u00f3m Chim<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

All in all, the gameplay is not too difficult to pick up, but does require you to put on your strategic thinking hat if you want to come out on top. Combined with the bright, lighthearted art style reminiscent of \u201970s propaganda posters, <\/span>X\u00f3m Chim <\/span><\/em>is a good entry option if you\u2019re new to the world of tabletop games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 4-5<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 16 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND600,000 (~USD25.78)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Easy to Moderate<\/span><\/p>\n

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8. H\u1ed9i Ph\u1ed1 – channel your inner businessman to become the richest of them all<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Lalaland 869 – Caf\u00e9 & Pub<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A product of leading Vietnamese board game creator <\/span>Ng\u0169 H\u00e0nh Games<\/b>, <\/span>H\u1ed9i Ph\u1ed1<\/b> takes you back to H\u1ed9i An in the 17th century, where the ancient town was a major commercial hub of Southeast Asia.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is only one goal in this game: to gather as much money as possible. To do so, you send out cards representing traders to compete against other players.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Lalaland 869 – Caf\u00e9 & Pub<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

There are a total of 12 traders in the game, each of whom is portrayed as an animal of the Chinese zodiac. They come with special effects that are activated when they encounter their respective archnemeses \u2013 for instance, when the Dog is put against the Cat. As a result, anticipating which cards your competitors will play and reacting accordingly is key to winning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 2-4<\/span>
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 10 and above<\/span>
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND180,000 (~USD7.73)<\/span>
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Easy<\/span><\/p>\n

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9. Dozen War \u2013 a western fantasy game made by Vietnamese creators<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Dozen War<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

While most Vietnamese board games have a laidback vibe reflecting everyday life that we can all relate to, <\/span>Dozen War<\/b> instead opts for a full-blown Western medieval fantasy theme to set itself apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, you control a group of heroes and their troops to roam around the map, picking up resources to expand your army and battling other players to become the supreme ruler of the land. If you\u2019ve ever played turn-based strategy games such as Heroes of Might & Magic, you\u2019ll instantly recognize the formula.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Dozen War<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

That said, there\u2019s a lot more when it comes to the details. As Dozen War\u2019s 12 heroes and 3 types of troops all come with their own strengths and weaknesses, it\u2019ll take at least a few games before you can get a grasp of everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit:<\/span> Dozen War<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

With a steep learning curve and lots of strategies involved, Dozen War isn\u2019t something you just casually pick up and play. However, if you are a diehard board game fan, the level of depth it offers can easily draw you in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended number of players:<\/b><\/span> 2-4
\n<\/span>For ages:<\/b><\/span> 16 and above
\n<\/span>Price:<\/b><\/span> VND1,350,000 (~USD57.69)
\n<\/span>Difficulty level:<\/b><\/span> Hard<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vietnamese board games and tabletop games by local creators<\/h3>\n
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Sure, giving your friend that +4 card when they are just about getting ready to yell \u201cUNO\u201d is fun and all, but why limit yourself to just that when we also have no shortage of homegrown Vietnamese board games and tabletop games that can be just as fun?<\/span><\/p>\n

For more things to do with friends and family, check out:<\/span><\/p>\n