Tiến Lên
Officially Tiến Lên (Tiến lên miền Nam)
VIETNAMESE NATIONAL CARD GAME — 4-player 'shedding' game (~1970s codification) similar to Big Two + President. Object: get rid of all 13 cards using singles + pairs + triples + straights + 'bombs' (four-of-a-kind + consecutive pairs). Traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year game — ubiquitous in Vietnamese communities worldwide. Distinct rank + suit ordering from Big Two.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–4
Duration
~15 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇻🇳 Vietnam
Estimated origin
Developed 20th century in Southern Vietnam; codified in current form by 1970s; introduced to Vietnamese diaspora worldwide 1975+.
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Be FIRST to discard all 13 cards from your hand using valid combinations.
Rules
Basic rules
RANK ORDER: 3 (LOW) < 4 < ... < K < A < 2 (HIGH) — same as Big Two
Signature 2-high rule.
SUIT ORDER (tiebreaker within same rank): ♠ < ♣ < ♦ < ♥ — DIFFERENT from Big Two
Signature Vietnamese suit-order (hearts high, spades low).
FIRST PLAYER: whoever holds the 3♠ (LOWEST card overall) leads first; must include 3♠
Signature 3-of-spades opening.
PLAY FORMS: single, pair, triple, straight (min 3), consecutive pairs (min 3), four-of-a-kind
Signature play forms.
BOMBS: four-of-a-kind or 3 consecutive pairs (aka 'four-run') → BEAT ANY SINGLE 2; 4 consecutive pairs → beat any pair of 2s
Signature bomb hierarchy vs 2s.
MUST BEAT previous play with same TYPE + higher value OR use a valid BOMB; else PASS
Standard must-beat-or-pass.
WIN CONDITION: first to empty hand; last player = 'stuck-with-2s' extra penalty
Signature Vietnamese penalty rules.
Scoring
Cards left in loser's hand = penalty; being stuck with 2s or bombs = extra penalty; often gambling stakes.
Win condition · First to empty hand wins the round.
Equipment
Standard 52-card deck
Western deck; 4 players deal 13 each.
Terminology
- Tiến Lên
- 'Advance forward / go up' (Vietnamese).
- Đôi
- Pair.
- Sảnh
- Straight (3+ consecutive cards).
- Tứ quý
- Four-of-a-kind bomb (beats a 2).
- Đôi thông
- Consecutive pairs (3 → beats 2; 4 → beats pair of 2s).
Where it is played
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Tiến lên— Wikipedia
- Pagat.com — Tien Len— Pagat