Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Street vendor, hawker, pedlar: A person who sells goods, often food or small items, by moving from place to place on the streets, typically using a cart, bicycle, or carrying poles.
   • The goods sold by such a vendor: The merchandise itself, often consisting of ready-to-eat food, beverages, or household items.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mỗi sáng, bác bán hàng rong đi qua phố tôi. (Every morning, the street vendor passes by my street.)
  • Tôi thường mua xôi từ một người bán hàng rong. (I often buy sticky rice from a hawker.)
  • Hàng rong ở đây rất đa dạng, từ bánh mì đến trái cây. (The goods sold by street vendors here are very diverse, from bread to fruit.)

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Context: The term "hàng rong" often carries cultural connotations of traditional, mobile, and informal retail, forming an integral part of the street life and culinary scene in Vietnam.
• Formal vs. Informal: While "hàng rong" is common in everyday speech, more formal or administrative contexts might use terms like "tiểu thương lưu động" (mobile small trader).

Variants and Related Words

• Người bán hàng rong (n): Street vendor, hawker. (This is a compound phrase specifying the person.)
  • Người bán hàng rong đó có giọng rao rất hay. (That street vendor has a very catchy sales call.)
• Bán hàng rong (v): To peddle, to hawk goods on the street.
  • Cô ấy kiếm sống bằng nghề bán hàng rong. (She makes a living by peddling goods on the street.)

Synonyms

• Người bán dạo: Pedlar, itinerant seller. (Very close synonym, often interchangeable.)
• Tiểu thương lưu động: Mobile small trader. (More formal term.)

Related Phrases

• Gánh hàng rong: A vendor's carrying pole load. (Refers specifically to the goods carried on a pole.)
  • Gánh hàng rong của bà cụ có đủ thứ. (The old woman's carrying pole load has all sorts of things.)
• Rong ruổi: To roam about. (Shares the root "rong" implying movement, but is a verb meaning to travel or wander.)
  • Anh ấy rong ruổi khắp nơi để tìm việc. (He roamed everywhere looking for work.)

Related Idioms

• Cơm hàng cháo chợ / Cơm bụi, chợ trời, hàng rong: This phrase groups informal, affordable eating options: "cơm bụi" (street-side eateries), "chợ trời" (flea markets), and "hàng rong" (street food vendors). It describes a lifestyle or dining habit reliant on these informal sectors.
  • Dân văn phòng sống bằng cơm bụi, chợ trời, hàng rong. (Office workers live on street food, flea markets, and hawker meals.)

1. hawker; pedlar