Definition

1. Verb:
   • To gather, to assemble, to concentrate: To bring together people, troops, or materials from various locations to a designated point for a specific purpose or mission.
   • To regroup (historical/military): Specifically, to relocate revolutionary cadres and troops from South Vietnam to North Vietnam following the 1954 Geneva Accords.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Quân đội tập kết lực lượng trước trận đánh. (The army gathered its forces before the battle.)
  • Sau năm 1954, nhiều cán bộ đã tập kết ra miền Bắc. (After 1954, many cadres regrouped to the North.)
  • Họ tập kết pháo binh tại một vị trí bí mật. (They assembled the artillery at a secret location.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "tập kết" carries a strong historical connotation in Vietnamese context, almost exclusively associated with the mass movement of people and forces between North and South Vietnam in 1954-1955.
• It implies an organized, strategic concentration for a collective goal, not a casual gathering.

Variants and Related Words

• Tập trung (v): to concentrate, to focus. This is the more general, modern term for gathering.
  • Tập trung quân ở biên giới. (To concentrate troops at the border.)
• Tụ họp (v): to congregate, to meet up (often for social reasons).
  • Họ tụ họp tại quán cà phê. (They congregated at the coffee shop.)

Synonyms

• Assemble: to bring together.
• Concentrate: to bring together at one point.
• Regroup: to reorganize, especially after a setback or according to a plan.

Related Idioms

• While "tập kết" itself is not commonly used in idioms, it is a key term in historical phrases:
  • Cán bộ tập kết: Regrouped cadres (referring to those who moved North in 1954).
  • Chiến sĩ tập kết: Regrouped soldiers.

verb

1. to gather, to assemble