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Cô Vy
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
Vietnamese
Alternative forms
Cô Vi
cô vy
Etymology
Coined by musician Khắc Hưng in the viral music video "Ghen Cô Vy" ("Jealous of Miss Vy") as a pun on mul COVID and vi cô Vy, a common female name. "Cô Vy" is a natural pronunciation respelling of mul COVID in Vietnamese, which does not allow syllables to end with /d/.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
姑薇 vi cô Cô Vy
vi colloquial a personification of COVID, specifically COVID-19; Miss Rona
vi Gồng mình qua đại dịch Trần Đăng Quảng Nam Online Tam Kỳ, Quảng Nam 2020-02-23 2020-03-21 http://baoquangnam.vn/phong-su-ky-su/gong-minh-qua-dai-dich-84763.html Đùng một cái, “dịch Cô Vy” (gọi nôm na từ Covid-19) xuất hiện, từ hơn nửa tháng nay, đường phố đột nhiên trống vắng. All of a sudden, the "Cô Vy epidemic" (an informal term for COVID-19) appeared. Over half a month ago, the streets suddenly emptied out. https://web.archive.org/web/20200322004757/http://baoquangnam.vn/phong-su-ky-su/gong-minh-qua-dai-dich-84763.html 22 March 2020
vi Cô Vy ở New York City Nguyễn Q Việt Báo Garden Grove, California 2020-03-18 2020-03-21 https://vietbao.com/p301409a302502/co-vy-o-new-york-city Taxi ở NYC một thời làm mưa làm gió, phải trả cả triệu đô-la cho một cái giấy phép, vừa bị khốn đốn vì Uber và Lyft, nay thêm cô Vy nầy. It was raining and pouring for taxis in NYC for a while, having to pay as much as a million dollars for a license, meanwhile being sent into poverty by Uber and Lyft, and now add this COVID to the mix. https://web.archive.org/web/20250128222903/https://vietbao.com/p301409a302502/co-vy-o-new-york-city 28 January 2025
vi Thư từ Mỹ : Cô Vi và XHCN trên bảo dưới không nghe Bùi Văn Phú BBC News Vietnamese British Broadcasting Corporation 2020-04-07 https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/forum-52178939 Thế rồi tình hình đối phó với Cô Vi lây lan làm rúng động nước Mỹ. As it happened, dealing with COVID’s spread sent reverberations across America. https://web.archive.org/web/20250128234500/https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/forum-52178939 28 January 2025
vi Nhà thiết kế Thuận Việt và 3 tuần cắt 15 tấn rau muống chở đến khu phong tỏa The designer Thuận Việt and 3 weeks cutting 15 tonnes of water spinach to deliver to a quarantined neighborhood w:Tuổi Trẻ Ho Chi Minh City 2021-08-01 2021-11-17 https://tuoitre.vn/nha-thiet-ke-thuan-viet-va-3-tuan-cat-15-tan-rau-muong-cho-den-khu-phong-toa-2021073017584653.htm Và những chuyến xe, chuyến thu hoạch đong đầy tình người này sẽ vẫn tiếp tục cho đến khi "cô vy đi xa". And these trips and harvests filled with humanity will still continue until "COVID goes far away". https://web.archive.org/web/20251111043208/https://tuoitre.vn/nha-thiet-ke-thuan-viet-va-3-tuan-cat-15-tan-rau-muong-cho-den-khu-phong-toa-2021073017584653.htm 11 November 2025
Synonyms
COVID-19 COVID-19
References
Coronavirus: Vietnamese COVID-19 video goes viral as prevention message proves popular Thomas Seymat Julie Gaubert Euronews 2020-03-03 2020-03-21 https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-vietnamese-covid-19-video-goes-viral-as-prevention-message-proves-popular https://web.archive.org/web/20260104162344/https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-vietnamese-covid-19-video-goes-viral-as-prevention-message-proves-popular 4 January 2026
vi COVID-19 Personifications