Củi và than ở gần bếp dã ngoại.

Vietnamese does not use là the way English uses is/are for location.

In Củi và than ở gần bếp dã ngoại, the word ở does the job of showing location, so the sentence naturally means that the firewood and charcoal are located near the camping stove.

A useful rule:

• là = used for identity/equations, like He is a teacher
• ở = used for location, like He is at home

So Củi và than là gần bếp dã ngoại would be wrong.

Ở gần means to be near or to be located near.

The two parts are:

• ở = be at / be located at
• gần = near

Together, they make the location relationship clear.

You will also sometimes hear gần used by itself in similar sentences, but ở gần is very natural and explicit. It sounds a bit like saying are situated near in English.

Củi means firewood or wood used as fuel.

It usually refers to wood meant for burning, not just any wood in general. It is commonly treated like a material noun, similar to firewood in English.

If you want to talk about individual pieces, Vietnamese usually adds another word, for example:

• một khúc củi = a piece/log of firewood
• một bó củi = a bundle of firewood

By itself, than can refer broadly to coal or charcoal, depending on context.

In this sentence, because it appears with củi and near an outdoor stove, learners will often understand it as charcoal. That is probably the most natural reading here.

If Vietnamese wants to be more specific, it can say:

• than đá = coal
• than củi = charcoal

So plain than is somewhat context-dependent.

Bếp dã ngoại means something like camping stove, outdoor stove, or portable stove for outdoor trips, depending on context.

Vietnamese usually puts the main noun first and the describing word after it:

• bếp = stove
• dã ngoại = outdoor excursion, picnic, camping/outdoor use

So the order is:

• bếp dã ngoại = stove for outdoor use

This is the opposite of normal English order, where the modifier usually comes first.

Not exactly.

Dã ngoại usually means an outdoor outing, picnic, or excursion into nature. It can include camping, but it is a bit broader than the English word camping.

So bếp dã ngoại does not have to mean only a stove for overnight camping. It can also mean a stove used for outdoor cooking more generally.

Vietnamese usually does not mark articles or plural the way English does.

So củi và than can mean:

• firewood and charcoal
• the firewood and charcoal
• some firewood and charcoal

The exact meaning depends on context.

Also, củi and than are material nouns, so they do not normally need plural marking. English also often treats words like firewood as uncountable.

No, not in this sentence.

Classifiers are usually needed when you are counting specific items, not when you are just naming materials or substances in a general way. Here, củi and than are being mentioned as substances, so no classifier is necessary.

If you wanted to count or measure them, you would use extra words, for example:

• một bó củi = a bundle of firewood
• một túi than = a bag of charcoal
• hai cục than = two lumps/pieces of charcoal

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

Ở gần bếp dã ngoại có củi và than.

This means roughly Near the camping stove, there is firewood and charcoal.

The difference is mainly focus:

• Củi và than ở gần bếp dã ngoại. = focuses first on firewood and charcoal
• Ở gần bếp dã ngoại có củi và than. = focuses first on the location and then says what is there

Both are good Vietnamese, but the structure with có is especially common when introducing the existence of something in a place.