Learn Hardcore Vietnamese: Mặc dù đường đông nhưng xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm. - Although the street is crowded, the bus still runs slowly.

The pattern mặc dù... nhưng... introduces a concession, meaning although... followed by but.... Mặc dù presents the condition or obstacle (as in đường đông, which means the road is crowded), and nhưng introduces the contrasting result (as in xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm, which means the bus still runs slowly).

Is nhưng necessary after mặc dù?

No. You can say Mặc dù đường đông, xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm without nhưng. Omitting nhưng is common in informal speech; including it simply makes the contrast clearer.

What’s the difference between mặc dù and dù?

Both mean although. Dù is shorter and more conversational, while mặc dù is slightly more formal or more common in writing. You could also say Dù đường đông, xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm.

What does vẫn add to xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm?

Vẫn means still and emphasizes that the bus continues to run slowly despite the crowded road. Without vẫn, nhưng xe buýt chạy chậm would simply state that it runs slowly, losing the sense of unexpected persistence.

Why is vẫn placed before chạy?

In Vietnamese, vẫn goes between the subject and the verb or adjective it modifies. Since xe buýt is the subject, vẫn comes immediately before chạy.

Why is it đường đông instead of đông đường?

Vietnamese adjectives normally follow the nouns they describe. So đường (road) comes first, then đông (crowded).

Why does chậm come after chạy?

Here chậm functions like an adverb modifying the verb chạy. Many Vietnamese adjectives can act as adverbs by following the verb directly, for example chạy chậm = run slowly.

Why is there no plural marker for xe buýt? Does it mean one bus or many?

Vietnamese nouns do not change form for number. Xe buýt can mean the bus or buses in general. To make it explicitly plural, you can add các before the noun: các xe buýt.

Can we use nhưng mà instead of nhưng?

Yes. Nhưng mà is more colloquial and slightly more emphatic. You could say Mặc dù đường đông nhưng mà xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm for a more conversational tone.

Can we replace mặc dù with bất chấp?

Yes. Bất chấp also expresses despite or regardless of, but it is more formal or literary. Bất chấp đường đông, xe buýt vẫn chạy chậm sounds more written than spoken.

Should we include đang for the progressive aspect, like vẫn đang chạy chậm?

You can if you want to highlight the ongoing action at the moment: Mặc dù đường đông, xe buýt vẫn đang chạy chậm. Without đang, the sentence describes a general tendency or habitual fact rather than the exact ongoing moment.