Nơi này vắng vẻ, không đông vui.

Vietnamese often does not use a verb like to be when describing something with an adjective.

So:

• Nơi này vắng vẻ = This place is deserted / quiet
• Nơi này không đông vui = This place is not lively / bustling

This is very normal in Vietnamese. Adjectives can act like predicates by themselves.

Compare:

• Trời nóng. = The weather is hot.
• Cô ấy đẹp. = She is beautiful.

You do not need a separate word meaning is here.

Nơi này literally means this place.

• nơi = place
• này = this

So Nơi này vắng vẻ means This place is deserted/quiet.

It is close in meaning to here, but not exactly the same grammatically.

For example:

• Nơi này vắng vẻ. = This place is deserted.
• Ở đây vắng vẻ. = It’s deserted here.

Both are natural, but:

• nơi này focuses on the place itself
• ở đây focuses more on location: here

Also, nơi can sound a little more neutral or slightly more formal/literary than chỗ.

Both can mean this place.

• nơi này = this place
• chỗ này = this place / this spot

The difference is mostly about tone and style:

• chỗ này is very common in everyday speech
• nơi này can sound a bit more neutral, descriptive, or slightly more formal

So in casual conversation, many speakers might say:

• Chỗ này vắng vẻ, không đông vui.

That sounds very natural too.

Vắng vẻ means deserted, quiet, empty, not many people around.

It is a very common two-syllable Vietnamese adjective. Many Vietnamese words are made of two parts like this, and learners often do best by learning vắng vẻ as one unit.

It usually suggests:

• few people
• little activity
• a somewhat empty feeling

For example:

• Con đường này rất vắng vẻ vào ban đêm. = This street is very deserted at night.

It does not mainly mean quiet in the sense of no sound. It is more about lack of people/activity.

Yes, đông vui is a very common expression.

• đông = crowded / many people
• vui = fun / cheerful / lively

Together, đông vui means something like:

• lively
• bustling
• crowded and cheerful
• full of people and activity

So không đông vui means:

• not lively
• not bustling
• not crowded and cheerful

It does not necessarily mean sad. It just means the place lacks that busy, lively atmosphere.

They are similar, but not identical.

• vắng vẻ emphasizes emptiness / few people
• không đông vui emphasizes lack of lively, bustling atmosphere

So the sentence gives two connected ideas:

1. the place feels empty
2. the place does not feel lively or socially active

Using both makes the description richer and more natural.

In English, it is a bit like saying:

• This place is quiet and not very lively.
• This place feels deserted, not bustling.

So yes, there is some overlap, but they are not exact duplicates.

The comma separates two descriptive parts:

• Nơi này vắng vẻ
• không đông vui

It works a bit like saying:

• This place is deserted, not lively.

In Vietnamese, commas are often used to separate closely related descriptions. The second part adds another comment about the same subject.

You could also hear it without a strong pause in speech, but the comma helps organize the sentence in writing.

Yes, Vietnamese word order can sometimes be flexible in descriptive phrases, and a listener would understand you.

But Nơi này vắng vẻ, không đông vui sounds more natural because it moves from:

1. a basic observable description: vắng vẻ
2. to a further interpretation: không đông vui

So the original order feels smoother and more idiomatic.

Not exactly.

• không đông vui = not lively, not bustling
• buồn = sad, dull, gloomy

A place can be:

• không đông vui without being emotionally sad
• vắng vẻ without being depressing

For example, a quiet village might be vắng vẻ and không đông vui, but still peaceful and pleasant.

So learners should be careful not to translate không đông vui too strongly as sad.

Yes, it is understandable and natural, but it sounds a little descriptive.

In everyday conversation, people might also say:

• Chỗ này vắng quá. = This place is so empty.
• Ở đây không đông vui lắm. = It’s not very lively here.
• Chỗ này hơi vắng vẻ. = This place is a bit deserted.

So the original sentence is fine, but in real speech people often simplify or soften it depending on context.

A few pronunciation points:

• vắng vẻ
  • vắng has the sắc tone
  • vẻ has the hỏi tone
• đông vui
  • đông has the ngang tone
  • vui also has the ngang tone

Important things to notice:

• đ in đông is like a regular d sound in English
• v in Vietnamese is usually like English v in many dialects
• ng at the end of vắng and đông is a nasal sound, like in English sing

For learners, it helps to practice in chunks:

• Nơi này
• vắng vẻ
• không đông vui

Then put them together naturally.

Sometimes, but the meaning changes.

• vắng vẻ = deserted, empty, few people around
• yên tĩnh = quiet, peaceful, not noisy

A place can be:

• yên tĩnh because it is peaceful
• vắng vẻ because almost nobody is there

They overlap sometimes, but they are not the same.

For example:

• A library can be yên tĩnh but not vắng vẻ
• An abandoned street can be vắng vẻ, and maybe also yên tĩnh

So replacing it is possible only if quiet is really the meaning you want.