Tiến Lên

Tiến Lên ("go forward") is a 4-player Vietnamese shedding card game. Be the first to play all your cards to win.

1. Card ranking (low to high): 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · J · Q · K · A · 2. The 2 is the highest single card.
2. Suit ranking (low to high): Spades · Clubs · Diamonds · Hearts.
3. Each player is dealt 13 cards. The player with the 3 of Spades goes first and must include it in their opening play.
4. Players take turns playing a valid hand that beats the last played hand. The hand type must match (single beats single, pair beats pair, etc.) and be higher in value.
5. Valid hand types: single, pair, triple, four-of-a-kind, sequence (3+ consecutive ranks), sequence of pairs (2+ consecutive pairs).
6. If you can't or don't want to beat the current hand, pass. Once all other players pass, the last player to play leads the next round with any hand type.
7. Special rule: a single 2 can only be beaten by a four-of-a-kind or a sequence of 3+ pairs.
8. Select cards by clicking them, then click Play. Click Pass to skip your turn.

Tiến Lên is arguably Vietnam's most popular card game, played in homes, coffee shops, and community centers across the country and throughout the Vietnamese diaspora. Its name — "go forward" — captures both the game mechanic and a broader Vietnamese cultural value of persistence and advancement.

The game belongs to the family of shedding card games found across East and Southeast Asia, including the Chinese game Zheng Shangyou ("climbing"), which may be a common ancestor. Vietnamese communities worldwide have carried Tiến Lên with them as a touchstone of shared identity — a gathering of Vietnamese friends is rarely complete without a few rounds.

In Vietnamese culture, card games like Tiến Lên occupy a special place during Tết, family reunions, and long evenings with friends. The game is known for its social energy: the strategy, the bluffing, the groans when someone plays a 2, and the victory lap when you slam down your last card.