Learn how to play Bầu Cua (Bau Cua), the Vietnamese New Year dice game, together.
What you need
Set out the mat, the dome and dish, three dice, and play coins. At home, use buttons or other counters as coins. Give everyone a pile and leave room beside the mat for the coins of whoever is shaking. Use the fourth die as a spare.
A round in four steps
Pick your friends
Put coins on the friends you choose. You can pick one friend or several. Everyone places their coins before the dice are covered.
Cover and shake
Put three dice in the dish and cover them with the dome. Shake the covered dice, keeping the dome over the dish.
Lift the dome
Lift the dome so everyone can see all three dice. Leave the coins in place while you look at the faces together.
Count the matches
Count how many dice show each friend you picked. Each die that shows your friend brings one extra coin for every coin you put there.
What comes back
Count each friend separately, checking all three dice.
| Your friend appears | Your coins |
|---|---|
| On one die | You keep your coins and get 1 more for each coin. |
| On two dice | You keep them and get 2 more for each. |
| On three dice | You keep them and get 3 more for each. |
| On no dice | Your coins go to whoever is shaking. Online they go in the dish beside the shaker. |
The extra coins come from whoever is shaking.
Let's count one together
Put 2 coins on Cua. If that friend appears on two dice, your 2 coins come back with 4 more. You collect 6 coins altogether. If that friend appears on no dice, those 2 coins go to whoever is shaking. Count the starting coins and extra coins in separate piles.
Playing with younger children
Say each name out loud and point to its picture. Let children shake the dome, then count the coins together. Take your time with each face. Everyone can join in by finding a matching picture or helping count, even before they are ready to pick their own friends.
The six friends
| Vietnamese name | English word |
|---|---|
| Deer | |
| Gourd | |
| Rooster | |
| Fish | |
| Crab | |
| Shrimp |
Questions families ask
What do you need to play?
Set out a mat, a dome and dish, three dice and play coins. The fourth die in the boxed game is a spare. At home, buttons or other counters can stand in for coins.
How many people can play?
Play together around one mat, taking turns to shake while everyone chooses friends. The online game also lets one person play on their own.
How do the play coins work?
Each matching die brings one extra coin for every coin on that friend, and your starting coins come back too. With no match, those coins go to whoever is shaking. Online they go in the dish.
Can younger children join in?
A grown-up can help by naming the pictures, pointing to each matching face and counting the coins together. Everyone can help match pictures or count, choosing how to join in together.
