vý

Võ is a Vietnamese surname and also a Vietnamese word meaning martial or martial arts. As a noun, it appears in compound terms such as võ thuật (martial arts) and võ sư (master), reflecting its use beyond a family name.

As a surname, Võ is among the more common Vietnamese family names and is found throughout Vietnam and in overseas Vietnamese communities. In texts that omit diacritics, it is often written as Vo.

Notable people with the surname Võ include Võ Nguyên Giáp (1911–2013), a prominent general and commander in the Vietnam People’s Army; Võ Thị Sáu (1933–1952), a celebrated revolutionary heroine; and Võ Văn Kiệt (1922–2008), a former prime minister of Vietnam. These figures illustrate the surname’s historical prominence in Vietnamese public life.

In Vietnamese naming practice, Võ typically functions as a family name that precedes the given name. The surname also appears in various regional distributions and among the diaspora, maintaining recognition beyond Vietnam.