Explanation of the title

"An" (pronounce /an/, like 'ant' without the final /t/) is a Sino-Vietnamese word, means safe, settle, and peace.

With the meaning of "peace", it is a popular name in Vietnamese and can be used along with many other words for further meaning. Eg. Gia An - peace and harmony between family members, Quốc An - country's peace, An Khánh (or An Lạc) - peace and happiness, and so on.

"Bình" is a Sino-Vietnamese word, means safe in the manner of stable and unchanged. This is the most common word that goes with "an" in normal speech. The compound word "bình an", aside from settle and safe, can be ultimately interpreted as "inner-peace".

All "Bình", "An", and "Bình An" are popular names in Vietnamese. In Vietnamese and many Asia languages, a person's name comes last: surname - middle name(s) - personal name. For example, in "Bình An", "An" is the person's name and "Bình" is the middle name.

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