Vietnamese language basics

The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. Spoken by the entire population, except for certain ethnic communities which still use their own dialects, it has its variations (accent and vocabulary) depending on the region. Derived from Chinese, it was previously written in ideograms. But in the 16th century, the Jesuit priest Alexander of Rhodes, with the aim of spreading Catholicism in Vietnam, transcribed the language phonetically. This is why today Vietnamese is romanized and therefore uses the letters we know. But beware, this does not mean that they are pronounced the same way! In addition, Vietnamese is a “singing language” with many tones and sounds which can be unfamiliar for foreigners and difficult to pronounce. But don’t worry, with these Vietnamese language basics you’ll be able to make the most of your holiday in Vietnam

Due to the country's colonial past, Vietnamese has kept a lot of French vocabulary, adapted to Vietnamese (with a monosyllabic script but with a sound similar to that of French). In addition, French in Vietnam is still spoken and understood, but more often by the older generation. These days the young Vietnamese prefer to learn English rather than French.

In big cities or places that attract many visitors, you will always find people who speak English. But this is not the case in the countryside and surrounding areas that are a bit remote. In the countryside, it is not common to learn a foreign language - taxi drivers or people who work in restaurants and shops may not speak English, or their pronunciation may be very difficult to understand. It is therefore better for you (and very much appreciated) to make the effort to use a few Vietnamese language basics before going to Vietnam.

So what are you waiting for?

Let’s learn some Vietnamese language basics!

Vietnamese language basics

Essential words

ENGLISH	Vietnamese	Phonetic
Hello	Xin chao	sine tchao
Goodbye	tạm biệt	Tam biét
Thank you	Cam on	came eune
Yes	*The easiest way is to smile and nod
No	Khong	khome
Sorry	Xin lôi	sine lôï
How are you?	Khoe khong ?	khoué khonme
My name is..	Ten la …	téne la
I don't understand	Khong hieu	khome hiou
Do you speak English?	Noi tieng anh khong ?	noï tiéne agne khonme

Questions & time

ENGLISH	Vietnamese	Phonetic
How much does this cost?	Bao nhieu ?	bao niou
When?	Khi nao ?	khi nao
Where	O dau ?	o dao
How?	The nao ?	thé nao
How to..?	Lam sao ?	lame sao
Why?	Tai sao ?	taï sao
Today	Hom nay	hôme naï
Tomorrow	Ngay may	ngaï maï
Yesterday	Hom qua	hôme quoi
What time?	Luc nao ?	louc nao

Useful vocabulary

ENGLISH	Vietnamese	Phonetic
Station	Ga	ga
Airport	San bay (N) phi truong (S)	seun baï / fi tchung
Price	Gia	za
Hotel	Khac san	khac sane
Plate	Dia	dïa
Spoon	Cai muong	caï meuong
Fork	Nia	nia
Knife	dao	zao
Glass	Ly	li
Bank	Ngan hang	ngane haang
Post	Bưu điện	beuou diéne
Doctor	Bac si	baque si
Hospital	Benh vien	béne viéne
Toilets	Ve sinh	vé sïngue
Pharmacy	Nha thuoc	nia touôc
Toilet paper	Giay ve sinh	zavé sïngue
Tissue	anh	zé âgne

Counting

	Vietnamese	Phonetic		Vietnamese	Phonetic
1	Mot	mô	11	Moi mot	moï mô
2	Hay	haï
3	Ba	Ba	100	Mot tram	mô tchame
4	Bon	bône	1000	Mot nghin (N) / ngan (S)	nguine (N) / ngane (S)
5	Nam	name
6	Sao	sao (N) / chao (S)
7	Bay	baï
8	Tam	Tam
9	Chin	tchine
10	Moi	moï