- Updated: 4 December 2020
English is quite widely spoken in the urban centres in Vietnam. As a result, you will be fine in the touristy areas if you do not have much knowledge of the local language.
However, if you are out of the city centres, or intend to be there for a longer period, it will be much better to pick up some phrases to help get through each day.
Although I have spent nearly 7 years working and living in Vietnam, I have by no means considered myself an expert. I still consider myself a novice even after all these years.
I struggled a lot to even understand some basic words in my early days there.
To get by, you do not need to use full sentences. The aim is to understand some basic phrases spoken and to communicate in a way that you will be understood.
You only need to know and speak a few words BUT try your best to pronounce them ACCURATELY.
I will use the southern accent or slang as I was based in the south. And I will include some northern equivalents.
First things first, let us get started with ‘you’ and ‘me’ in Vietnamese. You will notice that tôi and bạn is used quite often in books and online lessons.
They are kind of formal. We tend not use them with friends and colleagues in an informal or social situation.
It is better to use ACE, i.e. “Anh” (elder brother), “Chị” (elder sister) and “Em” (younger brother or sister) for starters.
If they are one generation older or higher, then they are chú (uncle) and cô (aunt). If they are one generation younger, then cháu (nephew, niece, child etc.).
So, “you and me” will “anh và em” (brother and sister) and not “tôi và bạn” (you and friend). People will usually ask your age as they want to know how to greet you vis-à-vis anh, chị, em, chú, and cô.
I also prefer not using tôi and bạn with strangers as after we talk to them, we are strangers no longer!
Let us start with the phrases. A glossary for pronunciation is appended at the end of this article.
“/” means or.
Greetings and common courtesies
- Xin chào (Hello)
It is a simple hello or hi. To make it better, continue with anh/chị/em as in xin chào anh/chị/em.
- Cảm ơn (Thank you)
Make it friendlier with cảm ơn bạn/anh/chị/em
You can also say thank you very much as in cảm ơn bạn/anh/chị/em nhiều. Nhiều means many. Muchas gracias.
- Dạ/Không (Yes/No)
If you are asked a question requiring a yes/no, just say dạ/không.
D is one of the red herrings in the pronunciation of some letters or words in Vietnamese using the Latin alphabet.
D carries a Y sound in the South and a Z sound in the north, as in yah and za. The actual D used in English is written as Đ (đ). D with a dash. Không sounds like kom or hom.
- Có/không có (have/do not have)
If you are asked a question requiring have/have not answer, just say có or không có.
- Tạm biệt or Tạm biệt nhé (Goodbye)
For goodbye, you can say Tạm biệt or Tạm biệt nhé.
- Hẹn gặp lại (See you again) or Hẹn gặp lại sau (See you later)
People will be pleased if you say this right after saying goodbye. Tạm biệt nhé. Hẹn gặp lại anh/chi/em.
- Xin lỗi (Excuse me or sorry)
If you accidentally bump into an older person, just say em xin lỗi (I am sorry). If you are carrying a jug of hot water in a crowded room, you have to say xin lỗi (excuse me) a couple of times.
- Hiểu/Không hiểu (Do not understand)
Không hiểu is my favourite go to phrase when people push to sell me stuff I do not want. Or maybe it is just too expensive. Or I just do not like all the attention given to me by an aggressive peddler.
When asked politely (in the office), I will say anh không hiểu. if I understand I will say anh hiểu rồi. Hiểu rồi means understand already.
- Em ơi! (Younger brother/sister oy!)
Instead of saying order, please in an eatery, I will call out em ơi! When I start to get annoyed, I put in more ‘o’s as in em ơơơi!
That is just me. I do not think you will need to do that.
- Anh/chị/em ăn cơm chưa? (Have you eaten rice yet?
This means have you eaten yet and it is polite and courteous to ask. This is true for most of Asia as we always ask whether you have eaten yet.
Rice is taken to mean a meal, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Glossary and pronunciations using English words or expressions (but not the meaning)
Words starting with ‘g’ with be pronounced as y (or z in the north), ‘tr’ as jr or ch, d as y (or z in the north), r as r (or z in the north) and đ as d.
Xin chào – sin ciao as in bella ciao.
Cảm ơn – come earn (I think this is close enough)
bạn – ban
anh – an
chị – jee
em – m
Nhiều – new
Dạ – yah
Không – word the same as zero above. kom or hom
Có / không có – cor / kom cor
Tạm biệt nhé – tam beat nay
Hẹn gặp lại sau – hen gup lie sow
Xin lỗi – sin loi
hiểu – hew
ơi – oy
ăn – un as in unchanged, under
cơm – the o pronounced as earth with a silent ‘th’.
chưa – chewer pronounced at one go
These are the 10 of the most useful Vietnamese phrases you may have to use when in Vietnam. However, if you are going to be there for only three days, you can forget about picking up the language.
If you are very keen on picking up a word or two, then xin chào and cảm ơn will be enough.
You will want to connect yourself to the local life and people here if you plan to be there for a couple of months.
It will be immensely helpful for you to learn the language if you are going to work there for a few years.
Your Vietnamese vocabulary, although limited, can help you communicate better with the locals. AND take it from me, you will adapt faster to the way of life there.