By learning to speak just a few words of Vietnamese you can greatly improve your experience, reduce misunderstandings and frustrations and have a chance to talk - however briefly - with individuals who work outside of the tourist service industry, giving you a far greater appreciation of the Vietnamese culture and outlook on life.

We think any responsible traveller should at a minimum learn how to meet and greet people and how to be polite, but taking the time to learn a few more phrases will certainly enhance your enjoyment - even if it just means you are able to recognise a few more items on that otherwise baffling Vietnamese menu

Basic Vietnamese Phrases

Simplest Phrases

At the very minimum it is important to at least know how to say 'Hello' and 'Thank you' - it takes moments to learn yet can make a big impression, as you will already know more than 90% of travellers arriving in Vietnam

Hello	Xin chào
Goodbye	Tạm biệt
Thank You	Cám ơn





I am sorry	Xin lỗi
No problem.	Không sao

Addressing people

For Vietnamese people it is important to use the correct form of address than signifies your age and relationship to the person you are speaking to. In general, when talking to someone younger than you you may call them 'Em', or if you think you are younger than them you may call yourself 'Em' and use a range of pronouns based on the other person's gender and age.

As a traveller however it is acceptable to 'cheat' and use a generic 'Tôi' for 'I' and 'Ban' for 'Friend', rather than finding the correct form of address - this is not disrespectful and will help you make yourself understood.

I, me	Tôi
I am	Tôi là
You	Bạn
She, her	Cô ấy
He, him	Anh ấy
They, them	Họ
We, us	Chúng ta
It	Nó

Basic Vocabulary

You may find some of the following vocabulary useful for forming simple sentences:

Pronunciation, Tones + the Vietnamese Alphabet

Like the majority of South East and East Asian languages, Vietnam is a tonal language. This means that for each syllable there are six different tones that can change the meaning of a phrase.

This can be unusual for Westerners since there are times we have a natural inclination to change the tone of our speech - the most common is raisinng the pitch of your voice when asking a question. Don't let it put you off though - once you have mastered the pronunciation, Vietnamese is a satisfyingly straightforward language, with a grammar system that is much easier than that of a language like French.

Another great advantage learners of Vietnamese have over those studying other Asian languages is that the Vietnamese alphabet is essentially a modified version of the Roman alphabet, making it easy to read signs and addresses when travelling around.

Tones

* This tone is very strong in the North around Hanoi where there is a perceptible 'cut' in the sound. In the South around Saigon people tend to speak in a more 'smooth' manner, and many would say this tone becomes almost identical to the low, rising tone above it ('Ye-es, M'lud'')

Vietnamese Alphabet

Although the Vietnamese use the same alphabet as Latin languages such as English and French, some of the sounds are fairly different to their English equivalent. There are a few similarities with French, however. To hear the sounds described here, see http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Vietnamese/Guide_to_Pronunciation/alphabet/alphabet_system.htm

Consonants

Vowels

One rule to pronouncing vowels in Vietnam that is very useful to remember is that whenever you get two vowels together - for example 'ui' - the first vowel should have much more emphasis than the second - 'ui'

• Learn Vietnamese Part III
• Learn Vietnamese Part II
• Learn Vietnamese Part IV

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