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Traveling to a foreign country can be very intimidating and confusing, mostly because you are surrounded by tons of signs, banners, and conversations in your non-native language. While other Asian languages require you to know a whole new alphabet system such as Thai language or Chinese, Vietnamese utilizes the same Latin script as English with a few changes, which is easier for foreigners to pick up some common phrases.

With that being said, an overview of Vietnamese and these expressions below can be helpful for basic communication and building connections with the locals. 

The Vietnamese Language

Nowadays, Vietnamese is a Latin-based language with 29 letters excluding the letter F, J, W, and Z, and uses accented vowels instead: ă, â, ê, ô, ư, ơ. While they are distinct from the primary vowels, these letters are entirely separate entities, each possessing its own distinct sounds. 

Like many other languages, Vietnamese is a tonal language with six different tones. Foreigners have to be careful as pronouncing the wrong tone can change the whole meaning of what they want to say. For example, the word “ba” means “Dad” or “three” but when it is pronounced as “bà” (with a grave), the meaning will become “Grandmother”. 

Another element that makes Vietnamese less accessible to foreigners is the language can be extremely varied in terms of vocabulary and pronunciations across the country, from Northern, to Central, to Southern accent. Nevertheless, being a foreigner, in most situations, locals should grasp the intended meaning based on the context of your communication.

While it is impossible to know a language in day one or day two, here are some Vietnamese phrases with a pronunciation guide to make you feel more confident and fulfilled traveling to Vietnam.

Basic Vietnamese Phrases

• Xin chào /Sin chow!/: Hello

• Tạm biệt /tam byet/: Goodbye

• Tôi tên là /Toy ten la/: My name is

• Cảm ơn /gauhm uhhn/: Thank you

• Xin lỗi /sin loy/: I’m sorry

• Làm ơn /lam uhhn/: Please

• Không sao đâu /kohng sao dwoh/: You’re welcome

• Tôi không hiểu /toy kohng hugh/: I don’t understand

• Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không? /ban byet noy tyeng ang kaumng/: Do you speak English?

• Bạn khoẻ không? /ban kweh kohng?/: How are you?

• Vâng /vuhng/: Yes

• Bạn có thể giúp tôi không? /buhn koh tê gi-uhp toy kh-uhng/: Can you help me?

• Tôi cần /toy kuhn/: I need

Phrases for transactions

• Numbers

• Một /moht/: 1

• Hai /hay/: 2

• Ba /bah/: 3

• Bốn /buhn/: 4

• Năm /nahm/: 5

• Mười /moo-ee/: 10

• Trăm /trahm/: 100

• Nghìn /ngheen/: 1000

• Haggling

• Tôi thích /toy thick/: I like

• Bao nhiêu tiền? /bahw ngew tee-uhn.../: How much is it?

• Tôi không có đủ tiền mua /toy kohng kaw doo...oo tee-uhn... moo-uh/: I cannot afford it

• Đắt quá /daht kwahh/: Too expensive

• Bạn có thể giảm giá không? /ban co the zam za kohng/: Can you reduce the price?

• Tôi lấy /toy lay/: I’ll take it

Phrases for ordering at restaurants

• Tôi có thể xem thực đơn không? /toy co the xem tuck don kohng/: Can I have the menu?

• Cho tôi /choh toy/: May I have

• Không đá /kohng dar/: No ice

• Không cay /kohng cay/: No spicy

• Cho tôi tính tiền /choh toy tdin tee-uhn/: Can I have the bill?

• Ngon lắm /nongh law/: It’s delicious! 

Phrases for directions

• Bên trái /buhn trai/: Left

• Bên phải /buhn fai/: Right

• Đi thẳng /diw tahng/: Go straight

• Tôi bị lạc đường /toy bee lahk doo-uhng/: I’ve lost

• Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? /nhaw ve sinh ow dwoh/: Where’s the toilet?

• Sân bay /sun bay/: Airport

• Khách sạn /khack sun/: Hotel

• ATM ở đâu? /ATM ow dowh/: Where’s the ATM?

Emergency terms

• Cứu! /kew/: Help!

• Tôi cần gặp bác sĩ /toy kuhn gap bahk see/: I need to see a doctor

• Gọi cảnh sát! /goy keng saht/: Call the police!

• Tôi bị mất hộ chiếu /toy bee maht huh chee-ow/: I’ve lost my passport