Vietnamese

Vietnamese

0-10 speakertranslate

  0    1   2   3  4   5   6   7   8    9   10
không một hai ba bốn năm sáu bảy tám chín mười
money->tiền bạc

Key Money & Shopping Phrases

 Bao nhiêu? / Nhiêu tiền? – How much? (most common)
 Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? – How much is this?
 Đắt quá! / Mắc quá! – Too expensive!
 Có thể bớt không? – Can you reduce the price?
 Không, cám ơn – No, thank you
 Tôi chỉ xem thôi – I am just looking 

Numbers for Prices

 Nghìn / Ngàn – Thousand (e.g., 50k = năm mươi nghìn)
 Trăm – Hundred (e.g., 100k = một trăm nghìn) 

Tips

 Money confusion: 10,000 VND and 100,000 VND notes look similar. Check carefully.
 Bargaining: Start with "Đắt quá!" and smile.
 Cash: Carry smaller bills; large 500k notes are hard to change.
 Rounding: Many sellers drop the "000" and say 50 for 50,000 VND. 

Greetings

 Xin chào	seen chow	Universal hello, polite for anyone.
 Chào anh / Chào 	To greet a slightly older man/woman.
 Chào em		To greet someone younger.
 Chào bạn		To greet a friend or peer (same age).
 Chào buổi sáng / chiều / tối	Good morning / afternoon / evening.

Goodbye Tạm biệt Tahm byet See you again Hẹn gặp lại Hen gəp laï Good night Chúc ngủ ngon Chook ngoo ngon How are you? Bạn có khỏe không? Bahn kaw kweh kohng? I’m good Tôi khỏe Toy kweh What is your name? Bạn có khỏe không? Bahn kaw kweh kohng? My name is… Tôi tên là… Toy ten lah Thank you Cảm ơn Kahm ən Please Làm ơn Lahm ən Excuse me! Xin lỗi Seen loy Yes Có Co No Không Khom I don't understand Tôi không hiểu Toy khom hïeou I understand Tôi hiểu Toy hïeou Where? Ở đâu? O dawn I want to go… Tôi muốn đi… Toy moohn dee How much does it cost? Bao nhiêu tiền? Bao nhïeu tyeen? Too expensive! Đắt quá Date what! Can you reduce the price? Giảm giá được không? Zyahm zah doo-uhk khom I would like to buy... That's it! Tôi muốn mua cái này! Toy moohn mwah kai naï! What is it? Đây là gì? Dei la zee? Delicious! Ngon quá ngawn what! What time is it? Mấy giờ rồi? May yuh roy You are very beautiful! (for woman) Em/ Chị đẹp lắm Em/ chee dep lahm You are handsome (for man) Em/ Anh đẹp trai lắm em/ ahn dep chigh lahm Enjoy your meal! Chúc ngon miệng! Chook ngawn myeeng Have a nice day! Chúc bạn một ngày tốt lành! Chook bahn moht ngai toht lahn One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten Một, hai, ba, bốn, năm, sáu, bảy, tám, chín, mười Moht, high, bar, bohn, nahm, sow, bye, tahm, cheen, moo-ee

learning

For a two-week sprint before visiting Vietnam, the most effective methods focus on survival phrases and tonal recognition rather than deep grammar. Because Vietnamese is a tonal language, local speakers may not understand you if your pitch is incorrect, making audio-based learning critical.

1. Prioritize High-Yield Apps Pimsleur: Best for beginners to gain conversational confidence quickly through audio-only lessons that emphasize pronunciation. VietnamesePod101: Offers short audio and video lessons specifically for travelers, covering real-world scenarios like ordering food. Mondly: Useful for daily vocabulary streaks and basic phrases in a gamified format. Duolingo: Good for building a baseline of basic nouns and greetings, though some users find it less effective for actual conversation.

2. Focus on Essential Travel Vocabulary Instead of trying to learn everything, master these 15–20 high-frequency words and phrases: Greetings: Xin chào (Hello), Cảm ơn (Thank you), Xin lỗi (Excuse me/Sorry). Numbers (0–10): Vital for bargaining at markets and understanding prices. Requests: Bao nhiêu tiền? (How much?), Cho tôi một... (Give me a...), Tính tiền (The bill, please). Addressing People: Use "Em ơi" to get a server's attention in a restaurant.

3. Master the Six Tones (Audio-First) Vietnamese uses six tones that completely change a word's meaning (e.g., "ma" can mean ghost, mother, or horse depending on the pitch). Use YouTube: Watch native speakers on channels like Tiếng Việt Ơi to see mouth movements and hear the "rising" or "falling" pitch. Google Translate: Use the "listen" feature to hear correct pronunciations and even play them back to locals if you aren't understood.

4. Intensive Online Tutoring If you have a flexible budget, booking 3–5 hours of 1-on-1 sessions on italki or Wyzant can provide immediate feedback on your pronunciation, which is the hardest part of the language for English speakers.

5. Cultural & Practical Tips Regional Accents: Decide if you are visiting the North (Hanoi) or South (Ho Chi Minh City), as pronunciations and some words differ significantly.

Translation Tools: Download the Vietnamese offline pack on Google Translate for times when your two-week training isn't enough.

Would you like a specific list of essential phrases tailored to your destination, such as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

review of learning apps