Crossing the street
Walk at a slow, steady pace so riders can steer around you, and don't run or stop suddenly. Let buses and trucks pass first, and if in doubt, cross alongside a local.
Phrase guide · Vietnamese
Vietnamese phrases for travelers
42 phrases for greeting people, bargaining at markets, getting around by Grab and ordering street food in Vietnam. Each one has a simple pronunciation guide, and when the tones get tricky, you can always point to the Vietnamese.
How to read the pronunciation
- Vietnamese has six tones, and the respellings can't show them. Tones change meaning: bún is rice noodles and bùn is mud
- The mark on the vowel shows the tone: no mark is level, á rises, à falls low, ả dips, ã rises with a catch in the voice and ạ is short, low and heavy
- uh is like the u in fun (for ư it's closer to oo said with spread lips), aw as in saw and ow as in cow. kh is like the ch in Scottish loch, and ng can start a word
- Respellings follow Hanoi pronunciation, where d, gi and r sound like z. In the South, d and gi sound like y
Vietnamese · Travel phrasesCảm ơn.
gahm uhn
Thank you.
YouChị ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền?Excuse me, how much is this?
Greetings and goodbyes
Chào, plus a word for the person you're greeting, works at any time of day, for hello and for goodbye.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Xin chào! | sin chow | Hello!Polite, and safe with anyone |
| Chào anh! / Chào chị! | chow aing / chow chee | Hello!To a man / to a woman about your age or a bit older. Also means goodbye |
| Tạm biệt! | tahm bee-et | Goodbye!A little formal, but always safe |
| Hẹn gặp lại! | hen gahp lai | See you again! |
| Tôi đến từ ... | toy den tuh ... | I'm from ...Mỹ is the US, Anh the UK, Úc Australia |
Please, thank you and other basics
To ask for something, start with cho tôi, “give me”. It's polite, and you rarely need a word for please.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cảm ơn. | gahm uhn | Thank you.Warmer with a word for the person: cảm ơn anh, cảm ơn chị |
| Không có gì. | khohng kaw zee | You're welcome.Literally “it's nothing” |
| Vâng. / Không. | vuhng / khohng | Yes. / No.In the South, yes is dạ (yah) |
| Cho tôi ... | chaw toy ... | Can I have ...?Literally “give me”. The everyday polite way to ask |
| Anh ơi! / Chị ơi! | aing uh-ee / chee uh-ee | Excuse me!To get a man's / a woman's attention. To someone younger: Em ơi! |
| Xin lỗi. | sin loy | Sorry. / Excuse me. |
| Không sao. | khohng sow | No problem. |
When you don't understand
Nobody expects a visitor to speak Vietnamese. In these phrases, anh means you when talking to a man. To a woman, say chị.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Anh có nói tiếng Anh không? | aing kaw noy tee-eng aing khohng? | Do you speak English?Tiếng Anh means English |
| Tôi không hiểu. | toy khohng hyew | I don't understand. |
| Anh nói chậm lại được không? | aing noy chuhm lai duhk khohng? | Could you speak more slowly? |
| Anh viết ra giúp tôi được không? | aing vee-et zah zoop toy duhk khohng? | Could you write it down for me?Handy for prices and addresses |
Shopping and bargaining
Bargaining is normal at markets like Đồng Xuân in Hanoi and Bến Thành in Ho Chi Minh City, and with street sellers. If there's a price tag or a menu, the price is fixed.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? | kai nai bow nyew tee-en? | How much is this?Or just: Bao nhiêu? |
| Đắt quá! | daht kwah | That's too expensive!In the South: Mắc quá! |
| Bớt chút đi. | buht choot dee | Can you go a little lower? |
| Một trăm nghìn được không? | moht chahm ngin duhk khohng? | How about 100,000?Name a price and add được không, “is that OK?” |
| Tôi chỉ xem thôi. | toy chee sem toy | I'm just looking. |
| Tôi lấy cái này. | toy lay kai nai | I'll take this one. |
| Không, cảm ơn. | khohng, gahm uhn | No, thank you.Smile, say it once and keep walking |
Grab, taxis and getting around
Grab shows the fare before you book a motorbike or a car, and metered taxis from big companies are generally reliable. Many drivers speak little English, so these help.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? | nyah veh sing uh dow? | Where's the restroom?For any place: ... ở đâu? |
| Cho tôi đến địa chỉ này. | chaw toy den dee-uh chee nai | Please take me to this address.Show the address on your phone as you say it |
| Cho tôi ra sân bay. | chaw toy zah suhn bai | To the airport, please. |
| Đi thẳng. | dee tahng | Go straight. |
| Rẽ trái. / Rẽ phải. | zeh chai / zeh fai | Turn left. / Turn right.In the South: quẹo trái / quẹo phải |
| Dừng ở đây. | zuhng uh day | Stop here.Or: Cho tôi xuống đây, “let me off here” |
| Anh đi chậm thôi nhé. | aing dee chuhm toy nyeh | Please go slowly.Handy on the back of a motorbike |
Food and drink
Much of the best food is cooked on the street and eaten on low plastic stools. Most dishes come mild, with chili on the table so you can add your own.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cho tôi một bát phở bò. | chaw toy moht baht fuh baw | A bowl of beef phở, please.In the South, a bowl is tô: một tô phở bò |
| Cho tôi cái này. | chaw toy kai nai | I'll have this one.Point at the menu or the dish |
| Không cay. | khohng kai | Not spicy.Ít cay is “a little spicy” |
| Không đá. | khohng dah | No ice.Café ice is usually factory-made. If in doubt, say this |
| Một cà phê sữa đá. | moht kah feh suh dah | An iced coffee with condensed milk.In the North, also called nâu đá, “iced brown” |
| Ngon quá! | ngawn kwah | Delicious! |
| Em ơi, tính tiền! | em uh-ee, ting tee-en | The check, please!Em ơi calls a young server. To an older one: anh ơi or chị ơi |
| Tôi ăn chay. | toy ahn chai | I'm vegetarian.Fish sauce goes into almost everything, so add: không nước mắm, “no fish sauce” |
If something goes wrong
Hopefully you won't need these. In Vietnam, call 113 for the police, 114 for fire and 115 for an ambulance.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cứu tôi với! | kuh-oo toy vuh-ee | Help! |
| Gọi xe cấp cứu! | goy seh kuhp kuh-oo | Call an ambulance! |
| Gọi công an! | goy kohng ahn | Call the police! |
| Tôi bị lạc. | toy bee lahk | I'm lost. |
Bargaining at Đồng Xuân Market
Ask the price, say it's too much and name your own. You call the seller chị, and she calls you em.
YouChị ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền?Excuse me, how much is this?
SellerHai trăm nghìn.200,000 đồng.
YouĐắt quá! Bớt chút đi chị.That's too expensive! Can you go a little lower?
SellerThế em trả bao nhiêu?So how much will you pay?
YouMột trăm nghìn được không?How about 100,000?
SellerKhông được đâu. Một trăm năm mươi nghìn nhé.I can't do that. 150,000, OK?
YouĐược rồi, cảm ơn chị!OK, that works. Thank you!
Numbers and money
Prices are in đồng and counted in thousands: a 50,000 đồng bowl of phở is năm mươi nghìn, often written 50k.
| Vietnamese | Roughly like | Number |
|---|---|---|
| một | moht | 1 |
| hai | hai | 2 |
| ba | bah | 3 |
| bốn | bohn | 4 |
| năm | nahm | 5 |
| sáu | sow | 6 |
| bảy | bai | 7 |
| tám | tahm | 8 |
| chín | chin | 9 |
| mười | muh-ee | 10 |
| hai mươi | hai muh-ee | 20 |
| năm mươi | nahm muh-ee | 50 |
| một trăm | moht chahm | 100 |
| một nghìn / một ngàn | moht ngin / moht ngahn | 1,000 (North / South) |
| đồng | dohng | Vietnamese đồng (VND) |
Good to know in Vietnam
Pronouns go by age
Call a man anh and a woman chị if they're about your age or a bit older, chú or cô if they're your parents' age and em if they're younger. When unsure, pick the older word. For I, tôi is polite with anyone.
Cash, in thousands
Vietnam uses banknotes only, no coins. The 20,000 and 500,000 notes are both blue, so check before you pay. Prices are often said in shorthand: at a market, hai trăm means 200,000.
Tipping
Tipping isn't expected, even in restaurants, though rounding up is appreciated. Some upscale places add a service charge, and you can tip Grab drivers in the app.
Questions travelers ask
How do you say hello in Vietnamese?
Xin chào (sin chow) is polite and works with anyone. In everyday life, people say chào plus a word for the person: chào anh to a man, chào chị to a woman. Without xin, it also means goodbye.
How do you say thank you in Vietnamese?
Cảm ơn (gahm uhn), or cảm ơn nhiều for thanks a lot. A word for the person makes it warmer: cảm ơn chị. The reply you'll hear is không có gì, “it's nothing”.
How do you ask how much something costs in Vietnamese?
Point and say cái này bao nhiêu tiền? (kai nai bow nyew tee-en), how much is this? If it's too much, đắt quá means that's too expensive. In the South you'll hear mắc quá.
Do people in Vietnam speak English?
In hotels, tourist areas and big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, many people in tourism and service jobs speak some English, especially younger people. In rural areas it's far less common, and many drivers speak little, so a few Vietnamese words and a written address help.
Is Vietnamese different in the North and the South?
Yes, in accent and in some words, but people from both understand each other. The respellings here follow the Hanoi accent, the standard for formal and official use. In the South, d and gi sound like y, a bowl is tô instead of bát and expensive is mắc instead of đắt.
More phrase guides
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