Vietnamese language basics

The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. Spoken by the entire population, except for certain ethnic communities which still use their own dialects, it has its variations (accent and vocabulary) depending on the region. Derived from Chinese, it was previously written in ideograms. But in the 16th century, the Jesuit priest Alexander of Rhodes, with the aim of spreading Catholicism in Vietnam, transcribed the language phonetically. This is why today Vietnamese is romanized and therefore uses the letters we know. But beware, this does not mean that they are pronounced the same way! In addition, Vietnamese is a “singing language” with many tones and sounds which can be unfamiliar for foreigners and difficult to pronounce. But don’t worry, with these Vietnamese language basics you’ll be able to make the most of your holiday in Vietnam

Due to the country's colonial past, Vietnamese has kept a lot of French vocabulary, adapted to Vietnamese (with a monosyllabic script but with a sound similar to that of French). In addition, French in Vietnam is still spoken and understood, but more often by the older generation. These days the young Vietnamese prefer to learn English rather than French.

In big cities or places that attract many visitors, you will always find people who speak English. But this is not the case in the countryside and surrounding areas that are a bit remote. In the countryside, it is not common to learn a foreign language - taxi drivers or people who work in restaurants and shops may not speak English, or their pronunciation may be very difficult to understand. It is therefore better for you (and very much appreciated) to make the effort to use a few Vietnamese language basics before going to Vietnam.

So what are you waiting for?

Let’s learn some Vietnamese language basics!

Vietnamese language basics

Essential words

Questions & time

Useful vocabulary

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