Phrasebook
VietnameseTiếng Việt
Learn the 6 tones by ear, keep ~60 phrases for ordering, paying, moving and problems — and for anything with an address, an allergy or a hospital, show the screen instead of saying it.
Vietnamese is tonal: the same syllable means six different things, so a wrong tone is a different word — and Hanoi (North) and Saigon (South) sound different enough that locals switch words, not just accents.
North (Hanoi)
Six distinct tones. d, gi and r all sound like English z. The hints on this page follow the northern accent.
South (Hồ Chí Minh City)
Hỏi and ngã merge into one tone. d, gi and v sound like English y. Some words change: 'ngàn' for thousand, 'dạ' for yes, 'quẹo' for turn.
When to just show the screen: Say it for greetings, prices and 'no ice'. Show the screen for addresses, allergies, medical problems and anything you need done exactly — a wrong tone on those costs more than the embarrassment of pointing at a phone.
The 6 tones
| Tone | Mark | How it sounds | Example | Means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ngang | none (a) | Level, mid pitch, held flat | ma | ghost |
| sắc | acute (á) | Starts mid, rises sharply like a surprised 'eh?' | má | mother (South) / cheek |
| huyền | grave (à) | Starts low, falls gently, breathy | mà | but |
| hỏi | hook (ả) | Dips down then back up, like a doubtful question | mả | grave, tomb |
| ngã | tilde (ã) | Rises with a catch in the throat midway (South: same as hỏi) | mã | horse (formal); code |
| nặng | dot below (ạ) | Low, short, cut off hard in the throat | mạ | rice seedling |
Letters that trip English speakers
| Letter | Sounds like | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| đ | English d (hard) | đi — dee (go) | Crossed đ is the English d sound. |
| d / gi | z (North) · y (South) | giá — zah / yah (price) | Plain d is never an English d. |
| r | z (North) · r (South) | rẽ — zeh (turn) | |
| x | s | xe — seh (vehicle) | |
| nh | ny, as in canyon | nhà — nyah (house) | |
| ng / ngh | ng of singer, also at the start of a word | ngon — ngon (tasty) | Hum 'sing-' and drop the 'si'. |
| ph | f | phở — fuh (noodle soup) | |
| th | t with a puff of air, never English th | thịt — tit (meat) | |
| tr | ch (North) · retroflex tr (South) | trà — chah (tea) | |
| kh | throaty kh, as in Scottish loch | không — khohm (no) | |
| ư | oo with lips spread, as if smiling | sữa — suh-uh (milk) | |
| ơ | uh, as in 'her' without the r | ơi — uh-ee (hey) | |
| â | short, clipped uh | mất — mut (lost) | |
| ă | short a, as in 'hut' | ăn — ahn (eat) |
Show this screen
Tap a card to fill the screen, then turn the phone around. Make your own card for allergies, diets or an address.
Phrases by situation
78 shownSay-it-like hints are approximate English spellings of the northern accent. They get you understood in context; they are not a pronunciation standard.
Basics
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xin chào | sin chow | Hello | |
| Cảm ơn | kahm uhn | Thank you | |
| Không, cảm ơn | khohm, kahm uhn | No, thank you (street sellers) | |
| Vâng / Dạ | vuhng / yah | Yes (polite; dạ is southern) | |
| Không | khohm | No / not | |
| Xin lỗi | sin loy | Sorry / excuse me | |
| Tôi không hiểu | toy khohm hyew | I don't understand | |
| Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không? | bahn kaw noy tyeng ahn khohm | Do you speak English? | |
| Cái này | kai nay | This one | |
| Được không? | duhk khohm | Is that OK? / Can I? | |
| Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? | nyah vay sin uh dow | Where is the toilet? |
Problems & emergencies
Police 113 · Fire 114 · Ambulance 115. Operators rarely speak English — ask a local or hotel staff to call, and show them the screen.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cứu tôi với! | kuh-oo toy vuh-ee | Help me! | |
| Gọi cảnh sát! (113) | goy kahn saht | Call the police! (113) | |
| Cháy! Gọi cứu hỏa! (114) | chai! goy kuh-oo hwah | Fire! Call the fire service! (114) | |
| Gọi xe cấp cứu! (115) | goy seh kup kuh-oo | Call an ambulance! (115) | |
| Bệnh viện ở đâu? | bayn vyen uh dow | Where is the hospital? | |
| Tôi bị ốm | toy bee ohm | I am sick | |
| Đau ở đây | dow uh day | It hurts here | |
| Tôi bị dị ứng với… | toy bee zee uhng vuh-ee | I am allergic to… | |
| Tôi bị lạc | toy bee lahk | I am lost | |
| Tôi bị mất hộ chiếu | toy bee mut hoh chyew | I lost my passport | |
| Tôi bị mất trộm | toy bee mut chohm | I was robbed |
Numbers & prices
Prices are written 100.000 ₫ or 100k and usually said without the thousands: at a market 'một trăm' means 100,000 đồng. Hold up the number on your phone calculator to confirm.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| một, hai, ba | moht, hai, bah | 1, 2, 3 | |
| bốn, năm, sáu | bohn, nahm, sow | 4, 5, 6 | |
| bảy, tám, chín, mười | bay, tahm, cheen, muh-ee | 7, 8, 9, 10 | |
| hai mươi | hai muh-ee | 20 | |
| một trăm | moht chahm | 100 — or 100k (100,000 ₫) when talking prices | |
| một nghìn / một ngàn | moht ngyin / moht ngahn | 1,000 (North / South) | |
| năm mươi nghìn | nahm muh-ee ngyin | 50,000 ₫ (written 50k) | |
| một trăm nghìn | moht chahm ngyin | 100,000 ₫ (written 100k; said 'một trăm') | |
| năm trăm nghìn | nahm chahm ngyin | 500,000 ₫ (written 500k) | |
| một triệu | moht chyew | 1,000,000 ₫ (1 million, '1 triệu' or '1tr') |
Money & bargaining
Bargain at markets and with cyclo or xe ôm drivers, not in shops with printed prices or on Grab.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bao nhiêu tiền? | bow nyew tyen | How much is it? | |
| Đắt quá! | daht kwah | Too expensive! | |
| Bớt đi | buht dee | Come down a bit | |
| Giảm giá được không? | zahm zah duhk khohm | Can you give a discount? | |
| Tôi trả… | toy chah | I'll pay… | |
| Có nhận thẻ không? | kaw nyun teh khohm | Do you take cards? | |
| Tiền mặt | tyen maht | Cash | |
| Chuyển khoản được không? | chwee-en khwahn duhk khohm | Can I pay by bank transfer / QR? |
Taxi, Grab & directions
Book Grab or another ride-hailing app so the price is fixed; then show the driver the pin, not your pronunciation.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Làm ơn chở tôi đến địa chỉ này | lahm uhn chuh toy den dee-ah chee nay | Please take me to this address | |
| Tôi đặt Grab | toy daht grab | I booked a Grab | |
| Bật đồng hồ đi | but dohng hoh dee | Turn on the meter, please | |
| Đi thẳng | dee tahng | Go straight | |
| Rẽ trái / Rẽ phải | zeh chai / zeh fai | Turn left / turn right (South: quẹo) | |
| Dừng ở đây | zuhng uh day | Stop here | |
| Chậm thôi | chum toy | Slow down, please | |
| Xa không? | sah khohm | Is it far? | |
| Sân bay | suhn bay | Airport | |
| Ga tàu | gah tow | Train station | |
| Khách sạn | khaik sahn | Hotel |
Eating
Call staff with 'em ơi' (younger) or 'anh ơi / chị ơi' (man / woman); waving is fine, clicking fingers is not.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Em ơi! | em uh-ee | Excuse me! (to a younger server) | |
| Cho tôi cái này | chaw toy kai nay | I'll have this one | |
| Hai người | hai nguh-ee | Two people (table for two) | |
| Không cay | khohm kai | Not spicy | |
| Không đá | khohm dah | No ice | |
| Tôi ăn chay | toy ahn chai | I am vegetarian | |
| Không thịt | khohm tit | No meat | |
| Không đường | khohm duhng | No sugar | |
| Nước lọc | nuhk lawk | Still water | |
| Một chai bia | moht chai bee-ah | One bottle of beer | |
| Ngon quá! | ngon kwah | Delicious! | |
| Tính tiền | ting tyen | The bill, please |
Lodging
Hotels copy or hold your passport briefly to register you with the police; ask for it back the same day.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tôi đã đặt phòng | toy dah daht fong | I have a booking | |
| Còn phòng không? | kon fong khohm | Do you have a room free? | |
| Trả lại hộ chiếu cho tôi | chah lai hoh chyew chaw toy | Please give my passport back | |
| Mật khẩu wifi là gì? | mut khoh wai-fai lah zee | What is the Wi-Fi password? | |
| Điều hòa không chạy | dyew hwah khohm chai | The air-con does not work (South: máy lạnh) | |
| Gửi hành lý được không? | guh-ee hahn lee duhk khohm | Can I leave my bags? | |
| Trả phòng lúc mấy giờ? | chah fong look may zuh | What time is check-out? |
Time & days
Weekdays are numbered: Monday is 'day two' (thứ hai) through Saturday 'day seven' (thứ bảy); Sunday is chủ nhật.
| Vietnamese | Say it like (approximate) | English | Listen and show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mấy giờ? | may zuh | What time? | |
| Bây giờ | bay zuh | Now | |
| Hôm nay / Ngày mai / Hôm qua | hohm nay / ngai mai / hohm kwah | Today / tomorrow / yesterday | |
| Sáng / Chiều / Tối | sahng / chyew / toy | Morning / afternoon / evening | |
| Thứ hai | tuh hai | Monday | |
| Thứ bảy / Chủ nhật | tuh bay / choo nyut | Saturday / Sunday | |
| Mấy giờ mở cửa? | may zuh muh kuh-uh | What time do you open? | |
| Mấy giờ đóng cửa? | may zuh dong kuh-uh | What time do you close? |
Using it in: Vietnam
Sources
- Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (official)