Although in popular tourist destinations and larger cities it is just about possible to get by without knowing a word of Vietnamese, insisting on speaking your own language all the time will isolate you from the majority of Vietnamese people and leave you less likely to make friends and relationships you will remember from your travels.
By learning to speak just a few words of Vietnamese you can greatly improve your experience, reduce misunderstandings and frustrations and have a chance to talk – however briefly – with individuals who work outside of the tourist service industry, giving you a far greater appreciation of the Vietnamese culture and outlook on life.
Basic Greetings
Hello/ goodbye – xin chao
I’m glad to see you – rat han hanh duoc gap ong/ba
How are you? – ong/ba khoe khong?
I’m fine, thank you – cam on, toi khoe
What is your name? – ong/ba ten la gi?
My name is … – toi ten la …
I am English – toi la nguoi Anh
American – My
Australian – Uc
Chinese – Trung Quoc
Numbers
One – mot
Two – hai
Three – ba
Four – bon
Five – nam
Six – sau
Seven – bay
Eight – tam
Nine – chin
Ten – muoi/ mot chuc
Twenty – hai muoi
100 – mot tram
200 – hai tram
1000 – mot nghin/ muoi ngan
Food/ Restaurant
Is there a restaurant nearby?
Cou tiam aen nao gan day khong?
Spoon: muong
Fork: nia
Knife: dao
Please, give me a spoon, knife, fork: Cho toi xin cai muong/noa/dao
Mineral water: nucc suoi
Beer: bia
Dessert: trang mieang
One cup of coffee: moat tach ca phe
Bill, please: Xin tinh tien
Vietnamese Pod Class is a free podcast for those who want to learn Vietnamese Language. It focuses on conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and popular expressions.
Give it a try! It will make your journey around this beautiful country much easier.
– SurvivalPhrases
Yes/No
Yes: phai
No: khong
I don’t understand: toi khong hieu
Travelling
I would like a ticket to … – toi muon mot ve di …
How much is the ticket? – bao nhieu tien mot ve?
I want to go to … toi muon di den …
Is there a bus to Da Nang? – co chuyen xe buyt di Da Nang khong?
When is the next train? – chuyen xe lua ke tiep vao luc nao?
How long does the trip take? – hanh tring mat bao lau?
I would like to go by express train – toi muon mot chuyen tau toc hanh
What time does the train arrive? – xe lua den luc may gio?
Shopping
I would like to buy some clothes – toi muon mua mot it quan ao
How much is it? – gia bao nhieu?
It is too expensive – mac qua
Can you lower the price? – co bot khong?
Oh, it is still very expensive – o, van con mac lam
Can I have a look? – toi co the xem duoc khong?
I will take this one – toi se mua cai nay
They don’t/ it does not fit me – no khong vua voi toi
It is too small – no nho qua
