Basic Vietnamese Phrases You Need To Know
The national language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. In big cities and in places with many tourists, people will speak basic English. The younger generation will be more adept at speaking English, while the older generation still speaks some French. Because Vietnamese has six different tones, it is a difficult language for most foreigners to speak despite the fact that the Roman alphabet is used in modern Vietnamese. The same word can have six different meanings depending on the tone used to pronounce it. Russian and Chinese are also spoken by some people.
Thus, mastering these basic Vietnamese phrases will help you have a fulfilling trip to Vietnam. In fact, Vietnamese people are very friendly and the locals love it if they hear these phrases from you, even if they aren’t pronounced perfectly. In some cases, they might even give you discounts if you can say these basic Vietnamese phrases!
0 khong
1 mot
2 hai
3 ba
4 bon
5 nam
6 sau
7 bay
8 tam
9 chin
10 muoi
11 muoi mot
15 muoi nam
20 hai muoi (north), hai chuc (south)
50 nam muoi (north), nam chuc (south)
100 mot tram
1000 mot nghin (north), mot ngan (south)
1,000,000 mot trieu
Monday thu hai
Tuesday thu ba
Wednesday thu tu
Thursday thu nam
Friday thu sau
Saturday thu bay
Sunday chu nhat
Yesterday hom qua
Today hom nay
Tomorrow ngay mai
Yes vang (north), da (south)
No khong
Hello xin chao
Goodbye tam biet
My name is… ten toi la…
How are you? ban co khoe khong?
Thank you cam on
Thank you very much cam on rat nhieu
Sorry/Excuse me xin loi
Can you help me? Ban co the giup toi duoc khong?
No problem/you’re welcome khong co gi
Do you speak English? Ban co noi duoc tieng Anh khong?
I don’t understand Toi khong hieu
Go di
Come den
Where o dau
Right ben phai
Left ben trai
Turn re (north), queo (south)
Straight ahead phia truoc
Stop here ngung o day (north), dung tai day (south)
Fast nhanh
Slow cham
Hotel khach san
Street duong
Lane duong nho, con hem
Bridge cai cau
Police station don canh sat
Ferry pha
Aeroplane may bay
Taxi tac xi
Train tau lua (north), xe lua (south)
Bus xe buyt
Cable car cap treo
Rickshaw xich lo
Pier ben tau
Bus stop tram xe buyt
Bus station noi do xe
Train station nha ga
How do I get to… the bus stop? Toi di den… tram xe buyt… nhu the nao?
Can you show me on the map where I am? Ban co the chi cho toi biet toi dang o dau tren ban do?
Where’s the… tour office? Van phong du lich… o dau?
The air-conditioning doesn’t work May dieu hoa khong hoat dong
The light doesn’t work Den khong sang
There’s no hot water O day khong co nuoc nong
Do you have… toilet paper? Ban co… giay ve sinh… khong?
How much? Bao nhieu?
Expensive rat dat
Do you have a cheaper price? Ban co gia nao re hon khong?
Can I try it on? Toi co the thu no khong?
Too big rat rong
Too small rat chat
I’ll take it Toi se mua no.
I don’t like it Toi khong thich no.
Do you have another colour? Ban co mau nao khac khong?
White mau trang
Black mau den
Red mau do
Yellow mau vang
Blue mau xanh nuoc bien
Green mau xanh la cay
Orange mau cam
May I have the menu, please? Lam on cho toi cai thuc don?
Nothing too spicy, please Lam on moi thu khong qua cay
I’m vegetarian toi an chay
Hot (heat hot) nong
Hot (spicy) cay
Cold lanh
Sweet ngot
Sour chua
Delicious ngon
Water nuoc
Coffee ca phe
Can I hire a… bicycle? Toi co the thue… xe dap… khong?
Do you accept credit cards? Ban thanh toan bang the tin dung?
I’d like a cash advance Toi lay tien mat.
Where’s the… toilet? Nha ve sinh… o dau?
I do not feel well Toi cam thay khong khoe lam.
Can you get me a doctor? Ban co the goi bac si cho toi khong?
Is it safe to swim here? Noi day boi co an toan khong?
Is it all right to take pictures? Toi co the chup hinh khong?
Vietnam unit of currency dong
foreigner nguoi nuoc ngoai
map ban do
ticket ve
museum tang
market cho
go out for fun di choi
holiday ky nghi (vacation), ngay le (festival)
pagoda chua temple
tomb lang mo
church nha tho
Buddhist Nguoi theo dao Phat
Catholic Nguoi theo dao Thien Chua
Protestant Nguoi theo dao Tin Lanh
restaurant nha hang
toilet nha ve sinh
ship/boat tau/thuyen
motorbike taxi xe om
beach bai bien
island dao
gulf/bay vinh
city thanh pho
village lang/xa
cave thung lung
mountain nui
river song
waterfall thac nuoc
clinic tram xa
pharmacy nha thuoc
