Vietnam is a very tourist-friendly country to travel to, and you can expect a basic level of English to be spoken in popular tourist areas. This includes staff at accommodation, waitstaff in popular restaurants and those working at tourist sites and attractions. Generally, younger people also speak a lot more English than older people, as it is now taught widely in schools. That being said though, there are a lot of people in Vietnam who don’t speak any English, who you will probably come in contact with. Even though you can certainly get around without speaking any Vietnamese, learning a bit of the language will help and is considered more respectful. At a minimum, trying to memorise how to say “thank you” in Vietnamese will go a long way!
One of the trickiest parts of trying to learn Vietnamese is the fact that it is a tonal language. That means that many words that are spelt the same, have different pronunciations, depending on the accent symbol on top of the letters. For example, the word “Ga”, can mean both chicken and train station, depending on how you pronounce it. Even if you pronounce a word in the wrong tone, most people will understand what you mean, given the context. Still, this can make Vietnamese a very tricky language to pick up as a traveller. This guide will focus on 9 basic phrases, I used pretty much every day for the three months I travelled Vietnam. There are, of course, many more phrases you could learn, but knowing how to say “thank you”, “hello” and “excuse me” in Vietnamese is a great start!
Thank you- Cảm ơn (pronounced Gahm-Un)
If you only learn one basic phrase in the Vietnamese language, make sure it’s thank you! While some locals may understand “thank you” in English, saying it in Vietnamese is more polite.
Hello- Xin chào (pronounced Sin-Chow)
Another important phrase to learn while travelling is “hello”. Depending on where you are in Vietnam, locals may understand “hello” in English, but it is also nicer to be able to say it in Vietnamese.
Goodbye- Tạm biệt (pronounced Tarm-Byeet)
Another phrase that is polite to say when leaving a restaurant, shop or a Grab Car/Scooter. A simple “Gahm-un Tarm-Byeet” (thank you, goodbye) is a polite way to signal you are leaving a venue!
Yes- Vâng and No- Không (pronounced Vung and Khom)
While a lot of Vietnamese speakers understand enough English to know what “yes” and “no” means, it is also easy and useful to learn these phrases in Vietnamese.
Excuse Me- Xin lỗi (pronounced Seen-Loy)
This a helpful phrase that you can use to grab the attention of a server or street seller to enquire after the bill or ask the price. It is also super helpful when moving through a crowd at a busy local market to politely ask someone to move out of your way.
How Much- Bao nhiêu (pronounced Baow-Nyew)
You will use this all the time when shopping or haggling with street sellers. The one downside to this one is usually locals will usually assume you speak more Vietnamese than you do and reply with the price in Vietnamese. I often wished I had learnt basic prices and numbers so I didn’t feel silly after I asked how much.
Too expensive- Quá đắt (pronounced Qwa-Dat)
This a great phrase to use when haggling or shopping! Haggling is a cultural norm in many countries throughout Southeast Asia, particularly with street vendors. Being able to bargain in the local language rather than in English helped me secure better prices for goods and services.
Where is the bathroom- Phòng vệ sinh ở đâu? (pronounced Fong-Ve-Sing-oh-dow)
This is the phrase you’ll wish you learnt by heart for those sticky situations when you’re in the middle of nowhere, busting to go to the toilet. In bigger more touristy places, locals do understand the word “toilet”, but it is also safer to also learn the phrase in Vietnamese.
I don’t understand- Tôi không hiểu (pronounced Toy-Comb-hey-oo)
“I don’t understand” is a classic phrase to learn for travel as often things will get lost in translation or people may try to talk to you in a language you don’t understand.
Want to learn more Vietnamese than just the basics for travel? Duolingo is my favourite language learning app due to its user-friendly and enjoyable use! Alternatively, there are many language exchange programs in Vietnam (due to the high expat numbers), and some hostels run casual language classes or events.
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