Some Basic Vietnamese Words And Phrases For Travelers Coming To Vietnam

Vietnam is a very hospitable and friendly country which always welcomes foreign travelers no matter what are their nationalities. Despite the popularity of English among countries, learning some Vietnamese phrases or words can help you to avoid some language issues during your trip, since not every Vietnamese can totally understand English. We have listed below some of popular words that can be useful for you.

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Daily Conversation

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
Hello/Hi	Xin chào	sin chow
Goodbye	Tạm biệt	tam bee it
Sorry/Excuse me	Xin lỗi	seen loy
Thank you	Cám ơn	gahm un
Yes	Vâng	vung
No	Không	khome
Do you speak English?	Bạn biết nói tiếng Anh không?	ban byet noy tyeng ang kaumng?
I don't understand	Tôi không hiểu	toy kohng hugh
How are you?	Bạn khoẻ không?	ban kweh kohng
Please	Làm ơn	lam uhhn

Vietnamese people love talking about all things happen around them. Hence, you can start a conversation to Vietnamese people easily. Showing a friendly smile and polite gestures, you would have a chance to make more Vietnamese friends, who can have your back whenever you need them. Below are some of the most basic phrases and sentences you may encounter in Vietnamese’s daily conversions.

Asking direction

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
Where is...?	... ở đâu?	…uh doh?
I want to go to...	Tôi muốn đến...	toy muan dean...
I am lost	Tôi bị lạc	Toy bee lag
Can you show me on the map?	Bạn chỉ trên bản đồ được không?	Ban chi tren bawn dau duoc kwnong?
How to get to ...?	Đi đến...như thế nào?	Di dean...nhu thea nao?

Saigon streets are like a labyrinth which can puzzle any first-time visitors. Taxis or motorbike taxis are certainly the ones who know the city like the back of their hand, it would be interesting if you can find the way to get to the destination by asking them. In addition, navigation skills are a must when you travel a hustle and bustle city like Ho Chi Minh City. But the issue can be resolved by some simple words above.

Shopping & Haggle

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
How much?	Bao nhiêu tiền?	Bow neuw tee-en?
Can you give me a discount?	Bớt được không?	Bot duoc kung?
That's too expensive!	Đắt quá!	Dat wa!
I can't afford it	Tôi không đủ tiền	Toy kung du tien
I will take it	Tôi mua cái này	Toy moo-ah kuy nay
I don't want to buy	Tôi không mua	Toy kung moo-ah
What is this?	Cái gì đây?	Kie zee day

When you go shopping at flea markets of tourist attractions, it will require a lot of patience to negotiate with the vendors. It has become an art of haggle when you hunt on good prices. Since the price are occasionally marked up much higher than its real value, you can use some Vietnamese words to deal with them, and your shopping sprees will be free and easy then.

Dining and ordering food

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
Pho	Phở	Fuh
Bread	Bánh mì	Banh mee
Iced coffee with milk	Cà phê sữa đá	Ka fey sooh da
Bill, please!	Xin tính tiền	Xin tinh tien
Delicious	Ngon quá	Ngon wa
I am full	No rồi	No roi
I want...	Tôi muốn	Toy muan

Food is the soul of Vietnamese culture. In fact, Vietnamese cuisine delivers unimaginable flavors and essences into their dishes. If you are on a tight budget, then street food is an ideal option since it is surprisingly cheap and offers an authentic taste of local cuisine. Unfortunately, not any Vietnamese waiter and waitress serving at street vendors can speak English fluently.

Numbers in Vietnamese

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
0	Không	Kohng
1	Một	Moht
2	Hai	high
3	Ba	bah
4	Bốn	bone
5	Năm	nuhm
6	Sáu	sao
7	Bảy	bye
8	Tám	tahm
9	Chín	cheen
10	Mười	meui
100	Một trăm	moht cham
1,000	Một nghìn	moht ngang/ngeen
100,000	Một trăm nghìn	moht cham ngang
1,000,000	Một triệu	moht chee'ou

It is vital to know how to pronounce numbers in Vietnamese, since this will help you a lot to get used to Vietnam Dong, which is the official currency in Vietnam. Luckily, Vietnamese numbers are quite easy to learn once you understand its structure, because they are not too different from English numbers.

Days of the week

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
Monday	Thứ hai	tuuh "high"
Tuesday	Thứ ba	tuuh baah
Wednesday	Thứ tư	tuuh thu
Thursday	Thứ năm	tuuh nahm
Friday	Thứ sáu	tuuh saow
Saturday	Thứ bảy	tuuh bayh
Sunday	Chủ nhật	chew ngut

This is exactly the same as the numbers in Vietnamese once you have known how to count. This is because the days are named after numbers in ascending order starting from number 2 (hai), except for Sunday though.

Time

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
Minute	Phút	phut
Hour	Giờ	zuh
Day	Ngày	ngay
Week	Tuần	tuuan
Month	Tháng	thang
Year	Năm	naame
Morning	Sáng	sang
Afternoon	Chiều	chew
Evening	Tối	toy
Night	Đêm	dehm