Language
Vietnamese basics, the six tones, the Latin-based alphabet, useful phrases.
12 articles in this section. Most stand on their own.
Vietnamese bargaining phrases — and when not to use them
Bargaining is normal at markets, motorbike rentals, and some homestays — and disrespectful at restaurants, taxis on meter, and chain shops. The phrases plus the etiquette.
Business Vietnamese: meeting, email, and titles basics
How to address Vietnamese colleagues and clients, the email greetings and closes that actually work, and the meeting phrases that make you sound respectful — not robotic.
Vietnamese false cognates and loanwords: what sounds familiar but isn't
Vietnamese has hundreds of French and English loanwords — and a handful of words that sound like English but mean something else. The list that prevents the most common misunderstandings.
Vietnamese kinship and formality registers — how to address anyone
Vietnamese doesn't have neutral 'I' or 'you'. Pronouns shift with age and relationship. The system seems complex but reduces to six common patterns that cover 90% of life.
Vietnamese learning resources compared
Duolingo, Pimsleur, Vietnamese Pod 101, Italki, in-country tutors, university courses. What works for what level, what's worth paying for, and what to skip.
Medical Vietnamese: hospital, pharmacy and emergency phrases
Body-part words, symptom phrases, the difference between doctor and clinic, and what to say at a Vietnamese pharmacy counter when you don't know the generic name.
Vietnamese numbers and money phrases
Vietnamese numbers 0–10, the thousands shorthand vendors use, and the money phrases for paying, asking how much, and saying 'no change' politely.
Ordering food in Vietnamese: a phrasebook
The phrases that get you a plate of food, the right one, and the bill — at street stalls, casual restaurants, and bia hơi. Plus the dish-name pronunciations that matter.
How to pronounce Vietnamese place names
Hanoi, Hội An, Đà Nẵng, Huế, Hạ Long, Phú Quốc — how to say them properly. Plus the regional accent variations that change which version a local will recognise.
The Vietnamese Alphabet and the Six Tones
Vietnamese uses a Latin-based alphabet with diacritics for the six tones. It's easier to read than you expect, and harder to speak than you hope.
Essential Vietnamese Phrases for Visitors
Forty phrases that get you 80% of daily situations — hello, ordering, prices, directions, polite refusal.
Vietnamese Regional Dialects: North, Central, South
The same language, three very different accents. Hanoi, Huế, and Saigon don't all sound alike — and the central accent will surprise you.