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 business culture runs on hierarchy and personal relationships, and the language reflects both. Getting the address right — using the correct kinship term for someone's age relative to yours — signals respect and gets responses faster.
This page is the working orientation for expat colleagues, clients, and partners. The deeper hierarchy/kinship system sits in kinship and formality registers.
The address-as-title system
Vietnamese has no neutral "you" in business. Address depends on relative age and gender:
| You're addressing | Term | Romanised |
|---|---|---|
| A man clearly older (10+ years) — like a senior manager | Anh / Chú | ahn / choo |
| A woman clearly older (10+ years) — like a senior manager | Chị / Cô | chee / koh |
| A man your age or slightly older | Anh | ahn |
| A woman your age or slightly older | Chị | chee |
| A man significantly younger | Em | em |
| A woman significantly younger | Em | em |
| A man much older (60+) | Bác / Ông | bahk / ohng |
| A woman much older (60+) | Bác / Bà | bahk / bah |
| A group | Các anh chị | kak ahn chee |
The default for adults addressing adults of similar age is Anh / Chị. When you're noticeably younger than the person you're addressing, switch to Anh / Chị (or Bác for much older). When you're noticeably older, Em is the appropriate term for the younger party.
Always use the title before the first name, not the family name: Anh Tuấn (Mr Tuấn), Chị Hương (Ms Hương). Vietnamese name order is family name + middle name + given name (e.g., Nguyễn Văn Tuấn), and the given name is used in address — never the family name.
Greetings
| English | Vietnamese | Romanised |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (general) | Xin chào | sin chow |
| Hello [Mr] Tuấn | Chào anh Tuấn | chow ahn tuan |
| Hello [Ms] Hương | Chào chị Hương | chow chee huhng |
| Good morning | Chào buổi sáng | chow boy shang |
| Good afternoon | Chào buổi chiều | chow boy chee-ew |
| Welcome | Chào mừng | chow moong |
| Pleased to meet you | Rất vui được gặp anh / chị | rat voo-ee duhk gap ahn / chee |
| How are you? | Anh / Chị khoẻ không? | ahn / chee kweh khong |
| Fine, thank you | Khoẻ, cảm ơn | kweh, cum un |
Email greetings and closes
Vietnamese business email tends to be more formal than English; the standard opens with the recipient's title and name, and closes with a polite sign-off.
| English | Vietnamese | Romanised |
|---|---|---|
| Dear Mr Tuấn | Kính gửi anh Tuấn | kinh guh-ee ahn tuan |
| Dear Ms Hương | Kính gửi chị Hương | kinh guh-ee chee huhng |
| Dear all | Kính gửi quý vị | kinh guh-ee kwee vee |
| I'm writing to... | Tôi viết để... | toy vee-et day |
| Thank you for your email | Cảm ơn email của anh / chị | cum un email kua ahn / chee |
| As discussed | Như đã trao đổi | nyoo dah chao doy |
| Please find attached | Xin đính kèm | sin dinh kem |
| Looking forward to hearing from you | Mong tin từ anh / chị | mong tin tuh ahn / chee |
| Best regards | Trân trọng | tran chong |
| Sincerely | Kính thư | kinh thuh |
A typical Vietnamese business email signature includes title, full name, position, company, and phone — fuller than the Western "Best, [first name]" minimalism.
Meeting phrases
| English | Vietnamese | Romanised |
|---|---|---|
| Shall we start? | Chúng ta bắt đầu nhé? | choong ta bat dau nyay |
| Let me introduce | Cho phép tôi giới thiệu | cho fap toy zoy thee-ew |
| This is [Mr Tuấn] | Đây là anh Tuấn | day lah ahn tuan |
| Please go ahead | Mời anh / chị | moy ahn / chee |
| I agree | Tôi đồng ý | toy dong ee |
| I have a different view | Tôi có ý khác | toy co ee khak |
| Can I clarify? | Tôi xin làm rõ | toy sin lam roh |
| Let me think about it | Để tôi suy nghĩ | day toy soo-ee ngee |
| We'll come back to you | Chúng tôi sẽ phản hồi | choong toy say fun hoy |
| Thank you for the meeting | Cảm ơn cuộc họp | cum un koo-ohk hop |
Two cultural notes that matter
-
Saying "no" directly is impolite. Vietnamese business communication softens disagreement. Tôi sẽ suy nghĩ (I'll think about it) often means a polite no. Listen for hesitation, multiple consultations, and a delayed reply — these are the polite ways to decline.
-
Hierarchy in meetings. Senior people speak first and last; junior people offer technical detail in the middle. Visiting foreign delegations are expected to send a senior person to greet the senior Vietnamese person, even if the substantive content sits with junior staff.
Business card etiquette
Vietnamese business cards are exchanged with both hands and read carefully before being placed on the table (not into a pocket). Carry plenty — Vietnamese business culture expects card exchange at every first meeting.
If your card has Vietnamese on one side and English on the other, present it Vietnamese-side up.
Numbers in business writing
- Currencies: VND (Vietnamese đồng), USD often quoted in parallel for larger figures.
- Dates: day/month/year format (15/05/2026, not 05/15/2026).
- Decimal: comma as decimal separator (3,5%, not 3.5%).
- Thousands: period or space (1.000.000 or 1 000 000), not comma.
Common business-Vietnamese mistakes by expats
- Using bạn (you) with anyone older. Bạn is "you" between friends or peers; using it with a senior is too casual.
- Addressing by family name. Mr Nguyễn sounds wrong — half of Vietnam is Nguyễn. Use given name with title.
- Treating Vietnamese counterparts as "decision makers" when they aren't. Vietnamese organisations escalate decisions; the person in the meeting may need to consult.
- Pushing for a deadline commitment in the first meeting. Vietnamese business culture builds relationship first; commitment second.
- Skipping the post-meeting meal. A meal is often where the real conversation happens. Accepting is a strong signal of respect.
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