How do you say hello in Vietnamese?

Xin chào, pronounced roughly sin chow. It works with anyone at any time of day. Among friends people shorten it to chào, and to a particular person they add anh (man), chị (woman) or em (younger person): chào chị. Chào buổi sáng (good morning) exists, but people mostly say xin chào all day.

How do you say thank you in Vietnamese?

Cảm ơn, pronounced gahm un in the south and kahm un in the north. You will also see cám ơn, an older spelling that is still common and means the same thing. Add anh or chị for warmth: cảm ơn anh, cảm ơn chị.

What do I call people if I don't know the right word?

Visitors can use tôi for I and bạn for you. Both are polite and understood everywhere. With someone clearly older, adding anh, chị, cô or chú to a thank you sounds friendlier than bạn, and with someone younger you can say em.

Do I need to say please in Vietnamese?

Làm ơn is please, and in the south giùm or dùm after a request (for me, as a favour) is very common: chạy chậm lại giùm tôi, please slow down. Most Vietnamese requests are softened with nhé at the end, which works like a friendly please.

Basic Vietnamese Phrases: Hello, Thank You & Survival Words

The first phrases

Hello, goodbye, thank you and sorry cover most of a day. They take about five minutes to learn and people notice.

English	Vietnamese	Say it like (south)
Hello	Xin chào	sin chow
Hi (informal)	Chào	chow
Goodbye	Tạm biệt	tahm byet
Thank you	Cảm ơn	gahm un
I’m sorry / excuse me	Xin lỗi	sin loy
No problem / it’s nothing	Không sao	khome sow
Yes (polite)	Dạ	yah
No	Không	khome
Please	Làm ơn	lahm un

Dạ is the southern “yes”. It means “I’m listening and I agree” rather than a strict yes, so you will hear it at the start of almost every reply. In Hanoi you’ll hear vâng instead. Không is the word for no, and it is also the word for “not”.

This chapter is part of the free phrasebook. Read pronunciation, tones and the alphabet before you say any of it aloud.

Addressing people

Vietnamese has no single word for you. People pick one by age and relationship, and a person may call themselves em, anh or chị as well. Younger speakers call themselves em when talking to someone older, and older speakers call a much younger person em. For a traveller this is a lot to manage, and you are allowed to cheat. Using a plain tôi for I and bạn for you is correct, polite and understood everywhere.

English	Vietnamese	Say it like
I, me	Tôi	toy
I am	Tôi là	toy lah
You (generic)	Bạn	bahn
He, him	Anh ấy	ahn ay
She, her	Cô ấy	koh ay
They, them	Họ	haw
We, us (not including you)	Chúng tôi	choong toy
We, us (including you)	Chúng ta	choong tah
It	Nó	naw

Chúng tôi and chúng ta both mean we. Chúng tôi leaves out the person you are speaking to (“my group, not you”), and chúng ta includes them, so a tour guide saying chúng ta đi is inviting you along.

The warmer words are anh for a man about your age or a little older, chị for a woman of that age, em for someone younger, cô and chú for an older woman and man, and ông and bà for the elderly. Say cảm ơn chị to the woman who sold you a coffee and you will probably get a smile.

Words for simple sentences

Vietnamese verbs don’t change, so a few words go a long way. Put tôi in front and you have a sentence: tôi thích ăn (I like to eat), tôi muốn uống (I want to drink).

English	Vietnamese	Say it like
Like	Thích	tick
Want	Muốn	moo-uhn
Eat	Ăn	ahn (short)
Drink	Uống	oo-uhng
Like to eat	Thích ăn	tick ahn
I like to eat	Tôi thích ăn	toy tick ahn
What	Cái gì	kai yee
What do you like to eat?	Bạn thích ăn gì?	bahn tick ahn yee
I’m hungry	Tôi đói bụng	toy doy boong
I’m thirsty	Tôi khát nước	toy khaht nuhk
What is this?	Cái này là cái gì?	kai nay lah kai yee

In a short question gì alone means what, and cái gì is the fuller form, so bạn thích ăn gì? and bạn thích ăn cái gì? are both fine.

Finding things and getting around

These are the questions a new arrival asks most in the first hour.

English	Vietnamese	Say it like
Is there wifi nearby?	Gần đây có wifi không?	gun day koh wee-fee khome
What’s the wifi password?	Mật khẩu wifi là gì?	mut khoh wee-fee lah yee
Where is the post office?	Bưu điện ở đâu?	bew dyen uh doe
Where is the ATM?	Cây ATM ở đâu?	kay ay-tee-em uh doe
Yesterday	Hôm qua	home kwah
Today	Hôm nay	home nigh
Tomorrow	Ngày mai	ngay my
To go	Đi	dee
Bus	Xe buýt	seh bweet
Station	Ga	gah
I’m going to the bus stop	Tôi đang đi đến trạm xe buýt	toy dahng dee den chahm seh bweet

Question words go at the end: ở đâu? (where?) follows the thing you’re looking for, and không? at the end of a statement turns it into a yes-or-no question, as in gần đây có wifi không? (is there wifi nearby?). If you need cash for a taxi, our money guide explains ATM limits and which notes to watch.

Where to next

Next is pronunciation, tones and the alphabet. If you’re about to get in a car, jump to getting around. Both link back to the phrasebook hub.