The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Vietnamese
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Vietnamese. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Xin chào | SIN-chao |
| Hello (informal) | Chào | chao |
| Goodbye | Tạm biệt | TAM-biet |
| Thank you | Cảm ơn | KAM-on |
| You're welcome | Không có gì | KHONG-ko-zi |
| Yes | Vâng | VUNG |
| No | Không | KHONG |
| Sorry | Xin lỗi | SIN-loi |
| I don't understand | Tôi không hiểu | TOI-KHONG-hiu |
| Do you speak English? | Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không? | BAN-ko-NOI-ti-ENG-ANG-KHONG? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Chào buổi sáng | CHAO boi SANG |
| Good evening | Chào buổi tối | CHAO boi TOI |
| How are you? | Bạn khỏe không? | BAN khoe KHONG? |
| My name is… | Tên tôi là… | TEN toi LA… |
| Nice to meet you | Rất vui được gặp bạn | RAT vui duk GAP ban |
| I am from Israel | Tôi đến từ Israel | TOI den tu ISRAEL |
| See you | Hẹn gặp lại | HEN gap LAI |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Cổng ở đâu? | KONG oh DAU? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Chuyến bay có bị hoãn không? | CHUY-en BAY koh BEE HO-AN KONG? |
| Boarding pass | Thẻ lên máy bay | TEH LEN MAI BAY |
| My luggage hasn't arrived | Hành lý của tôi chưa đến | HANG LEE KWA TOY CHUA DEN |
| I have a connecting flight | Tôi có chuyến bay nối tiếp | TOY KO CHUY-en BAY NOI TIEP |
| Window/aisle seat | Ghế gần cửa sổ/lối đi | GE GAN KWA SO/LOY DEE |
| Where is passport control? | Kiểm tra hộ chiếu ở đâu? | KI-em CHA HO CHIEU oh DAU? |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Đến địa chỉ này, làm ơn. | DEN dee-ya CHEE nai, LAM uhn. |
| How much to the center? | Bao nhiêu đến trung tâm? | BAO nhee-oh DEN choong TAM? |
| One ticket to… | Một vé đến… | MOT veh DEN… |
| Which platform? | Sân ga nào? | SAN gah NAO? |
| Where is the bus station? | Trạm xe buýt ở đâu? | TRAM seh BWIT uh DAO? |
| Stop here, please. | Dừng lại ở đây, làm ơn. | ZUHN lai uh DAI, LAM uhn. |
| Is it far? | Có xa không? | KOH sah KHONG? |
| Turn left/right. | Rẽ trái/phải. | ZEH chai/FAI. |
| Straight. | Đi thẳng. | DEE thang. |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Tôi có đặt phòng | TOY koh DAT phong |
| Check-in | Nhận phòng | NYAN phong |
| Check-out | Trả phòng | TRA phong |
| Is breakfast included? | Bữa sáng có bao gồm không? | BUA SANG koh BAO gom KHONG |
| Room key | Chìa khóa phòng | CHI-a KWAH phong |
| Wi-Fi password | Mật khẩu Wi-Fi | MAT KHAU WAI FAI |
| Can I leave luggage? | Tôi có thể gửi hành lý không? | TOY koh TEH GUI HANG LEE KHONG |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | Điều hòa không hoạt động | DIEU HOA KHONG HOAT DONG |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two | Bàn cho hai người | BAN-cho HAI-nguy |
| The menu, please | Cho tôi xem thực đơn | CHO-toi SEM thuc-DEN |
| What do you recommend? | Bạn giới thiệu món gì? | BAN-zhoi THI-yew MON-zi |
| The bill, please | Tính tiền, làm ơn | TINH-tien LAM-on |
| Tap water | Nước máy | NUOC-mai |
| I have a nut allergy | Tôi bị dị ứng với hạt | TOI-bi ZI-ung VOI-hat |
| Without meat | Không có thịt | KHONG-ko TIT |
| It was excellent | Rất tuyệt vời | ZAT-tuyet VOI |
| Can I pay by card? | Tôi có thể trả bằng thẻ không? | TOI-ko TEH-cha BANG-the KHONG |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Cái này giá bao nhiêu? | KAI-nai ZI-a BAO-nyo? |
| It's too expensive | Cái này đắt quá | KAI-nai DAT KWAH |
| Do you accept card? | Bạn có nhận thẻ không? | BAN-ko NYAN TE KHONG? |
| I'm just looking | Tôi chỉ xem thôi | TOI CHI SEM TOI |
| Can I have a receipt? | Cho tôi xin hóa đơn | CHO-toi SIN HOA-den |
| Where is an ATM? | Máy ATM ở đâu? | MAI A-T-M O DAU? |
| A smaller size | Cỡ nhỏ hơn | KEH-nyo HON |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Vietnamese | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Cứu! | KIU |
| Call a doctor | Gọi bác sĩ | GOI BAK-si |
| Call the police | Gọi cảnh sát | GOI KANG-sat |
| Where is the pharmacy? | Nhà thuốc ở đâu? | NYA THUOK eh DAU |
| I don't feel well | Tôi không khỏe | TOI KHONG-khue |
| I'm lost | Tôi bị lạc | TOI BI-lak |
| I need a hospital | Tôi cần bệnh viện | TOI KAN-beng VIEN |
| It hurts here | Đau ở đây | DAU eh DEI |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Vietnamese?
"Cảm ơn" (KAM-on). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Vietnamese do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Vietnamese is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Vietnamese as an official language?
Vietnamese is a main language in 1 countries: Vietnam.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không?" (BAN-ko-NOI-ti-ENG-ANG-KHONG?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data