How to Talk Like a Vietnamese – Ways to Express Yourself to the Locals

 If you plan to visit the charming nation of Vietnam, you are likely to appreciate the opportunity to learn a few basic phrases in the Vietnamese language. Although Vietnamese happens to be a rather complex language, ita will not be difficult to learn some phrases to take you through common situations. Provided below are such useful examples that will come in handy when you are in Vietnam.

Know the greetings and other essentials

Although Vietnamese features an array of specialised pronouns, it will not be necessary to learn all of them unless you intend to stay awhile. Xin chao (pronounced sin chow) means 'hello' and can be used to greet anyone. Cam on (gam un) means 'thank you' and if somebody says that to you, the reply should be 'khong co gi' (comb caw zee). Da / khong (yah / comb) means yes / no. To say 'excuse me', you should say xin loi (sin loy). When you are at a restaurant and wish to draw a server's attention, you should loudly say 'em oi' (em oy). Meanwhile, toi khong hieu (toy comb hey-oo) signifies 'I don't understand'. On the other hand, to say 'see you again', the phrase will be hen gap lai (hen gap lie).

Ask and give directions

To ask 'where is the bathroom', you should say nha ve sinh o dau (nah vey sin uh dow). However, at tourist attractions a mere 'toilet?' should suffice! If you are in a taxi and wish to indicate turn left / turn right, the necessary phrases would be re trai / re phai (ray-uh try / ray-uh fy). Meanwhile, to say stop / go the necessary phrases are dung lai / di di (yung lie / dee dee). However, to make things even simpler for your taxi driver to understand, just say 'okay' when you desire him to stop! If the vehicle being driven is too fast for your liking, you may say cham lai (chum lie) if you want your driver to slow down.

Get by at the bar / restaurant

To request the menu at a restaurant, you should say meh noo, which is quite similar to the English word. Since in Vietnam, sugar is routinely added to drinks, you should say khong duong (comb dew-ung) to prevent this. Generally, you will find that Vietnamese food is less spicy than Thai or Cambodian cuisine. Although often chilli sauce and chillies will be provided at your table, you can say, mot chut cay (mote choot kigh) which means 'a little bit spicy, please'. On the other hand, to indicate 'I need water' you should say toi can nuoc (toy cun nook).

Laura Cantillo, Busy Vietnamese Market (211312783), CC BY 3.0

Experience the local markets

At a local market, to ask 'how much', you should say bao nhieu (bow nyew). You should first point to the item that you are interested in, using an opened hand with the palm facing downwards and then employ the above phrase. Generally, foreigners will be overcharged at markets and therefore to indicate 'too expensive!' you should say mac qua (mack wha). A choice of accommodation to consider from which you could plan a visit to one of the local markets would be Anantara Quy Nhon Villas; it is amongst the appealingly located luxury resorts in Vietnam by the beach, where staff can communicate in English too so language will not be an issue!

Make friends

A unique way to say 'hello' to close friends is, an chua (an chew-ah) which means 'have you eaten yet?'. Friends often say this phrase as a greeting when they meet. Since it is considered discourteous to drink on your own whilst in a group, you may say mot, hai, ba, vo (mote hi ba yo) which means '1,2,3, cheers!' On the other hand, when a person offers an apology, to say 'no problem', you should say khong sao (comb saow)