Need practical Vietnamese phrases for Vietnam? Start with xin chào (hello), cảm ơn (thank you), xin lỗi (sorry or excuse me), bao nhiêu tiền? (how much does it cost?) and nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? (where is the restroom?). These expressions help you solve ordinary problems without first becoming fluent in Vietnamese.
This guide teaches 50 useful Vietnamese words and phrases with original Vietnamese spelling and tone marks, plain-English meanings, everyday examples and a simple practice plan. The language applies to conversations in shops, neighbourhoods, workplaces, cafés and public transport, not just holidays. It also explains something a dictionary often misses: Vietnamese forms of address depend on the relationship and age of the people speaking.
- Say hello: xin chào; say thank you: cảm ơn; apologise or get attention: xin lỗi.
- Ask the price: bao nhiêu tiền?; ask for the bill: tính tiền giúp tôi.
- Find a facility: nhà vệ sinh = restroom; nhà ga = railway station; lối ra = exit.
- Repair a conversation: tôi không hiểu = I don’t understand; bạn có thể nói chậm hơn không? = can you speak more slowly?
- Always show the original Vietnamese spelling when your pronunciation is uncertain. Accent and tone marks are part of the word, not optional decoration.
Find the answer you need: 50 useful words and phrases · Real examples · Common mistakes · Seven-day plan · Frequently asked questions.
How Vietnamese works in everyday life
Vietnamese spelling carries pronunciation information. The language uses the Latin alphabet plus additional letters and diacritics. Tone marks change how a syllable is pronounced and can change its meaning. Rather than offering an invented English phonetic spelling for all 50 entries, this guide keeps the real Vietnamese words visible. Use native audio to learn the tones.
Forms of address are part of social meaning. A person may address someone as anh, chị, em, cô, chú or another kinship term depending on age and relationship. The generic phrase xin chào is a safe way for beginners to begin, but in daily local conversation you will often hear chào followed by an appropriate form of address.
Vietnamese is not pronounced the same way everywhere. Northern, central and southern varieties differ in accents and some words. The country’s official tourism resources offer short everyday phrases and explain some variations. A useful example is peanut: lạc is common in the north and đậu phộng in the south. That distinction matters especially if you must communicate a food allergy.
Do not confuse a polite acknowledgement with a confirmed agreement. In some exchanges, a short response such as vâng or dạ can acknowledge what has been said. For a price, appointment or important instruction, confirm the actual numbers, date and meaning.
50 essential Vietnamese words and phrases with English meanings
Each group solves a recognisable problem. Keep the final column in view while practising; it tells you when a phrase belongs in a real exchange. Learn the first ten and then add a group as you need it.
Greetings and respectful responses — words 1–10
| # | Original word or phrase | English meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xin chào | Hello | A safe introductory greeting |
| 2 | Chào anh | Hello (addressing a man as anh) | Greet someone using a relationship term |
| 3 | Chào chị | Hello (addressing a woman as chị) | Greet someone respectfully |
| 4 | Chào em | Hello (addressing a younger person as em) | Greet someone younger |
| 5 | Cảm ơn | Thank you | Express gratitude |
| 6 | Cảm ơn nhiều | Thank you very much | Express warmer gratitude |
| 7 | Xin lỗi | Sorry / excuse me | Apologise or get attention |
| 8 | Vâng | Yes / respectful acknowledgement | Reply politely (context matters) |
| 9 | Không | No / not | Give a negative answer |
| 10 | Tạm biệt | Goodbye | Say farewell |
Practise the first ten as a short social exchange. One greeting, one response and one farewell form a small usable interaction.
Questions and conversation repair — words 11–20
| # | Original word or phrase | English meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Tôi không hiểu | I don’t understand | Explain confusion |
| 12 | Tôi chỉ biết một chút tiếng Việt | I only know a little Vietnamese | Set expectations |
| 13 | Bạn có nói được tiếng Anh không? | Can you speak English? | Check for a common language |
| 14 | Bạn có thể nói chậm hơn không? | Can you speak more slowly? | Follow a fast reply |
| 15 | Bạn có thể nhắc lại không? | Can you repeat that? | Request repetition |
| 16 | Cái này là gì? | What is this? | Ask about an item |
| 17 | Ở đâu? | Where? | Find a place |
| 18 | Bao nhiêu tiền? | How much does it cost? | Ask a price |
| 19 | Làm ơn giúp tôi | Please help me | Request assistance |
| 20 | Bạn có thể viết ra không? | Can you write it down? | Verify a detail in writing |
Conversation-repair words stop an exchange from becoming a guessing game. Ask for repetition as soon as an answer is unclear.
Food and payment — words 21–30
| # | Original word or phrase | English meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Nước | Water | Request a drink |
| 22 | Nước lọc | Plain drinking water | Specify a drink |
| 23 | Cà phê | Coffee | Order coffee |
| 24 | Trà | Tea | Order tea |
| 25 | Cơm | Rice / meal | Discuss a meal |
| 26 | Thực đơn | Menu | Ask for a menu |
| 27 | Cho tôi một … | Please give me one … | Order an item |
| 28 | Không cay | Not spicy | State a preference |
| 29 | Tôi ăn chay | I eat vegetarian food | Explain a food preference |
| 30 | Tính tiền giúp tôi | The bill, please | Ask to pay |
Point to the exact item and check the details. Never rely on a beginner phrase alone for a serious allergy or medical decision.
Public transport, roads and directions — words 31–40
| # | Original word or phrase | English meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Nhà ga | Railway station | Find a rail station |
| 32 | Tàu hỏa | Train | Talk about rail services |
| 33 | Xe buýt | Bus | Find a bus |
| 34 | Trạm xe buýt | Bus stop | Locate a stop |
| 35 | Taxi | Taxi | Ask for taxi transport |
| 36 | Đường | Road / street | Read an address |
| 37 | Lối vào | Entrance | Read a sign |
| 38 | Lối ra | Exit | Read a sign |
| 39 | Bên trái | On the left | Follow directions |
| 40 | Bên phải | On the right | Follow directions |
Learn visual recognition as well as pronunciation. Familiar signs can save time even when you cannot say a full sentence.
Everyday services and important signs — words 41–50
| # | Original word or phrase | English meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Nhà vệ sinh | Restroom / toilet | Find facilities |
| 42 | Bệnh viện | Hospital | Find medical care |
| 43 | Nhà thuốc | Pharmacy | Find medication |
| 44 | Cảnh sát | Police | Recognise an assistance service |
| 45 | Tiền mặt | Cash | Discuss payment |
| 46 | Thẻ ngân hàng | Bank card | Ask about card payment |
| 47 | Đặt chỗ | Make a reservation | Discuss a booking |
| 48 | Mở cửa | Open | Read a business sign |
| 49 | Đóng cửa | Closed / close | Read a business sign |
| 50 | Tôi bị dị ứng với … | I am allergic to … | State the exact allergen |
Keep these expressions visible in your notes for everyday situations. They help you describe what you need without a long explanation.
Real conversations: using Vietnamese to solve a problem
A useful conversation has a purpose. Say hello, make a request, understand or clarify the response, and close politely. The short examples below can be rehearsed aloud and then changed by replacing one item or direction. They are illustrative: live speech varies by region, register and individual.
Ordering at a food stall
- You: Xin chào. — Hello.
- You: Cho tôi một cà phê. — One coffee, please.
- You: Không cay. — Not spicy (if relevant to the meal).
- You: Tính tiền giúp tôi. — The bill, please.
- You: Cảm ơn. — Thank you.
Try repeating the pattern with a food item and then asking for the price: bao nhiêu tiền? A person may choose a more natural form of address and a different order depending on the setting. If you have an allergy, provide the exact ingredient in written Vietnamese; ‘not spicy’ or ‘vegetarian’ does not confirm allergen safety.
Asking for the restroom
- You: Xin lỗi, nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? — Excuse me, where is the restroom?
- Helper: Bên trái. — On the left.
- You: Cảm ơn. — Thank you.
This is a complete exchange you can practise without memorising a complicated grammar explanation. The words lối vào and lối ra are also useful signs to recognise when entering or leaving a building.
When speech is too fast
- You: Tôi không hiểu. — I do not understand.
- You: Bạn có thể nói chậm hơn không? — Can you speak more slowly?
- You: Bạn có thể nhắc lại không? — Can you repeat that?
- You: Bạn có thể viết ra không? — Can you write it down?
These are beginner-friendly patterns, but remember that real Vietnamese changes address terms with the speaker-listener relationship. Writing down an address or number can help prevent practical errors.
Asking about a price
- You: Bao nhiêu tiền? — How much?
- Seller: Năm mươi nghìn đồng. — Fifty thousand đồng.
- You: Cảm ơn. — Thank you.
For money, the next vocabulary to learn is numbers, counting units and the name of the currency. Read the displayed amount carefully instead of guessing from a fast-spoken price.
A serious food question
- You: Tôi bị dị ứng với … — I am allergic to …
- You: Write and show the precise allergen name in Vietnamese.
A single memorised sentence does not establish that a dish is safe. Ingredient names can vary by region, and cross-contact needs explicit confirmation with the person preparing the food.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
- Removing diacritics. Vietnamese spelling marks are meaningful. Keep them in messages and phrase lists instead of writing bare letters.
- Pronouncing letters as if they were English. Listen to Vietnamese voices and learn tones; romanised English approximations are not reliable substitutes.
- Assuming ‘bạn’ or ‘you’ fits every person. Kinship-based address is socially important. Watch how people address one another and ask when unsure.
- Assuming all regions use identical food names. Southern and northern words can differ; this is particularly important for allergies.
- Confusing ‘không cay’ with ‘safe for my food allergy’. A lack of chilli does not say anything definite about other ingredients or cross-contact.
- Guessing prices from quick speech. Ask for the amount to be written or shown before you agree to a transaction.
Seven-day plan: learn words that you can actually use
Spend ten to fifteen minutes a day on active recall. Read a phrase, look away, say or write it from memory, check the correct original, and put the phrase into a new situation. In a tonal language, native audio is especially important. Review your misses the following day instead of repeatedly reading the list.
- Day 1: Practise the short phrases in the quick summary and say them without looking.
- Day 2: Learn the greetings and explain when you would choose each one.
- Day 3: Make a short dialogue asking someone to repeat a phrase slowly.
- Day 4: Practise ordering an item, checking a price and saying thank you.
- Day 5: Recognise the words for a station, entrance, exit, left and right.
- Day 6: Create five original mini-conversations using expressions from at least two groups.
- Day 7: Test yourself on all 50 meanings, check the original forms, and review the phrases you missed tomorrow.
How to know when the vocabulary is working
The right measure is whether you can achieve a small useful goal in Vietnam, not whether you can recite all 50 items in order. Can you greet someone, ask for help, recognise a direction, understand a price or request repetition? Can you use the same pattern in a different location? Those are realistic signs of progress.
If a conversation moves faster than your language knowledge, do not invent certainty. Use the phrase for ‘I don’t understand’, ask for repetition, and show or request written details. Fluency is a long-term skill; a precise beginner can still communicate carefully and effectively.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Vietnamese?
Xin chào is a useful general hello. In many everyday exchanges people say chào plus a suitable form of address.
How do you say thank you in Vietnamese?
Cảm ơn means thank you; cảm ơn nhiều expresses stronger thanks.
What does xin lỗi mean?
Xin lỗi means sorry or excuse me, depending on the situation.
How do you ask how much something costs in Vietnam?
Say Bao nhiêu tiền?, meaning ‘How much does it cost?’
How do you ask for the restroom in Vietnamese?
Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? means ‘Where is the restroom?’
Why do Vietnamese words need tone marks?
Tone and vowel marks contribute to pronunciation and meaning. Removing them can create confusion.
Is Vietnamese spoken the same in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City?
No. Northern and southern speech differ in pronunciation and some everyday vocabulary, even when the written language is shared.
Can I call every Vietnamese person bạn?
Not always. Forms of address depend on the listener’s age, relationship and social context; common kinship terms such as anh and chị are often used.
What’s a good next step after these 50 phrases?
Learn numbers, listening practice, common address terms and a few flexible sentence patterns before progressing to longer conversations.
Continue learning with eduKate
These related reading links let you understand the country, practise the language systematically or compare vocabulary across the other countries in this series.
- Everything About Vietnam
- How to Learn Vietnamese Quickly and Correctly
- Vocabulary for Italy — 50 everyday phrases
- Vocabulary for Spain — 50 everyday phrases
- Vocabulary for Germany — 50 everyday phrases
- Vocabulary Learning System
Sources, variation and safety
The linked language and official tourism references informed the selection and practical cautions. The 50-item table is an original beginner resource, not a certified interpretation. Local accents, register and terminology vary; seek reliable written translation or professional interpreting when accuracy affects health, legal rights or safety.
- Vietnam’s official tourism website: Vietnamese Phrases
- Vietnam’s official tourism website: Vietnamese Etiquette for Travellers
Editorial review: November 2026. This is a language-learning guide and does not provide live transport, emergency or travel-admission information.