Vietnamese is the national language of Vietnam, and more than 85 million people speak it around the world. The standard Northern accent has six tones, so the pitch of a word changes its meaning. Many apps teach Vietnamese, but few give you real Vietnamese to read and listen to once you know the basics.
Here are the apps and services that teach Vietnamese, grouped by what they help you do. You can start with one and add another when you need it.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
Bubblegum suits learners who want Vietnamese built around their own lives. Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you want to learn. She writes lessons for your level and helps you understand the words and grammar. You can read and listen, and ask her about anything that is unclear. News and stories give you more Vietnamese to read about music, food, family, and other things you care about.
Bubblegum has a separate journey for Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnamese, with lessons written and voiced by AI for the one you choose. The trade-off is that Bubblegum does not replace real Vietnamese voices. For recorded speakers, Pimsleur and Glossika are the better fit, and for conversation, try the apps in Learn With People.
- Read Vietnamese lessons for free.
- The Quốc Ngữ course teaches the Vietnamese letters and tone marks from the first letter, with Northern, Central, and Southern audio.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Vietnamese about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading instead of using flashcards.
- Lesson audio uses AI voices, not recordings of Vietnamese speakers.
- You cannot import your own books or articles.
- The free plan includes one new custom lesson each day.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Quốc Ngữ
Mobile
Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnamese
Vietnamese has Northern, Central, and Southern accents, and they differ in pronunciation and in some words. Northern Vietnamese, centered in Hanoi, is the basis for the official form, while Central and Southern Vietnamese have fewer tones and some different sounds. Pimsleur teaches the Northern accent, and Drops uses the Southern one. Glossika has a Northern course and a Southern course, and tutors on italki and Preply list the accent they teach.
Follow a Vietnamese Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. These apps give you an ordered path through Vietnamese words and sentences.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a good way to meet your first Vietnamese words and sentences. Pair it with an audio course or a tutor so you can hear and practice the tones.
- A free course that teaches Vietnamese to English speakers.
- Lessons take about five minutes.
MobileWeb
LingoDeer
LingoDeer explains Vietnamese grammar one step at a time, with short lessons and timed quizzes. Premium members can download the course to use offline.
- An Alphabet section teaches the letters and the tones.
- A course from A1 to B1, with every sentence voiced by native speakers.
- Teaches Quốc Ngữ
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Mango's Vietnamese course has 10 chapters and 70 lessons. Check your local library first, since many libraries include Mango.
- Conversation-first lessons with every word spoken by native speakers.
- Grammar notes and culture notes.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Ling
Ling teaches Vietnamese words, phrases, sentence structure, and the alphabet in lessons written by native speakers. Its speaking games let you say a phrase out loud.
- Short games and quizzes with audio from native speakers.
- Flashcards and a chatbot for conversation practice.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Quốc Ngữ (partly)
Mobile
Practice Speaking and Listening
Pimsleur
Pimsleur suits learners who want to start speaking before they read much. You hear a prompt, answer aloud, and then hear the answer. The lessons play in the app, in the car with CarPlay or Android Auto, and on Alexa.
- 30 audio lessons of about 30 minutes, where you answer out loud.
- Reading lessons and an AI voice coach for your pronunciation.
- Teaches Quốc Ngữ (partly)
MobileWeb
Glossika
Glossika trains your ears and your mouth with Vietnamese sentences that get harder as you improve. Listen, then repeat each sentence out loud.
- More than 5,000 words and sentences, from A1 to C1.
- Built around hearing real sentences from native speakers.
- Doesn't teach Quốc Ngữ
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary
Drops
Drops teaches Vietnamese words through quick word games. You can use it on your phone or on the web, and your progress syncs between them.
- Short word games with audio from native speakers.
- Review tools called Favorites, Review Dojo, Quiz Mode, and Word Collection.
- It teaches words and short phrases, so grammar needs another resource.
- Doesn't teach Quốc Ngữ
Mobile
Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows a Vietnamese sentence with one word missing, and you pick or type the missing word. Seeing each word in a sentence shows you how it is used.
- Every word appears inside a real sentence.
- Sentences start with the most common words, and the audio is spoken by native speakers.
- Doesn't teach Quốc Ngữ
MobileWeb
Read and Listen to Vietnamese
LingQ
LingQ turns Vietnamese you find online into lessons you can read and listen to. Open a lesson, click an unknown word to see what it means, and review the words you saved.
- Read and listen to real Vietnamese from YouTube, podcasts, and ebooks.
- A Vietnamese Mini Stories course for beginners.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Quốc Ngữ
MobileWeb
Learn With People
Choose a tutor if you want teaching and correction. Choose a language exchange if you want a practice partner and are happy to help with English in return.
italki
italki tutors offer trial lessons, conversation practice, and pronunciation lessons for beginners through advanced learners.
- Choose a Vietnamese tutor and book lessons around your schedule.
- Get feedback on your pronunciation while you speak.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply lists 778 Vietnamese tutors. Read profiles and watch intro videos to find a tutor who fits your level and goals.
- Compare tutors by profile, reviews, and intro video.
- Find tutors for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk matches you with Vietnamese speakers by region, interests, and level. You teach your partner English, and they help you with Vietnamese.
- Meet Vietnamese speakers who want to practice English.
- Practice with messages, voice rooms, and video, and get your posts corrected.
- There is no set course, so you decide what to practice.
Mobile
Tandem
Tandem is a language exchange where you and your partner teach each other your native languages. Agree with your partner on how to split time between Vietnamese and English.
- Over 5,000 members in Vietnam, in cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
- Practice with messages, voice notes, and video calls.
- It can take a few tries to find a partner who matches your interests and time.
MobileWeb
More Ways to Learn Vietnamese
Video lessons help with tones and pronunciation. Tiếng Việt Ơi has free lessons from native speakers on YouTube. For reading, VnExpress is a Vietnamese news site where you can try real articles once you know the basics. When you need a word, VDict is a free Vietnamese and English dictionary with audio for many words.
Learn Vietnamese in Your Language
These counts cover menu-language choices, including script variants. Other apps’ counts and full lists come from their iPhone listings. Lesson explanations and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| Duolingo | 32 | Full list |
| LingoDeer | 15 | Full list |
| Mango Languages | 2 | Full list |
| Ling | 67 | Full list |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Glossika | 2 | Full list |
| Drops | 16 | Full list |
| Clozemaster | 37 | Full list |
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (13)
- SVFF (Southern Vietnamese For Foreigners)Live one-on-one lessons with native Southern Vietnamese teachers, more than 170 self-study courses, a podcast, and AI study tools. It has taught Southern Vietnamese since 2014.
- Learn Vietnamese With AnnieShort Southern Vietnamese conversations, with two hosts who explain each line. It has more than 1,000 lessons and adds two new ones each week.
- VietnamesePod101Audio and video lessons with new free lessons each week, a free list of 2,000 core words, and live group classes.
- MondlyLessons on practical topics with instant feedback on your pronunciation. Vietnamese is one of its 41 languages.
- Rosetta StoneA Vietnamese course focused on listening and pronunciation, with Northern, Central, and Southern accents described on its page.
- Memrise word listsVietnamese word lists made by other learners, which you can study in the Memrise app.
- uTalkMore than 2,500 words and phrases in over 60 topics, with a recorder to compare your accent. It works offline once downloaded.
- TalkpalChat with an AI tutor in Vietnamese by writing or speaking, with feedback on your pronunciation.
- MigakuA browser tool for looking up and saving words from Vietnamese websites, videos, and news sites such as VnExpress and Tuổi Trẻ.
- Language ReactorAdds two-language subtitles and word popups to Netflix and YouTube videos. Vietnamese is on its language list.
- ReadlangClick words in Vietnamese articles, books, and web pages to see a translation, then practice them with flashcards.
- BeelinguappVietnamese stories and news side by side with your own language, with audio by native Vietnamese speakers.
- 50LANGUAGESA phrasebook, vocabulary topics, and apps for learning offline on Android and iPhone.
Common Questions
Which Vietnamese app should a beginner choose?
Start with Duolingo if you want short free lessons, or Pimsleur if you want to speak from the start. Bubblegum suits learners who want lessons around their own interests. Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet with extra letters like ă, đ, and ơ and marks for the tones, so spend your first lessons on those.
Can I learn Vietnamese for free?
Yes. Duolingo's Vietnamese course is free, and many libraries give free access to Mango. The 50LANGUAGES site has 100 free lessons recorded by native speakers. Bubblegum's lesson library is free to read too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. You can read the free lesson library and ask Poppy for one new custom lesson each day on iPhone and Android. Become a Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons and to support our team.
Sources
- Britannica: Languages by total number of speakers
- Constitution of Viet Nam (1992, rev. 2013), Article 5
- Omniglot: About Vietnamese
- Omniglot: Vietnamese language and alphabet
- Britannica: Viet-Muong languages
- Glossika: Learn Vietnamese (Southern)
- italki: Vietnamese tutor teaching a Southern accent
- Preply: Vietnamese tutor teaching Southern and Northern accents
- 50LANGUAGES: Learn Vietnamese for free
- Mango Languages for libraries
- Bubblegum
- Duolingo
- LingoDeer
- Mango Languages
- Ling
- Pimsleur
- Glossika
- Drops
- Clozemaster
- LingQ
- italki
- Preply
- HelloTalk
- Tandem
Checked on October 4, 2026 against each app's own pages.
