Vietnamese is written in Latin letters (Quốc ngữ) with tone marks, so the spelling on this page is already the reading. The word for "you" changes with the person's age and whether they are a man or a woman, and that word goes after the greeting. Every greeting was checked against the Wikivoyage Vietnamese phrasebook and Wiktionary.
| Vietnamese | English | Style | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xin chào. | Hello. | Polite | People you meet for the first time |
| Chào bạn. | Hello. | Casual | Someone about your age |
| Chào anh. | Hello. | Polite | A man a little older than you |
| Chào chị. | Hello. | Polite | A woman a little older than you |
| Chào em. | Hello. | Casual | Someone younger than you |
| Tạm biệt. | Goodbye. | Polite | Anyone, when you part |
| Chào nhé. | Bye. | Casual | Friends |
| Gặp lại sau nhé. | See you later. | Casual | Someone you will see again soon |
means both hello and bye, and the person's word after it makes it polite. Southern speakers often end with where northern speakers say .
| Word | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| A friend or someone about your age, and the usual word in textbooks | |
| A man a little older than you, or one you respect | |
| A woman a little older than you | |
| Someone younger than you |
Other words for older people, such as , and bác, come after you learn the four above. Our guide to thank you in Vietnamese shows how they work in a short exchange.
| Vietnamese | English | Style | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Casual | Someone about your age | |
| Anh khỏe không? | How are you? | Polite | A man a little older than you |
| Tôi khỏe, cảm ơn. | I'm well, thank you. | Neutral | The usual answer |
| Tôi khỏe, cảm ơn. Còn bạn? | I'm well, thank you. And you? | Casual | Turning the question back |
is the neutral "I" that textbooks use. With people you know, speakers call themselves by the same kind of family word, such as when talking to someone older. Khỏe means "healthy" and at the end makes a yes-or-no question, so the question is word for word "healthy or not?" The word means "and what about".
| Vietnamese | English | Style | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you. | Casual | Someone about your age | |
| Cảm ơn chị nhiều. | Thank you very much. | Polite | A woman a little older, like a server |
| Không có gì. | You're welcome. | Neutral | The reply to thanks |
| Không sao đâu. | No problem. | Casual | The reply to thanks or a small mistake |
Many people, especially in the south, write with a different tone mark. Both spellings are used.
Chào buổi sáng is how Vietnamese textbooks translate "good morning". Wiktionary says it is used as a translation of the English phrase, and that speakers more often say with the person's word, ask how they slept, as in Ngủ ngon không? for "did you sleep well?", or ask how they are. There is no set evening greeting either. works at every hour.
For good night, Wiktionary marks chúc ngủ ngon as uncommon and found mostly in translations of Western texts. If a friend is going to bed, Ngủ ngon, "sleep well", is the short wish.
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Saying Chào buổi sáng every morning. | Say Chào anh, Chào chị or Chào bạn. The textbook phrase sounds like a translation and a little stiff. |
| Using bạn for everyone. | Bạn is safe with friends. With someone clearly older, use anh or chị. |
| Using Hẹn gặp lại for every "see you later". | You will hear it, but Wiktionary calls it more of a translation of the English phrase and gives Gặp lại sau nhé as the more natural everyday wording. |
Hear a Hanoi greeting in Essential Greetings, Polite Phrases, and Ordering Food and Drinks, or a Saigon cafe in Ordering Coffee and Daily Greetings in Southern Vietnamese. The best way to learn Vietnamese helps you plan what to study next.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Vietnamese. You learn from Vietnamese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Vietnamese lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- The Quốc Ngữ course teaches the Vietnamese letters and tone marks from the first letter, with Northern, Central, and Southern audio.
- Every lesson is written at your level, about things you like.
- 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, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter and its sound in the free Vietnamese Quốc Ngữ course.
- You can't turn a Vietnamese novel you own into a lesson. However, you can take a photo of a page, and Poppy will explain each sentence.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
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Is Xin Chào Too Formal?
is polite and slightly formal. Wikivoyage lists it as the formal hello and plain as the informal one. Between friends, is enough.
Which Vietnamese App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Vietnamese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. For other apps, see our Vietnamese app comparison.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Bubblegum guide: Essential Greetings, Polite Phrases, and Ordering Food and Drinks (Northern Vietnamese, Levels 1 and 3, with lesson notes)
- Bubblegum guide: Ordering Coffee and Daily Greetings in Southern Vietnamese (Levels 1, 2 and 6, with lesson notes)
- Wikivoyage: Vietnamese phrasebook
- Wiktionary: chào buổi sáng (Vietnamese)
- Wiktionary: hẹn gặp lại (Vietnamese)
- Wiktionary: không có gì (Vietnamese)
- Wiktionary: chúc ngủ ngon (Vietnamese)
- Wiktionary: cảm ơn (Vietnamese)
