DuolingoOn October 15, 2026, Duolingo listed one Vietnamese course, taught from English, and nothing for Southern Vietnamese. Duolingo's course page doesn't say which accent it uses. Reviews by Migaku and Nutty Vietnamese say it's the Northern accent of Hanoi.
In Saigon and the Mekong Delta, the hỏi and ngã tones sound the same, so you hear five tones where Hanoi has six. Everyday words change too: a polite "yes" is dạ, "he" can be ổng, and "she" can be bả. Our Vietnamese app comparison has more apps and a section on the three accents.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Southern Vietnamese. You learn from Southern Vietnamese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Southern Vietnamese lessons at your level, about the things you pick. Ask for a lesson about shopping at Bến Thành Market, and the seller answers you with a friendly dạ. Tap a word you don't know, or ask Poppy what nha adds to a sentence.
To talk with someone from the South, try Tandem below.
- Southern Vietnamese is its own journey, and lessons are read aloud in a Saigon accent.
- The Quốc Ngữ course has a Southern version, with the tones as the South says them.
- Grammar cards show Southern words like nha and vô next to the Northern ones.
- When you save a word, Poppy works it into your next Southern lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- There's no way to bring in your own texts to read.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Quốc Ngữ
Mobile
Southern Dialogues and Podcasts
Learn Vietnamese With Annie
After each dialogue, two hosts, one speaking Vietnamese and one English, go through it line by line. You can take the lessons in any order.
- Every lesson is in the Southern dialect, built around a dialogue that usually runs under a minute.
- It has more than 800 lessons, from complete beginner to advanced.
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SVFF
SVFF's stories are set in Sài Gòn, and you can listen on the web or in the SVFF Online app.
- The SVFF podcast has 218 episodes in 8 series, from A1 to C1, all in Southern Vietnamese.
- A transcript runs along with every episode.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Vocabulary Games
Drops
Drops builds your Vietnamese vocabulary in short game rounds.
- A learner review on Drops' Vietnamese page says it uses the Southern dialect.
- Each word comes with a picture and audio.
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A Partner in Ho Chi Minh City
Tandem
Tandem's Ho Chi Minh City page lists members who live there and want to trade languages.
- Chat by voice note, audio call, or video.
- Each partner can correct what you type.
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How to Start With Each App
| App | How You Can Start |
|---|---|
| Learn Vietnamese With Annie | Try the free sample lessons, then subscribe monthly. |
| SVFF | Play the starter episodes, then pick a subscription. |
| Drops | Download it free, and Premium has a 7-day free trial. |
| Tandem | Tandem's basics are free, and Tandem Pro is paid. |
Common Questions
Which Southern Vietnamese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Southern Vietnamese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Learn Vietnamese With Annie, whose lessons begin at complete beginner.
Will the spelling I learn work in the South?
Yes. Every region of Vietnam spells words the same way. In the South, words with hỏi and ngã are still spelled differently, even though they sound the same.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Duolingo: course list (read October 15, 2026)
- Duolingo: Vietnamese course for English speakers
- Migaku: Duolingo Vietnamese review ("The course focuses on Northern Vietnamese")
- Nutty Vietnamese: Does Duolingo Have Vietnamese? ("It teaches the Northern (Hanoi) dialect")
- Wikipedia: Vietnamese phonology (the hỏi and ngã tones merge in Southern accents)
- Wikipedia: Vietnamese language, regional variation (Southern dạ, vậy, ổng, bả)
- Rosetta Stone: Learn Vietnamese (Hanoi has 6 tones; the South merges some, resulting in 5)
- Learn Vietnamese With Annie: FAQs
- Learn Vietnamese With Annie: current iPhone listing
- SVFF Podcast
- Drops: Learn Vietnamese (learner review on the page: "one of the few apps that uses Southern dialect")
- Drops: current iPhone listing (7-day free trial of Premium)
- Tandem: Language exchange in Ho Chi Minh City
- Tandem: current iPhone listing
- Bubblegum
- Learn Vietnamese With Annie
- Tandem
Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.
