Travel phrases

Essential Vietnamese travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Vietnamese phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first Xin chào to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Vietnamese speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Vietnamese travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: Xin chào (hello), Dạ (yes, politely), Cảm ơn anh (thank you), and Cho hỏi, nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Vietnamese phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Vietnamese speakers really use, not an English list translated into Vietnamese, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Vietnamese phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 Xin chào Hello sin CHOW Safe with any stranger; the respelling cannot show tones, so copy the audio
  2. 2 Chào anh Hello (to a man your age or older) chow AHN Vietnamese greets by pronoun: pick it from the age of the person in front of you
  3. 3 Chào chị Hello (to a woman your age or older) chow CHEE To someone your parents' age: cô to a woman, chú to a man; bác if they are older than your parents
  4. 4 Hẹn gặp lại See you again hen gap LIE For when you will meet again; leaving a shop or a ride, people just say Chào anh or Chào chị, the same word as hello
  5. 5 Ăn cơm chưa? Have you eaten yet? ahn kuhm CHUH-uh A greeting from hosts, neighbours and older people, not an invitation; answer Dạ, ăn rồi (yes, I have)
  6. 6 Cảm ơn anh Thank you KAHM uhn ahn Cảm ơn chị to a woman; cảm ơn on its own can sound curt
  7. 7 Dạ Yes, politely ZAH The polite particle before an answer to anyone older; in the south it sounds like yah
  8. 8 Không No KHOHNG Fine on its own with a street vendor; to anyone older say Dạ không, and Thôi, cảm ơn turns down an offer
  9. 9 Xin lỗi Sorry sin LOY Also excuse me after bumping into someone
  10. 10 Tôi không hiểu I don't understand toy khohng HYEW
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

Xin chào Hello sin CHOW Safe with any stranger; the respelling cannot show tones, so copy the audio
Chào anh Hello (to a man your age or older) chow AHN Vietnamese greets by pronoun: pick it from the age of the person in front of you
Chào chị Hello (to a woman your age or older) chow CHEE To someone your parents' age: cô to a woman, chú to a man; bác if they are older than your parents
Hẹn gặp lại See you again hen gap LIE For when you will meet again; leaving a shop or a ride, people just say Chào anh or Chào chị, the same word as hello
Ăn cơm chưa? Have you eaten yet? ahn kuhm CHUH-uh A greeting from hosts, neighbours and older people, not an invitation; answer Dạ, ăn rồi (yes, I have)

Basics

Cảm ơn anh Thank you KAHM uhn ahn Cảm ơn chị to a woman; cảm ơn on its own can sound curt
Dạ Yes, politely ZAH The polite particle before an answer to anyone older; in the south it sounds like yah
Không No KHOHNG Fine on its own with a street vendor; to anyone older say Dạ không, and Thôi, cảm ơn turns down an offer
Xin lỗi Sorry sin LOY Also excuse me after bumping into someone
Tôi không hiểu I don't understand toy khohng HYEW
Anh nói tiếng Anh được không? Do you speak English? ahn noy tyeng AHN duhk khohng Swap anh for chị to a woman; English is common in cities, rare elsewhere

Getting around

Cho hỏi, nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? Where is the toilet? chaw hoy nyah veh sin uh DOW Cho hỏi is the polite opener for any question to a stranger
Cho tôi đến địa chỉ này Take me to this address chaw toy den DEE-ah chee nye Say it holding up the address on your phone; most rides start this way
Dừng ở đây Stop here ZOONG uh day To a taxi driver or to the xe ôm motorbike rider you are sitting behind
Có xa không? Is it far? kaw sah KHOHNG
Đi bộ được không? Can I walk there? dee boh DUHK khohng

Eating out

Cho tôi một cà phê sữa đá One iced milk coffee, please chaw toy moht kah feh SUH-uh dah The default coffee everywhere; cho tôi is how you order anything
Ở đây có món gì ngon? What is good here? uh day kaw mon zee NGON Most street places cook one dish well; ask and take what they name
Không cay No chili khohng KYE Say it as you order, not after; chili arrives on the side or in the bowl
Tính tiền The bill, please TING tyen Em ơi, tính tiền! is the call across the room to young staff; you pay at the table
Ngon quá This is delicious NGON kwah Say it to whoever cooked; it always lands well

Shopping

Bao nhiêu tiền? How much is it? bow nyew TYEN Cash or a QR bank transfer; small places take no cards
Đắt quá Too expensive DAT kwah The opening move at a market; in the south you hear Mắc quá instead
Bớt một chút được không? Can you come down a bit? buht moht choot DUHK khohng Markets and street stalls only; shops and cafes have fixed prices
Tôi chỉ xem thôi I'm just looking toy chee SEM toy

Emergencies

Cứu với! Help! KOO voy What you shout in real danger; for everyday help ask Giúp tôi với (can you help me)
Gọi cấp cứu! Call an ambulance! goy kup KOO Cấp cứu means both the ambulance and the emergency room
Tôi cần bác sĩ I need a doctor toy kuhn bahk SEE
Tôi bị lạc đường I'm lost toy bee lahk DUHNG

Locals say

Chị ơi! Excuse me! chee OY Chị ơi to a woman, Anh ơi to a man, Em ơi to anyone younger than you
Không có gì You're welcome khohng kaw ZEE The reply when you thank someone for a favour; in the south often Không có chi
Mời cả nhà ăn cơm Let's eat, everyone moy kah nyah ahn KUHM Said before a family meal, younger to older, and the meal starts once it is said; a guest at a homestay can say it too
Trăm phần trăm! Bottoms up! chahm fun CHAHM The beer toast, literally one hundred percent: empty the glass. The clinking comes on the count Một, hai, ba, dô!
Đi đường cẩn thận Take care on the road dee duhng KUHN tun Said to anyone setting off, above all on a motorbike

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files Xin chào next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once Dạ and Cảm ơn anh feel automatic, the next step is a real Vietnamese sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Vietnamese phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is Xin chào (hello), Dạ (yes, politely), Cảm ơn anh (thank you), Cho hỏi, nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? (where is the toilet?), and Cứu với! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Vietnamese locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Vietnamese for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: Chị ơi! (excuse me!), Không có gì (you're welcome), Mời cả nhà ăn cơm (let's eat, everyone). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Vietnamese phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play Xin chào and Cảm ơn anh a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Vietnamese?

In Vietnamese, hello is Xin chào (pronounced sin CHOW) and thank you is Cảm ơn anh (KAHM uhn ahn). Add Dạ (yes, politely) and Hẹn gặp lại (see you again), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Vietnamese?

Ask Cho hỏi, nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? (pronounced chaw hoy nyah veh sin uh DOW), which means "where is the toilet?" in Vietnamese. If you only catch part of the reply, Tôi không hiểu (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Vietnamese before traveling?

No, but a dozen Vietnamese phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with Xin chào and Cảm ơn anh instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Vietnamese is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.