Useful Words and Phrases When Traveling Vietnam

Traveling to a foreign land is quite interesting and exciting because for many people who like to travel, go on a vacation or even take a holiday trip, they need to do a lot of preparation before setting off, like learning about the country’s rich culture and knowing the basics of their language.

Useful tips and phrases when travelling Vietnam

Learning the language of the country that you plan to visit can be challenging but exciting at the same time, because not all languages have the same grammar and construction. Also knowing the language adds a twist to your vacation because it will help you to make your way around the city easier. Most of the locals appreciate tourists who try to converse and communicate in their local tongue because they feel that you appreciate their customs and culture and most of all, their country

Here is a list of words that we think would be useful to know while traveling in Vietnam. We are not going to bother to include the accent marks because it’s doubtful that non-native speakers will be able to say any of the words correctly anyways. Just try to memorize what the words look like or write them down on flash cards that you can refer to when out and about…

Useful Words and phrases when travelling Vietnam

Vietnamese is so hard because it is a 6 tonal language….and even the slightest variation of the pronunciation changes the meaning of the word(s).  This is not even taking into consideration the many different dialects that can be found throughout the country.  For example, the people in North Vietnam (Nguoi Bac)  speak completely different than in the South (Nguoi Nam).  Then there are the other variations of people that live in the Central Vietnam (Nguoi Trung and Nguoi Hue). 

-          Mien Phi (Mee-in Fee) – Free…..usually used in conjunction with “wifi” when in a hotel or coffee shop.

-          Sieu Thi (Seal Tee)- Supermarket

-          Nuoc Ep (Nook Ep) – Fruit juice – extracted by squeezing or blending fresh fruit

-          Trai Cay (Try Kay) – Fruit

-          Di Dong (Yi Dong)- Cell Phone Service (i.e. Mobifone, Vinaphone, etc.)

-          Han Quoc (Hang Wook) – Korea or Korean

-          Trung Quoc (Troong Wook) – China or Chinese

-          Quoc Te (Wook Teh) – International

-          Cafe Sua Da (Ka Feh Sooahh Daa)- Vietnamese Iced Coffee

-          Xe Om (Seah Um) – Motorbike Taxi

-          May vi tinh (May Vee Thin) – Computer

-          Nha Ve Sinh (WC) (Nyah Veh Sin)- Restroom……W.C. stands for Water Closet and is apparently a legacy of the French occupation of Vietnam.

-          Cong An or Canh Sat (Kong Anhg or Khan Sak) – Police

-          Benh Vien (Ben Vee-in) – Hospital

-          Cong Ty (Kong Tee) – Company

-          Nha or Phong Cho Thue (Nyah or Fong Jaw Tweh) – House or Room for rent

-          An Chay (Ang Chey) – Vegetarian

-          Thuoc Tay (Te-ook Thay) – Pharmacy

-          The Gioi (Te Yoi?)- The World

-          Kem (Kam) – Ice Cream

-          Gui Xe (Goi? Seah) – Park Car

-          Xe Honda (Seah Honda) – term used to refer to all kinds or motorbikes

-          Khach (Cat) – Guest…this word can be combined with others as shown below

-          Khach Du Lich (Cat Yoo Lit) – Tourist

-          Khach San (Cat Sang) – Hotel

-          Cap Cuu (Cap Koo?) – Emergency….should pronounce the last part as if asking a question.

Hope this post might be useful for your Vietnam trip.

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Source: Vietwindtravel