Vietnamese greetings
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Sign up for freeIn this chapter, we will teach you the Vietnamese greeting customs as well as teach you how to participate in small talk.
Lesson outline
HideHow to say hello in Vietnamese
In this table we will show you some different examples of greetings in the Vietnamese language.
| English | Vietnamese | When |
|---|---|---|
| Hello! | Xin chào | General and polite way of greeting when correct ending phrase is unknown. |
| Chào bạn! | Informal way of greeting someone of either gender but the same age. | |
| Chào anh (+ first name)! | Greeting a male person of the same age or who is older than you. | |
| Chào chị (+ first name)! | Greeting a female person that is older than you. | |
| Chào em (/first name)! | Greeting someone that is definitely younger than you. | |
| Á-lô | When you answer the phone. | |
| Good morning! | Chào buổi sáng! | Fairly uncommon greetings based on time of the day but in case somebody greets you in this way, you should respond in the same way. |
| Good afternoon! | Chào buổi chiều! | Fairly uncommon greetings based on time of the day but in case somebody greets you in this way, you should respond in the same way. |
| Good evening! | Chào buổi tối! | Fairly uncommon greetings based on time of the day but in case somebody greets you in this way, you should respond in the same way. |
| Good night! | Chúc ngủ ngon! | - |
| Welcome! | Chào mừng! | If you are welcoming people at your home or at events. |
| It's nice to meet you! | Rất vui được gặp bạn. | Towards somebody more or less the same age because "bạn" literally means "friend". |
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How to say "how are you" in Vietnamese
Below you can find the expressions for asking and responding to "how are you".
| English | Vietnamese | When |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Bạn (có) khỏe không? | When the person is more or less the same age. |
| Anh (có) khỏe không? | Asking a male person that is more or less the same age or older than you. | |
| Chị (có) khỏe không? | Asking a female person that is older than you. | |
| How are you today? | Hôm nay, chị thế nào? | As it is very uncommon to just say "how are you" by itself, you always include a time phrase. |
| I'm fine, and you? | Tôi khỏe, còn anh? | Formal way of responding when age difference is not clear and asking when the other person is male. |
| I am also fine. | Tôi cũng khỏe. | Formal way of responding when age difference is not clear. |
| Very good. | Rất khỏe. | - |
| I'm so so. | Tàm tạm. | - |
| Not so good. | Không khỏe lắm. | - |
| Very bad. | Rất tệ. | - |
| Very tired. | Rất mệt. | - |
Small Talk in Vietnamese
Here some more expressions in a basic conversation:
| English | Vietnamese |
|---|---|
| What's your name? | Bạn tên gì? |
| My name is ... | Tôi tên là ... |
| Where are you from? | Bạn từ đâu đến? |
| I'm from ... | Tôi đến từ... |
| How old are you? |
|
| I am ... years old. | Tôi ... tuổi. |
Goodbye in Vietnamese
In the following table, you will find some expressions to say goodbye:
| English | Vietnamese |
|---|---|
| Goodbye. | Tạm biệt. |
| See you later. | Hẹn gặp lại. |
| I will be right back! | Tôi sẽ quay lại ngay. |
| I am leaving. | Tôi/anh/em đi nhé. |
| Bye. | Tôi/anh/em chào anh/em/chị. |
Summary
After completing this chapter, you will be able to engage in small talk and greet each other properly in Vietnamese. As already discussed it is always important to address your conversation partner in a proper and respectful way. Whenever in doubt, just always use the expression that makes the other person older than you.