Vietnamese numbers follow a highly logical system that’s very easy to learn.

Once you memorize the first ten digits, you can count all the way up to 99.

You’ll quickly pick up the pattern for larger numbers after that.

This guide provides a clear breakdown of Vietnamese numbers and how to use them for money.

Numbers from 0 to 10

Everything in the Vietnamese number system builds upon the first ten digits.

You must memorize these foundational numbers before moving on to anything else.

Here are the numbers from zero to ten in Vietnamese.

Numbers from 11 to 99

Counting from 11 to 19 is incredibly simple.

You just take the word for ten (mười) and add the single digit after it.

For example, 11 is mười một (ten-one) and 12 is mười hai (ten-two).

To count by tens, you put the single digit before the word for ten.

However, you must drop the falling tone on the word for ten, changing mười to mươi.

This means 20 is hai mươi (two-tens) and 30 is ba mươi (three-tens).

When combining tens and ones to make numbers like 22 or 34, you just string them together.

For example, 22 is hai mươi hai.

There are three important spelling and pronunciation exceptions you’ll need to know for numbers above 20.

• The number 1 changes from một to mốt. For example, 21 is hai mươi mốt.
• The number 4 changes from bốn to tư. For example, 24 is hai mươi tư.
• The number 5 changes from năm to lăm. For example, 25 is hai mươi lăm.

Note that the number 5 also changes to lăm for the number 15 (mười lăm).

Here are some examples of these rules in action.

Hundreds, thousands, and millions

You’ll need to use large numbers every single day in Vietnam.

This is because the local currency uses thousands and millions for standard purchases.

The word for hundred is trăm.

The word for thousand has a regional variation.

In Northern Vietnam, a thousand is nghìn.

In Southern Vietnam, a thousand is ngàn.

The word for million is triệu.

You build large numbers exactly the same way you build smaller ones.

You just state the digit followed by the unit scale.

For example, 200 is hai trăm and 5,000 is năm nghìn (or năm ngàn).

If there’s a zero in the middle of a number, you must use a placeholder word.

In the North, the placeholder word is linh.

In the South, the placeholder word is lẻ.

This means 105 is một trăm linh năm in the North, and một trăm lẻ năm in the South.

Dealing with money (VND)

The official currency of Vietnam is the Vietnamese đồng (VND).

You’ll almost always deal in thousands, even for cheap items like a bottle of water.

A coffee might cost you 30,000 VND.

A bowl of pho might cost you 50,000 VND.

Because every price ends in thousands, locals frequently drop the word for thousand altogether when speaking.

If something costs 50,000 VND, a seller will usually just say năm mươi (fifty).

You’re expected to understand from context that they mean fifty thousand.

Here’s an example of a common transaction you might have at a market or restaurant.

Here’s another example where the seller drops the word for thousand to save time.