Learning a few essential Vietnamese travel phrases will make your first trip to Vietnam much easier and more enjoyable.

Locals deeply appreciate it when foreigners make an effort to speak their language.

You don’t need to be perfectly fluent to navigate the streets of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

I’m going to share the most useful Vietnamese expressions for greetings, eating, shopping, and getting around.

If you want to master these phrases quickly, I highly recommend using Talk In Vietnamese as your primary learning tool.

Basic greetings and polite phrases

The first thing you need to learn is how to say hello and thank you.

Vietnamese uses a complex system of pronouns based on age and gender.

However, as a foreigner, you can safely use a few universal phrases without worrying about offending anyone.

The most common way to say hello is xin chào.

To say thank you, you’ll use the phrase cảm ơn.

If you accidentally bump into someone, you should know how to apologize.

You can also use xin lỗi to politely get a waiter’s attention at a local restaurant.

Ordering food and drinks

Vietnam is famous for its incredible street food and cafe culture.

Knowing how to order exactly what you want will greatly improve your dining experience.

To order something, you simply start your sentence with cho tôi (give me) followed by the item you want.

If you can’t eat spicy food, this next phrase is extremely important.

When you’re ready to leave, you’ll need to ask for the bill.

There’s a slight regional variation here between Northern and Southern Vietnam.

In Northern Vietnam (like Hanoi), you’ll typically use thanh toán.

In Southern Vietnam (like Ho Chi Minh City), locals usually say tính tiền.

Shopping and bargaining

Shopping at local markets is a huge part of visiting Vietnam.

Vendors expect you to negotiate the price before buying souvenirs or clothing.

To start the negotiation, you must first ask how much the item costs.

When the vendor gives you a price, your next move is to act slightly shocked.

You can casually tell them that the item is too expensive.

Again, we see a regional difference here between the North and the South.

In the North, people use the word đắt for expensive.

In the South, the word for expensive is mắc.

After saying this, you can offer a lower price and walk away if they don’t agree.

Getting around and asking for directions

Wandering the narrow alleyways of Vietnam is fun until you completely lose your way.

You’ll eventually need to ask locals or taxi drivers for basic directions.

To ask where something is, just say the name of the place followed by ở đâu.

If you’re taking a taxi or riding on the back of a motorbike, you can give your driver simple instructions.

Essential Vietnamese travel vocabulary summary

Reviewing vocabulary in a simple table is a great way to memorize these phrases quickly.

Here’s a complete list of everything we covered above.

Memorizing these basic phrases will completely transform your travel experience in Vietnam.

The absolute best place to practice your pronunciation is Talk In Vietnamese.

Our platform offers comprehensive audio lessons that are perfectly tailored for complete beginners.