easy1000words / Vietnamese guides / Travel, food and Tết
Basic Vietnamese phrases for travelers
45 survival Vietnamese phrases with audio for the airport, Grab rides, hotels, directions and emergencies, plus what people say back to you.
- 45 phrases to hear
- 7 min read
- Updated November 1, 2026
- Xin chàoHello
- Cảm ơn bạn rất nhiều.Thank you very much.
- Không, cảm ơn.No, thank you.
You can travel around Vietnam on English and pointing, and plenty of people do. But a handful of Vietnamese phrases changes the trip: drivers relax, stall owners laugh and knock a little off, and you stop feeling lost every time someone talks to you.
This guide sorts the basics by situation: the airport, your ride, the hotel, asking the way, food and money, and emergencies. Every phrase has a play button, so you can hear the tones before you try them. Don't worry about sounding perfect. Vietnamese people are generous with learners, and a slightly wrong tone said with a smile goes further than silence.
One thing to know first: Vietnamese has no neutral 'you'. You call a man anh, a woman chị, and anyone younger than you em. For yourself, tôi (I) is the safe default for travelers. Our guide to Vietnamese pronouns explains the rest.
Ten phrases to learn before you land
If you only learn a few lines, make it these. They cover hello, thank you, saying no to touts and the questions you'll ask every single day.
Two small words make everything sound nicer. Add ạ at the end of a sentence to sound respectful to someone older, and nhé (North) or nha (South) to sound friendly. 'Cảm ơn anh' or 'cảm ơn chị' is warmer than a bare 'cảm ơn'. The Travel phrasebook in the easy1000words app has most of them recorded, along with dozens more for the road, so you can practise on the plane.
- Xin chàoHelloAlways correct, a bit formal. Locals say chào anh or chào chị.
- Cảm ơn bạn rất nhiều.Thank you very much.Cảm ơn on its own works too; the South often writes cám ơn.
- Không, cảm ơn.No, thank you.Turns down touts, xe ôm drivers and street sellers politely.
- Xin lỗi, cho tôi hỏiExcuse me, may I ask...The polite opener before any question to a stranger.
- Bao nhiêu tiền?How much is it?
- Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu?Where is the toilet?Signs often just say WC.
- Tôi không hiểu.I don't understand.
- Nói chậm lại được không?Could you speak more slowly?Put anh or chị in front to make it polite.
- Em biết nói tiếng Anh không?Do you speak English?To young staff. Swap em for anh or chị with older people.
- Mật khẩu wifi là gì?What's the wifi password?Wifi is said 'wai-phai'.
At the airport
Immigration and customs staff at the big airports deal with foreigners all day and mostly work in English. Where Vietnamese helps is everything around them: the SIM card kiosk, the money exchange counter and the help desk when a bag goes missing.
Before you land, save your hotel address on your phone in Vietnamese, with the tone marks. Drivers read it far faster than they can decode an English pronunciation of a street name.
- Cho tôi xem hộ chiếu.May I see your passport?You'll hear it at check-in desks, hotels and ticket counters.
- Hành lý của tôi bị thất lạc.My luggage has been lost.Your carry-on bag is hành lý xách tay.
- Chuyến bay đi Đà Nẵng bị hoãn rồi.The flight to Da Nang has been delayed.Hoãn = delayed, hủy = cancelled. Listen for both.
- Tôi muốn mua một thẻ sim 4G.I'd like to buy a 4G SIM card.Bring your passport; SIM cards are registered to it.
- Tôi muốn đổi tiền đô sang tiền Việt.I'd like to change dollars into dong.Swap đô for euro or bảng (pounds).
- Gần đây có cây ATM nào không?Is there an ATM near here?Also máy rút tiền, cash machine.
Practise these 6 in the app, free
Tip Break a big note early, at a convenience store or a café. Drivers and street vendors often can't change a 500,000 note.
Taxi, Grab and xe ôm
Most visitors get around with ride-hailing apps: Grab, Be and Xanh SM all work in the big cities. The app sets the price, so there's nothing to negotiate, but the driver will often phone you when they arrive, and the call will be in Vietnamese.
On that call, listen for two things: tới rồi or đến rồi (I'm here) and ở đâu (where). Answer with a landmark, or send a pin in the app chat. A xe ôm is a motorbike taxi; the name literally means 'hug vehicle', which tells you how close you'll be sitting. The driver carries a spare helmet (mũ bảo hiểm in the North, nón bảo hiểm in the South). Wear it; it's the law. If you hire a xe ôm on the street rather than through an app, agree the price before you get on.
- Chở tôi đến địa chỉ này.Take me to this address.Show the address on your phone as you say it.
- Em tới rồi.I'm here. (driver arriving)Southern. Northern drivers say Em đến rồi.
- Anh đang đứng ở đâu?Where are you standing?What the driver asks a man; chị for a woman.
- Cho tôi xuống ở đây.Let me off here, please.
- Dừng ở đây nhé.Stop here, please.Shorter, very common.
- Đợi tôi một chút.Wait for me a moment.Chờ tôi một chút is more common in the South.
- Chạy chậm thôi!Slow down, please!Handy on the back of a fast xe ôm.
At the hotel or homestay
Reception at most city hotels speaks English, but family guesthouses and homestays may not, and that's where these lines earn their keep.
Expect staff to ask for your passport at check-in. Hotels have to register foreign guests with the local police, so it's normal for them to copy it or keep it for a short while. Check-in is usually in the early afternoon; staff often just say 'check-in' and 'check-out' in English.
- Tôi đã đặt phòng rồi.I have a reservation.Have the booking ready on your phone.
- Còn phòng trống không?Do you have any rooms free?Hết phòng means fully booked.
- Mấy giờ thì được nhận phòng?What time can we check in?
- Cho tôi gửi hành lý ở đây được không?Can I leave my luggage here?Handy before an evening bus or flight.
- Điều hòa trong phòng tôi bị hỏng.The air conditioner in my room is broken.South: máy lạnh.
- Ngày mai tôi trả phòng lúc mười giờ.I'm checking out at ten tomorrow.
Asking for directions
Vietnamese people give directions generously, sometimes even when they're not sure, so ask a second person if it matters. Open with 'cho tôi hỏi' and have the place name ready to show on your phone.
A useful habit: ask whether it's far, then whether you can walk. Locals ride motorbikes everywhere, so 'gần' (near) can still mean twenty minutes on foot in the midday heat.
- Cho tôi hỏi, ga Hà Nội ở đâu ạ?Excuse me, where is Hanoi Station?Swap in any place name.
- Có xa không?Is it far?Replies: gần lắm (very close), xa lắm (very far).
- Đi bộ được không?Can I walk there?
- Đi thẳng rồi rẽ trái.Go straight, then turn left.South: quẹo trái (left), quẹo phải (right).
- Tôi bị lạc đường, anh giúp tôi với.I'm lost, could you help me?Use chị when asking a woman.
Food and money, the short version
Two situations deserve their own guides: ordering food and bargaining at markets. For your first day, these lines are enough.
Call staff with 'em ơi' if they look younger than you, point at what you want, and ask for the bill when you're done. Calling out is normal in Vietnam, not rude. At street stalls you pay as you leave, and tipping isn't expected. Small shops often take cash or a QR bank transfer only, so keep some notes on you.
- Em ơi!Excuse me! (calling a server)Anh ơi or chị ơi for older staff.
- Cho tôi cái này.I'll have this one.Point at the menu or the dish.
- Không cay.Not spicy, please.
- Tính tiền!The bill, please!
- Có nhận thẻ không?Do you take cards?
- Đắt quá!That's too expensive!South: Mắc quá!
Emergencies
Hopefully you'll never need these, but learn them anyway, along with three numbers: 113 for police, 114 for fire and 115 for an ambulance.
In the big cities, bag and phone snatching from passing motorbikes is the trouble visitors meet most often, so hold your phone on the side away from the road. For anything medical, Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City all have international clinics with English-speaking staff. If you lose your passport, report it to the local police first, then contact your embassy.
- Cứu tôi với!Help me!Shouted: Cứu với!
- Gọi công an giúp tôi!Please call the police!Công an is the police.
- Tôi cần đi bệnh viện.I need to go to a hospital.
- Tôi bị mất hộ chiếu.I've lost my passport.
- Hiệu thuốc gần nhất ở đâu ạ?Where's the nearest pharmacy?South: nhà thuốc, the word on most signs.
Practise these 5 in the app, free
Tip Save 113, 114 and 115 in your phone now, next to your hotel's address in Vietnamese.
Questions
Can you travel in Vietnam with only English?
Yes, in the main tourist areas. Hotels, tour companies and many cafés in Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City work in English, and ride-hailing apps remove most of the talking. You'll notice the gap at street food stalls, local markets, long-distance buses and anywhere off the tourist trail, which is exactly where a couple of dozen phrases and the numbers help most.
How do you say hello in Vietnamese?
Xin chào is the textbook hello and is always correct. In daily life people say chào plus the right word for the person: chào anh to a man, chào chị to a woman, chào em to someone younger. With someone clearly older than you, adding ạ at the end makes it more respectful.
Should I learn Northern or Southern Vietnamese for travel?
For a trip, it barely matters. Both are understood everywhere, and the differences that trip people up are a few everyday words: đắt and mắc (expensive), rẽ and quẹo (turn), điều hòa and máy lạnh (air conditioner). Learn the version of the city where you'll spend most time and don't worry about the other.
What is the emergency number in Vietnam?
Dial 113 for the police, 114 for fire and rescue and 115 for an ambulance. The person answering may not speak English, so asking a hotel receptionist or a passer-by to call for you is often quickest. Say 'Gọi công an giúp tôi!' for the police or 'Gọi xe cấp cứu!' for an ambulance.
Do I need to get the tones right to be understood?
Tones carry meaning, so they matter, but context does a lot of the work. Say 'bao nhiêu tiền' while holding something up and the seller will understand even if your tones wobble. Listen to each phrase a few times and copy the melody rather than reading the spelling.