What Language Do The Vietnamese Speak

The International Spread Of The Language

Vietnamese people are everywhere. They had moved to various parts of the world in search of opportunities and settled in many countries.

You will find them in most big economies like the USA, China, Australia, France, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, and Japan the list is endless.

Studying Vietnamese can be like adding a feather to the hat in the global market. It enables communication with these locals who have become successful entrepreneurs and business players.

Interacting with their language would help score some brownie points and help with ease and clarity of communication. It can also be quite helpful in financial markets and help in easy trading.

Learning Vietnamese could be of great use in building networks. It is always a great conversation starter to open with a Vietnamese phrase or idiom suited to the context.

It also promotes the image that the learner is well accomplished and intelligent. This would boost networking and connectivity with people.

People subconsciously perceive someone speaking many languages as approachable and connected to humanity. Thus making them seem very approachable. It helps to feel connected and have extensive networks that significantly contribute to work and personal life.

It enables ease of communication and improves understanding, as each language has the features that make it better.

Vietnamese Is Easier Than You Think

The script of the Vietnamese language is written in the Romanized alphabet, meaning its a lot easier for English speakers to pick up. You wouldnt have to worry about learning a brand-new script to learn Vietnamese.

Also, it doesnt have gender-based differentiation and is gender-neutral in most instances. Plus, it does not use plurals or articles. All these make grammar very simple to study.

The simplicity does not stop here. The Vietnamese language also has very simple verbs, conjugations, and tenses. None of which will be challenging to pick up and pretty easy to learn.

As with every language, there are some complex parts.

For example, it has its hurdles with its 6 tones. Besides, the high number of vowel sounds, more pronouns, and usage of classifiers make it tricky.

Yet, apart from this and certain pronunciations, it is not challenging. It would be more like neither hard nor easy. But if you have an interest and purpose, you can pick up more quickly than you imagine.

As per FSI studies, Vietnamese falls in category 3, i.e., hard languages. This implies that English speakers will take 2200 hours to master the language and work in any Vietnamese setting.

The Fantastic Food Culture Of Vietnam

Vietnam has one of the worlds most diversified, tasty, and healthful cuisines.

Each area, North, Central, and South, may be proud of something. During colonial times, the influence of Chinese and French culture added to the diverse gastronomic scenes.

Its difficult to explain and compare the distinct characteristics of each regions cuisines. This is because Vietnam has more than one food capital.

Hanoi provides some authentic and unique culinary experiences. Whereas Hue boasts of its royal heritage, Ho Chi Minh City takes pride in being the most diverse eating destination in the nation.

The delicious varieties of soup, noodles, rice, meat, rolls, coffee, and drinks will give plenty of tasty choices. But, you must find it yourself and select which one you like!

And what better way to know what you want to explore than to understand the language itself?

Recommended Reading: Treatment For Childhood Apraxia Of Speech

Other Spoken Languages In Vietnam

There are fifty-four ethnicities in Vietnam. Kinh is the most popular one that accounts for just over 85.32% of the population of Vietnam, according to the 2019 census. There are 53 minorities in Vietnam who are living mainly in the mountainous regions and southwest Vietnam. Some minorities such as Thai, Cham, Khmer can be found in other countries like Thailand, China, Laos, and Cambodia.

Each minority community has its own language, hence the reason why there are so many spoken languages in Vietnam. In total, you can find 53 different languages across the country.

Some minority languages have a writing system, while some other minority languages have lost or dont have any writing system.

Some spoken Vietnamese languages belong to 3 linguistics families, including the Austroasiatic language, the Sino-Tibetan, and the Thai-Kadai . The language of Vietnam ethnic groups are divided into eight groups:

The national language, which is Vietnamese, belongs to the Viet-Muong group. It has six tones, while some other minority languages do not have tones, such as the Khmer language.

Interesting Spoken Languages In Vietnam

What languages are spoken in Vietnam? You can easily come up with the answer Vietnamese. Vietnamese is the beautiful national language of Vietnam. However, you can also find over 50 spoken languages in the country. You do not need to learn all of them to talk to Vietnamese people, but it is fascinating to know more about their culture. So, today you will learn about all the interesting spoken languages in Vietnam.

Lets get started!

Also Check: How To Say I In Sign Language

The Origin Of Vietnamese: Language And Influences

by Asian Absolute Team | Aug 6, 2018 | Culture and Languages |

Around 75 million people around the world are native speakers of Vietnamese, the language of Vietnam. Its also widely used in neighbouring Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, the sixth most-spoken language in Australia, as well as being officially recognized as a minority language in the Czech Republic.

Wait. Hold on. Yes, that does say the Czech Republic. Well get to that

In this article, well look at the origin of Vietnamese, the Chinese and French influences on the evolution of the language, as well as the Vietnamese writing system and its possible future. The languages spoken in Vietnam About 86% of Vietnams population are native speakers of Vietnamese. That leaves a solid 14% who are part of the countrys 54 other recognised ethnic groups which have their own separate languages.

In addition, the Vietnamese language has several dialects. Most prominently:

• Hanoi dialect this prestige dialect is the basis for the standard language

As you might expect, there are quite a few differences in pronunciation and vocabulary between the three dialects. But they are mutually understandable at around the same level as US and UK English.

Asian Absolute is a translation company that specialises in Vietnamese to English translation.

The history and origin of the Vietnamese language

French influence on the Vietnamese language

What Is The Main Language Spoken In Vietnam

Amazingly exotic and entirely beautiful, Vietnam is a country of breathtaking natural beauty with an incredible cultural and historical heritage. Officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the country occupies the easternmost section of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia, and boasts an estimated population of 91 million, making it the worlds 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous in Asia.

Vietnam is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest and Malaysia to the southeast, across the South China Sea. This centralized location in Southeast Asia lends to the cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity of this densely populated and topographically diverse nation.

Recommended Reading: The Five Love Language Test

Mng A Language Closely Related To Vietnamese

Muong is an Austroasiatic language of the “Vietic” subcategory, meaning that it’s closely related to Vietnamese. One of the main differences might be a less important influence from the Chinese language. Like Vietnamese, Muong uses tones like Vietnamese, but where Vietnamese has 6 tones, some dialects of Muong only use 5, and while the dialects aren’t characterized as separate languages, they are quite different, and not always mutually intelligible. Muong is spoken in the mountainous regions in the North of Vietnam by over a million Vietnamese.

Here’s a short animated film in Muong.

Do They Also Speak English In Vietnam

In major cities and tourist areas in the south, communicating in English is becoming increasingly easy as Vietnam is becoming increasingly touristy. Due to high demand, the government has set up programs to improve English-language lessons in schools. However, if you plan to go to smaller cities or rural areas, it may be useful to know at least one Vietnamese basis.

In the south, where the inhabitants have often worked for the Americans in the past, knowledge of English is the best. Assume that most older Vietnamese cannot speak a word of English. Young people in particular can speak better English. Although some of them are shy towards foreigners, they will be happy to help you if you get lost and ask for directions. Some others would like to talk to you because that helps them improve their communication in the English language. Hotels, restaurants in tourist areas most Vietnamese also speak English.

Recommended Reading: Online Speech-language Pathology Programs

Summary Of Popular Second Languages In Vietnam

English, French, Japanese, and Chinese are several second languages that are widely spoken in Vietnam. However, the percentage of people who know how to use English, both inarticulately and fluently, is quite dominant compared to the rest.

Get the world-leading travel insurance for your adventures in Vietnam:

For more interesting information about Vietnam such as culture and cuisine, visit our blog. And dont forget to check out our tours for the authentic experience of this country with qualified English-speaking local guides.

Copyright

How Hard Is It To Travel To Vietnam Without Knowing The Language

Honestly, it is not hard at all to travel through Vietnam without knowing Vietnamese. That is the main reason for the tourist attraction there.

The main trouble a foreigner has in any country is the language barrier. However, most Vietnamese can easily communicate in English.

One of the main businesses in Vietnam is tourism. So natives have learned to communicate in English.

It is a perfect place to travel to regarding price, language, and scenery.

Don’t Miss: Ai Text To Speech Characters

The Ty Language A Vietnamese Language Related To Thai

The Tày language belong to the Tai language family, which is the same as Thai, the language of Thailand. There are around 1,7 million speakers of Tày in Vietnam. It is spoken in the North-Eastern part of Vietnam in the region of Cao Bng, close to the borders of China and there exists about 5 different dialects of the Language. Like Vietnamese and Thai, it’s a Tonal language, and it’s written in a modified version of the Vietnamese alphabet.

The Tày language, or variants of it is equally spoken in Laos, Cambodia, India, Myanmar and In China in the regions just north of Vietnam.

While I haven’t been able to find a good sample of the Tày language, I have found this Tày news-program that you can try and give a listen.

Creation Of Ch Quc Ng

As early as 1620, with the work of Francisco de Pina, Portuguese and Italian Jesuitmissionaries in Vietnam began using Latin script to transcribe the Vietnamese language as an assistance for learning the language. The work was continued by the Avignonese Alexandre de Rhodes. Building on previous dictionaries by Gaspar do Amaral and Antonio Barbosa, Rhodes compiled the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum, a VietnamesePortugueseLatin dictionary, which was later printed in Rome in 1651, using their spelling system. These efforts led eventually to the development of the present Vietnamese alphabet. For 200 years, ch Quc ng was used within the Catholic community.

Read Also: Siri Text To Speech Online

Despite The People It Is Still A Rare Language

Vietnam is a homogenous country in terms of language and culture. Everything in Vietnam is written in Vietnamese, and everyone speaks that language.

Although there would be enough English for you to navigate, it is not common. Outside Vietnam, it is a less familiar language.

A significant Vietnamese population exists outside the country. Still, it is more likely that it has adapted to the local culture and language .

Learning Vietnamese thus will put you in one of the rarer communities in the world. It can also boost your charm when you can easily converse in Vietnamese.

You will face less competition for jobs involving language like this one. This is because the number of learners and speakers outside Vietnam is limited.

English An International Language:

English is, without a doubt, an internationallanguage for trade and communication. Especially in countries like Vietnam.

One of the main businesses in Vietnam is tourism. And language can be a big barrier to communication.

The tourism industry in the main cities has overcome this hurdle. As most people communicate in English in the main cities.

Other businesses include exporting electronicproducts, garments, seafood, and crudepetroleum. Again, all these trades become easy with the use of English.

Also Check: Best Language App For Spanish

Official Language Of Vietnam

The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese, or as in Vietnam, it is called Ting Vit. It is the first language of Vietnam, spoken by 85% of the population.

Some ethnic minorities in Vietnam speak Vietnamese as their second language. Vietnamese is hard to learn.

It is a tonal language that has six tones. It has five main dialects and 29 letters.

In the history of the Vietnamese language. Written Vietnamese used Chinesecharacters. Although later on in the 13th century, Vietnamese people developed their own characters.

Vietnamese is closely associated with Cambodias official language, Khmer.

In Vietnamese, each syllable has six different tones. And each tone creates a different meaning. Because of that, it is very hard for foreigners to learn Vietnamese.

Recently, Vietnam has been in contact with western nations. For that reason, English has become popular in the country.

In most Vietnamese schools, English has become part of compulsory education.

The Vienglish: English Spoken In Vietnam

For a majority of youth, English is an obligatory part of education. They study English in schools, however, usually, theyre only able to understand the basics. English proficiency, in general is at a pretty poor level, except when it comes to people working in tourism. They are expected to have a bit better skills than the rest of the local people working in other spheres.

Read Also: What Language Did Jesus Speak

Foreign Languages In Vietnam

Vietnam has recieved a lot of input from other countries throughout history. From Chinese domination to French colonization to the Russian of the Soviet Union and finally – to an influx of tourists from around the world of which many speak English.

In other words – foreign languages have always been important in Vietnam, but today they may be more important than ever. Because of this, English classes are compulsory in Vietnamese schools. Today, a little over 50% of Vietnamese speak English, but these are mostly concentrated in the more populous cities and in the tourist-sector.

The French language is also relatively common in Vietnam, but mostly among the older generation. When the French colonized Vietnam, they left a significant imprint on the country, and to this day Vietnam remains part of the Francophonie despite the gradually decreasing number of French speakers in the country. Today, only about 1% of the Vietnamese population speak French.

Languages such as Russian, Czech, and even German are spoken in a very low degree in Vietnam because of ancestral ties to the Soviet Union.

Lastly, languages such as , Korean and Japanese seem to be on the rise in Vietnam due to trade and new commercial interests with these languages’ respective countries.

Top Reasons To Learn Vietnamese

For various reasons, learning a language like Vietnamese is always an excellent decision.

It is complex, yet its fun and rewarding. It also gives a fresh perspective on thinking and philosophy by providing a new window to look into another universe.

This article talks about ten benefits one can derive from learning Vietnamese. So with no further ado, lets explore more!

Recommended Reading: Introduction To Natural Language Processing

Letter Names And Pronunciation

phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet Help:IPAIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters

Vietnamese uses all the letters of the ISO basic Latin alphabet except for f, j, w, and z. These letters are only used to write loanwords, languages of other ethnic groups in the country based on Vietnamese phonetics to differentiate the meanings or even Vietnamese dialects, for example: dz or z for southerner pronunciation of v in standard Vietnamese.

In total, there are 12 vowels and 17 consonants .

Dates And Numbers Writing Formats

Vietnamese speak date in the format “daymonthyear“. Each month’s name is just the ordinal of that month appended after the word tháng, which means “month”. Traditional Vietnamese however assigns other names to some months these names are mostly used in the lunar calendar and in poetry.

Vietnamese has traditionally been divided into three dialect regions: North, Central, and South. Michel Ferlus and Nguyn Tài Cn also proved that there was a separate North-Central dialect for Vietnamese as well. The term Haut-Annam refers to dialects spoken from the northern Ngh An Province to the southern Tha Thiên Province that preserve archaic features that have been lost in other modern dialects.

Problems playing this file? See media help.

The large movements of people between North and South beginning in the mid-20th century and continuing to this day have resulted in a sizable number of Southern residents speaking in the Northern accent/dialect and, to a greater extent, Northern residents speaking in the Southern accent/dialect. Following the Geneva Accords of 1954 that called for the temporary division of the country, about a million northerners moved south as part of Operation Passage to Freedom. About 18% of that number of people made the move in the reverse direction

Don’t Miss: How Does Speech Therapy Work

English Is The Most Popular

English has gained its popularity all around the world, and Vietnam is not an exception. Due to globalization, many international firms, as well as tourists, have considered Vietnam as a potential destination. Therefore, English has inevitably become a tool to satisfy increasing needs.

In big cities like the Capital of Vietnam – Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, it is normal for many kids to have English classes after their compulsory studying time at school. However, in some rural areas, lots of students struggle with the totally opposite situation, mostly because of the lack of teachers. For tertiary education, English also plays a key role. Many universities require their students to achieve certain English certificates to qualify for graduating. As reported by the Ministry of Education and Training Vietnam , English is taught in all the provinces and municipalities of Vietnam, taught in 60% of primary schools and in 100% of secondary schools, registering 99% of students with a foreign language subject in their curriculum.

Learning English is a crucial part in the study plan of any Vietnamese student