Vietnamese greetings

In this chapter, we will teach you the Vietnamese greeting customs as well as teach you how to participate in small talk.

Lesson Outline

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1.How to say hello in Vietnamese
2.How to say "how are you" in Vietnamese
3.Small Talk in Vietnamese
4.Goodbye in Vietnamese
5.Summary
6.Exercises
6.1.Vietnamese Greetings Exercise 1
6.2.Vietnamese greetings exercise 2

How 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".

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?	Bạn bao nhiêu tuổi?
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.

Exercises