Xin chào
sin CHOW
Hello (polite)
Greeting anyone, at any time of day. Among friends people often just say chào.
Travel guide
Learn Vietnam before you go
Emerald bays, busy motorbike cities, fragrant noodle soups and a long history, along a narrow S-shaped coast in Southeast Asia.
CapitalHanoi
CurrencyVietnamese đồng (₫)
Official languageVietnamese
Drives on theRight
Calling code+84
10 phrases to learn
In Vietnamese. Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Cảm ơn
gahm UHN
Thank you
Thanking shop staff, drivers, hosts and anyone who helps you
Cảm ơn nhiều
gahm UHN nyee-YOO
Thank you very much
A warmer thank you, for a kindness or a very good meal
Rất vui được gặp bạn
rut VOO-ee duh-uk gup BAHN
Nice to meet you
Meeting someone for the first time
Xin lỗi
sin LOY
Excuse me, I'm sorry
Getting someone's attention, getting past people, or apologising
Không sao đâu
khohng SOW doh
It's all right, never mind, you're welcome
Answering a thank you or an apology
Bao nhiêu tiền?
bow nyew TEE-en
How much is it?
Asking a price at a market or shop
Đắt quá!
DUT kwah
That's too expensive!
Bargaining politely at a market; a smile helps
Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu?
nyah vay SIN uh DOH
Where is the toilet?
Looking for the toilet
Bạn có nói tiếng Anh không?
bahn gaw NOY tee-eng AHN khohng
Do you speak English?
Before asking for help
At the table
- Each person has a small bowl of rice and chopsticks; the other dishes are placed in the middle of the table for everyone to share.
- Before starting, it is polite to invite the others to eat, beginning with the oldest person at the table.
- It is normal to lift your rice bowl close to your mouth and push the rice in with your chopsticks.
- Never stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice: it looks like the bowls of rice placed beside the dead at funerals.
- Noodle soups come with a plate of herbs, lime and chillies, so you can season your bowl to your own taste.
Local tips
Cross the street slowly and steadily
Motorbikes fill the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. To cross, wait for a gap, then walk at a slow, steady pace without stopping, running or stepping back. Riders will steer around you. Use pedestrian crossings and traffic lights where there are any.
Count the zeros
Prices in đồng have many zeros, and 500,000 đồng is the largest banknote. Check each note carefully before you pay, and carry small notes for taxis and markets, where drivers and sellers may say they have no change.
Cover up at temples and the Mausoleum
Cover your shoulders and knees when visiting pagodas and temples. At the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, short or revealing clothes are not allowed, cameras and phones must not be used inside, and visitors walk through in silence.
Take off your shoes
It is customary to take off your shoes before entering someone's home, and often in temples and traditional guesthouses. Look for shoes left at the door.
Drink bottled or boiled water
Tap water is not safe to drink. Use bottled or filtered water, which is sold everywhere.
Tipping and bargaining
Vietnamese people do not usually tip, and it is not expected, though small tips are welcome in tourist restaurants and for guides. In markets and small shops without price tags, friendly bargaining is normal.
Plan around Tết
During Tết, the Lunar New Year in late January or February, many shops and restaurants close for several days and trains, buses and flights are full as people travel home. Book early, or avoid travelling in that week.
Emergency numbers
The official emergency numbers in Vietnam are 113 for police, 114 for fire and rescue and 115 for an ambulance. Hotel staff can help you call and explain where you are.
Dishes to try
- Phở (phở): A clear, fragrant beef or chicken broth, simmered with charred onion and ginger, star anise and cinnamon, poured over flat rice noodles and thin slices of meat. Northern (Hanoi) phở has a light, savoury broth with little more than spring onions on top. Southern (Saigon) phở has a sweeter broth and comes with a plate of bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime and chillies, plus hoisin and chilli sauce on the table.
- Bánh mì (bánh mì): A light, crackly Vietnamese baguette split and filled with pâté, cold pork or Vietnamese sausage, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, fresh coriander and chillies.
- Bún chả (bún chả): Charcoal-grilled pork patties and slices of pork belly served in a bowl of warm, sweet and sour fish sauce, with cold rice vermicelli and a big plate of herbs and lettuce on the side. You dip the noodles and herbs into the bowl as you eat.
- Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls) (gỏi cuốn): Soft, fresh rolls of moistened rice paper wrapped around cooked prawns, pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce and herbs. They are not fried, and are eaten with a peanut and hoisin sauce or a fish sauce dip.
- Chả giò (fried spring rolls) (chả giò / nem rán): Rice paper rolls filled with seasoned minced pork, mushrooms, glass noodles, carrot and taro, deep-fried until golden and crisp. They are wrapped in lettuce with herbs and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce.
- Bún bò Huế (bún bò Huế): A spicy beef noodle soup flavoured with lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste, with thick, round rice noodles, beef shank, Vietnamese sausage and sometimes pork knuckle, topped with chilli oil.
- Cao lầu (cao lầu): Chewy, yellowish rice noodles served with slices of marinated pork, fresh greens, bean sprouts and herbs, a little rich broth and crunchy squares of fried noodle dough on top.
- Cơm tấm (broken rice) (cơm tấm): Broken rice grains served with a grilled, lemongrass-marinated pork chop, shredded pork skin, a slice of steamed egg and pork meatloaf, pickles and a small bowl of sweet fish sauce.
Cities to see
- Sa Pa: Rice terraces in the Mường Hoa valley, Hmong and Dao villages, The cable car up Fansipan.
- Hanoi (capital): The Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm Lake, The Temple of Literature, The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
- Ha Long: Boat trips on Ha Long Bay, Seafood, The cable car and views over the bay.
- Ninh Binh: Boat trips through Tràng An, The ancient capital of Hoa Lư, Tam Cốc, 'Ha Long Bay on land'.
- Dong Hoi: The gateway to Phong Nha's caves, Nhật Lệ beach, Fresh seafood.
- Hue: The Imperial City, Royal tombs along the Perfume River, Thiên Mụ Pagoda.