Vietnamese Grammar Bank
DIRECTIONS IN VIETNAMESE
In Vietnamese, giving and understanding directions is essential for everyday communication.
This lesson will cover how to ask for and give directions using common phrases, as well as vocabulary for key directional words like “left,” “right,” “straight”.
ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS
To ask for a direction in Vietnamese, there are two question forms that generally follow the structure below:
PATTERN #1
Làm sao (how to) + đi đến (to go) + destination?
For example:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Làm sao đi đến bệnh viện? | How to get to the hospital? |
| Làm sao đi đến trường học ? | How to get to school? |
| Làm sao đi đến rạp phim? | How to get to the cinema? |
PATTERN #2
(Destination you want), đi đường nào?
NOTE || In order to be more specific, you can add “Muốn đến” (want to go there) before the destination which means “In order to go to this place, which street I should go?”
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Bệnh viện, đi đường nào? | Which street to go to the hospital? |
| Trường học, đi đường nào? | Which street to go to school? |
| Rạp phim, đi đường nào? | Which street to go to the cinema? |
| Muốn đến công viên, đi đường nào? | In order to go to the park, which street? |
| Muốn đến siêu thị, đi đường nào? | In order to go to the supermarket, which street? |
| Muốn đến sở thú, đi đường nào? | In order to go to the zoo, which street? |
GIVING DIRECTIONS
This chapter summarizes typical words to learn and their examples used to give directions in Vietnamese:
First, the most three common directions:
| Thẳng→ Đi thẳng | Straight → Go straight |
| Trái→ Quẹo/ Rẽ trái | Left → Turn left |
| Phải→ Quẹo/ Rẽ phải | Right → Turn right |
More here,
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Tiến lên | Move forward! |
| Lùi lại | Move backward! |
| Đi ngang qua (bệnh viện) | To past (the hospital) |
| Băng qua đường | To cross the road |
| Dừng | Stop! |
The last four objects you can see on the road in Vietnamese:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Đèn giao thông / Đèn xanh đèn đỏ | The traffic lights |
| Cây cầu | Bridge |
| Bùng binh | Roundabout |
| Ngã tư | Intersection |
Q&A EXAMPLES
Here are a few more sentence examples in the form of questions and answers, to help you see how it works in a dialogue between two persons:
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FAQs
How do you ask for directions in Vietnamese?
You can ask, “Làm ơn cho tôi hỏi đường đến…?” (Could you please tell me the way to…?).
For example, “Làm ơn cho tôi hỏi đường đến nhà ga?” (Could you please tell me the way to the train station?).
What are the cardinal directions in Vietnamese?
The cardinal directions are Bắc (north), Nam (south), Đông (east), and Tây (west).
How to say go straight and turn left?
“Go straight” is Đi thẳng, and “turn left” is Rẽ trái or Quẹo trái.
Is there a polite way to ask for directions?
Yes, you can use polite phrases like Làm ơn (please) or Xin lỗi (excuse me) before asking for directions, e.g., “Xin lỗi, bạn có thể chỉ đường cho tôi không?” (Excuse me, can you show me the way?).
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