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:

VietnameseEnglish
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?
View More Examples:
Làm sao đi đến công viên?How to get to the park? 
Làm sao đi đến siêu thị?How to get to  the supermarket?
Làm sao đi đến sở thú?How to get to the zoo?
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?” 

VietnameseEnglish
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 thẳngStraight → Go straight 
Trái→ Quẹo/ Rẽ tráiLeft → Turn left
Phải→ Quẹo/ Rẽ phảiRight → Turn right

More here, 

VietnameseEnglish
Tiến lênMove forward!
Lùi lạiMove backward!
Đi ngang qua (bệnh viện)To past (the hospital)
Băng qua đườngTo cross the road
DừngStop!

The last four objects you can see on the road in Vietnamese: 

VietnameseEnglish
Đèn giao thông / Đèn xanh đèn đỏThe traffic lights
Cây cầuBridge
Bùng binhRoundabout 
Ngã tưIntersection

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: 

Mình muốn đến bệnh viện, đi đường nào? 

I want to go to the hospital, which way?

Bạn đi thẳng khoảng 500m.
Sau đó quẹo trái. Bệnh viện ở bên trái công viên.

You go straight for about 500m. Then turn left.
The hospital is at the left of the park.

Làm sao đi đến trường học? 

How to get to the school?

Bạn đi thẳng đến bùng binh. Sau đó quẹo phải đi thẳng. Dừng ngã tư. Trường học ở bên tay phải đèn xanh đèn đỏ.

You go straight to the roundabout. Then take a right turn and go straight.
Stop at the intersection. The school is at the right side of the traffic lights.

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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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