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? |
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?”
| 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 |
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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?).
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?).
What are the cardinal directions in Vietnamese?
The cardinal directions are Bắc (north), Nam (south), Đông (east), and Tây (west).
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MORE FREE LESSONS
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Basic sentence structure
Subject + là + Noun -
Present tense in Vietnamese
Subject + Verb + (present time adverb) -
Past simple tense in Vietnamese
Subject + đã + verb + (past tense time adverb) -
Future tense in Vietnamese
Subject + will + verb + (future time adverb) -
Continuous tense in Vietnamese
Subject + đang + verb + (time adverb) -
How to use pronouns in Vietnamese
Tôi, Mình, Bạn, Con, Cháu, Em etc -
Plurals in Vietnamese
Những / Các + counter + singular noun -
Negative sentences in Vietnamese
không + Verb / Adjective -
Using adjectives in Vietnamese
Subject + Adjective -
Using adverbs in Vietnamese
Verb + Adverb -
Prepositions in Vietnamese
Subject + ở (to be) + prepositions + object -
Asking questions in Vietnamese
Clause + gì? -
Numbers in Vietnamese
- -
Vietnamese counters
Number + cái + non-living thing -
Writing dates in Vietnamese
Week day + date + month + year -
Telling time in Vietnamese
Number + Giờ + Number + Phút + Number + Giây -
Expressing "because" in Vietnamese
Vì / Do/ Bởi vì + Noun -
Expressing "but" in Vietnamese
Clause 1 + nhưng / nhưng mà / mà + Clause 2 -
Expressing "and" in Vietnamese
Noun 1 + và + Noun 2 -
"Should" & "shouldn't" in Vietnamese
Subject + nên + verb -
Expressing similarities in Vietnamese
Noun 1 + giống như + Noun 2 -
Making requests in Vietnamese
Subject + vui lòng + verb + ạ! -
Expressing "as soon as" in Vietnamese
Ngay khi + clause A, clause B -
Expressing "not yet" in Vietnamese
Subject + chưa + verb -
Expressing desire in Vietnamese
Subject + muốn + noun / verb / adjective -
How to say "very" in Vietnamese
Rất + adjective! -
Giving directions in Vietnamese
Làm sao + đi đến + destination? -
Expressing capacity in Vietnamese
Có thể + Verb