23 Colors in Vietnamese 🎨 Discover Their Meanings (+ Bonus Quiz)

Colors in Vietnamese 🎨 Learn the Vietnamese Colours With our Simple Guide

An important part of learning any language is learning the colors… so today we teach you over 20 different Colors in Vietnamese!

Do you think knowing Vietnamese Colors and their meanings is necessary?

The answer definitely is yes.

Learning colours isn’t just about learning new words, you can discover some cultural elements about a country you never even realised by discovering the meanings of colors in Vietnamese.

It’s crucial to know what Vietnamese colors are considered good luck and which ones are taboo!

After reading the blog, you will level up your understanding of colors and their meanings in Vietnamese culture.

Before we start – the first word for you to learn:

Color in Vietnamese = màu sắc

You’ll see màu featured in every example below.

THE BASIC COLOURS

Vietnamese Colors: Red I màu đỏ

Vietnamese Colors: Black I màu đen

Vietnamese Colors: White I màu trắng

Vietnamese Colors: Yellow I màu vàng

Vietnamese Colors: Purple I màu tím

Vietnamese Colors: Green I màu xanh lá

Vietnamese Colors: Blue I màu xanh biển

Vietnamese Colors: Brown I màu nâu

METALLIC COLOURS

Vietnamese Colors: Gold I màu vàng kim

Vietnamese Colors: Silver I màu bạc

Vietnamese Colors: Bronze I màu đồng

Vietnamese Colors: Other Popular Colours

BONUS – FREE Quiz

Vietnamese Colors: FAQ’s

If you want to hear a native speaker in action, check out this video below and get learning the Colors in Vietnamese straight away…

Vietnamese Colours | Basic Colors

Red I màu đỏ 🔴

In most cultures, red is the symbol of luck, prosperity, and happiness. 

Red dresses, flowers, and couplets may catch your eyes in the streets of Vietnam during the Lunar New Year days.

On the flip side, red is an implication of blood.

You’ll notice the primary colour of the Vietnamese flag is red.

This is a showing of respect to the sacrifice of the former generations for the peace and freedom of Vietnamese people today.

IMPORTANT TIP – Do not write your name in red ink in Vietnam.

Like many other Asian countries, red-ink written names indicate that the named person has in fact passed away.

The belief originated from China when in ancient times, a criminal on death row had their name written in chicken blood, later this evolved to being written in red ink.

Black I màu đen ⚫

On the other hand, black is associated with bad luck, evil, or venom

Therefore, people normally avoid wearing fully-black clothing during the New year or at joyful events like weddings.

BONUS TIPS – Let’s watch out for those ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ during Vietnamese New Year – Tết Nguyên Đán in Vietnam.

Alternatively, wearing full black at the funeral can be a way to show your respects, in a similar way to many western countries.

That’s why black and white are the main theme colours for funeral ceremonies.

Today, black also represents power and luxury in fashion shows or film festivals.

The Best Traditional Vietnamese Food (To Eat During The Holidays)

We break the year down into 3 of Vietnam’s biggest holidays and introduce you to the best, and most traditional Vietnamese food we eat during these times!

White I màu trắng ⚪

White represents purity and brightness in Vietnam.

It is also the main color for student uniforms from primary school to university.

The traditional costume – áo dài refers to the uniform of high school girls, as illustrated below in these pictures.

White, however, can also represent death and mourning – very much the same as black (màu đen).

Traditionally, the family members of the person who has passed away wear white mourning clothes and cover their head with a white band on the day of a funeral.

Yellow I màu vàng 🟡

Yellow is believed to bring good luck and prosperity.

Additionally, yellow is also the symbol of royalty and power. That’s why in ancient times, yellow clothes are used by royal families only. 

Going back to the Vietnamese flag you saw above, yellow was chosen to represent Vietnamese star while the red background was inspired by the flag of the Communist Party and represents a revolution.

Purple I màu tím 🟣

Purple is associated with loyalty and faithfulness. 

If you visit Huế, you may notice many women in a purple traditional dress – áo dài tím.

Today, áo dài tím has become the signature delicacy in Huế city.

Among Vietnamese youngsters, purple is the feature color to the LGBTQ+ gameshow Người ấy là ai.

Today, purple is more associated with love or romance particularly with older generations.

Green I màu xanh lá 🟢

Green represents development, harmony, and energy.

Why?

Because green is closely related to trees and the constant circle of a (peaceful) life.

Green is also a key color when referring to organic products in the market. More and more people pay attention to their health and lifestyle, green can represent this in Vietnam.

Color-related idioms are spoken a lot in daily conversation with all languages and in Vietnamese it’s no different. They allow us to make sentences sound more interesting.

Here are 3 examples of Vietnamese proverbs that use the color green:

• Xanh như tàu lá chuối (as green as a banana leaf) | you look ill/sick
• Tươi xanh | something fresh & green
• Sợ xanh mặt | to be pale with fear

BONUS – want to discover more proverbs? Check out our post teaching you some of the most used Vietnamese proverbs with native speakers.

Vietnamese Proverbs // The Key To Sounding Like A Native Speaker

Learning Vietnamese Proverbs is a great way to level up your Vietnamese. We teach you ten Vietnamese sayings and idioms ranging in level.

Blue I màu xanh biển, màu xanh dương 🔵

Blue is a symbol of peace and tranquility, hope and faithfulness. 

Therefore, you can easily notice that many banking organizations use blue as their brand color, which implies responsibility, faithfulness, and trustworthiness.

Blue is another color that is often used in Vietnamese proverbs, especially when talking about weather and climate.

Here is one example:

Mây xanh thì nắng, mây trắng thì mưa translates to “Blue clouds are sunny, white clouds are rainy.”

FUN FACT / WATCH OUT – Did you notice something similar with blue and green? Màu xanh can refer to either of them! Make sure the listener knows which color you are talking about.

Brown I màu nâu 🟤

Brown used to symbolize the lower class in the society who earn a low income or live in poverty.

DID YOU KNOW – In the olden days, farmers and slaves normally wore brown clothes.

Today, brown is associated with guise and closeness. 

A couple more anecdotes about brown in Vietnamese culture:

• Brown clothes is a metaphor referring to monks or a Buddha
• Many song titles start with ‘màu áo nâu‘ – brown clothes (see an example below)

Vietnamese Colours | Metallic Colors

Gold I màu vàng kim 🥇

Gold is closely related to fortune, wealthiness, and victory. 

If Vietnamese people send golden gifts to you, they really respect and value you. 

Using gold items is a sign to indicate their prosperity.

Silver I màu bạc 🥈

Silver is also an indicator of prosperity. Besides, it also gives the meaning of modern and luxury. 

DID YOU KNOW – Using silver spoon was an implication of the wealthiness in ancient time.

We have a very common proverb which talks about a married couples relationship which is:

“Đầu bạc răng long” (grey hair and lost teeth).

This wishes a newly wed couple to be together for a lifetime.

Bronze I màu đồng 🥉

Bronze or statue gifts are normally considered to bring luck and wealthiness for receivers.

Bronze can be visible in the temples, pagodas, and historic landmarks in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Colours | Other Popular Colors

We’ve covered the main colors in Vietnamese, but there’s still more!

We can’t finish the guide without mentioning these Vietnamese colors:

To describe the intensity of a color in Vietnamese you can add light or dark before the color.

• đậm // dark
• nhạt // light

Learning Vietnamese colors helps you describe everything around you in Vietnamese and allows you to make your stories more interesting.

Learning the meaning of the colors in Vietnamese is also very important as you can avoid some potentially embarrassing cultural differences when in Vietnam.

Now it’s time to see how many you remembered!

Vietnamese Colours // BONUS QUIZ

How well do you think those Vietnamese colors stuck in your mind?

You are about to find out with our super quick quiz.

20 questions about the colors in Vietnamese, let’s see how well you do.

Results are instant and do share you score below if you get a big score!

Time is Up!

Time's up

We hope our guide on Vietnamese colors was useful for you.

If you enjoy learning the colors in other languages, why not…

• Learn all the colors in Mandarin Chinese
• Discover 19 popular colors in Korean
• Master the Colors in Spanish

Vietnamese Colours // FAQ’s

Want More From LTL?

FANCY LEARNING VIETNAMESE? We know you’ll love our top-rated online Vietnamese courses. We offer a 7-day free trial to all new online students where you can study 24/7.

What’s more – we even offer Vietnamese courses in Vietnam too. Check out our small group classes for Vietnamese or our individual programs.

Come and be a part of our amazing community!