Hello in Vietnamese // A Quickfire Guide Of Useful Words & Phrases
Hello in Vietnamese // All The Words & Phrases You Need To Know
The first word you learn in any language? Hello! That’s our focus today as we teach you how to say hello in Vietnamese.
It’s the start of your language journey, always an exciting time!
The chance to discover new words, phrases, slang and even an alphabet in some cases!
Whilst it’d be easy to just teach you how to say hello and leave you to it – we aren’t like any other language school!
Oh no – we go above and beyond to make sure you know what you need to get to grips with life in Vietnam.
FOR EXAMPLE | Did you know that in Vietnamese there are formal and informal ways to introduce yourself?
We’ll be touching on the most common ones in this very article.
In English, hello pretty much covers any situation, but in Vietnamese we need to tread a little more carefully, as you do with many other Asian languages, as status between speakers is important to know.
DID YOU KNOW | There is a saying “a greeting is the start of every story” in Vietnamese.
A greeting can make a good or bad impression on the person you first meet. However, the Vietnamese language seems so confusing when it comes to greetings because you must address the person correctly instead of just saying “Hi” or “Hello” as in English.
Anyway – nothing to fear because we answer all those questions here! Let’s roll
FORMAL GREETINGS
Hello in Vietnamese | Xin chào + Anh/Chị
Hello in Vietnamese | Chào buổi sáng + Anh/Chị
INFORMAL GREETINGS
Hello in Vietnamese | Hế-lô
Hello in Vietnamese | Ê!
Hello in Vietnamese | Name/Pronoun + “Ơi”!
Hello in Vietnamese | BONUS
Hello in Vietnamese | FAQ’s
Hello in Vietnamese | Xin chào + Anh/Chị
“Xin chào” should be used alongside the pronoun addressing the person you are talking to.
We won’t focus on the difficulty of remembering all the Vietnamese pronouns today, so we will only show you the two most common ones that are helpful, particularly for job interviews or formal conversations.
“Anh” is used to address a man while “Chị” is used to address a woman.
Xin chào is the most common way to say hello in Vietnamese.
The chào actually sounds exactly the same as the world-renowned Ciao – hello in Italian!
Hello in Vietnamese | Chào buổi sáng + Anh/Chị
If the meeting is in the morning and you want to say something like “Good morning!”, you can say “Chào buổi sáng”.
TOP TIP | Don’t forget the pronouns again!
In fact, Vietnamese people do not usually use this phrase in daily conversations.
However, if you want to work for a Vietnamese company, you may want to impress the interviewer with this more traditional greeting.
BONUS | In Vietnamese we also have “Chào buổi tối” which is “Good evening” and “Chúc ngủ ngon” which is “Good night”.
Saying Thank You in Vietnamese 💐 33 Fantastic Phrases To Learn
Saying thank you in Vietnamese is one of the earlier things you’ll learn. Gratitude is important in Vietnamese so we teach you a number tips and tricks.
Hello in Vietnamese | Hế-lô
Not difficult to work this one out is it!?
To be frank, Vietnamese people have been using “Hello” or “Hế lô” in daily conversation for many years now.
We vary our tone to make the word sound serious or funny depending on the mood, given the fact Vietnamese is a tonal language.
TOP TIP | If you lack time to study Vietnamese before your trip, you can fall on this one which sounds almost the same as the English equivalent.
Hello in Vietnamese | Ê!
If you see your friend in the crowd and want to call them from afar, you should say “Ê!”.
It is equivalent to “Hey!” and should be used with friends ONLY.
Why?
Because no one wants to be addressed as “Ê” in a first meeting.
This sounds so awkward, right? Keep it casual with friends.
Hello in Vietnamese | Name/Pronoun + “Ơi”!
“Ơi” is used right after the name or pronoun of the person you want to start a conversation with, both in-person or via your phone.
For example, “Anh ơi!”, “Chị ơi”, or “Vân ơi!”.
It can be used in restaurants or in any public places to catch the attention of others just as the phrase “Excuse me” would be used in English.
Hello in Vietnamese | BONUS
A few bonus additions here to round off our Hello in Vietnamese article.
Bạn khỏe không?
Another way to say hello in Vietnamese is to ask if the person is doing well or not.
NOTE | This question does not need to be followed by an answer from the person you are talking to.
It is equivalent to “How are you?” or “Alright?” and can be used in both formal and informal settings.
To keep it short and casual, ask “Khỏe không?”.
À lô!
When you pick up your phone or start a conversation on the call, you should say “À lô!”.
This sounds very similar to “Hallo” in German, where the consonant “H” is silent.
“Xin chào” + Noun!
If you want to say hello to many people at one time or during a speech at a conference, you can say “Xin chào (+ noun)” is more timesaving.
FOR EXAMPLE
- “Xin chào tất cả mọi người!” – Hello everyone!
- “Xin chào các vị khách quý!” – Greetings to our honoured guests!
Not so hard is it?
Although when saying Hello in Vietnamese you need to take care with who you are speaking with, it’s still easy to get your head around.
REMEMBER | Xin chào is your friend and the go-to greeting many people would use.
Don’t feel intimidated, and speak with local Vietnamese as much as you can. We love foreigners getting to know our language and showing curiosity towards our country.
So now we’ve nailed down Vietnamese how about we venture into some other languages too.
It’d be cool to be able to say hello in multiple languages after all, right?
- Learn how to say hello in Mandarin Chinese
- Discover the basic Japanese greetings you need to know
- Learn the informal and formal versions of hello in Korean
FAQ’s
How do you say Hello in Vietnamese?
The most common way to say hello in Vietnamese is Xin chào.
You should also be aware who you are addressing though.
“Xin chào Anh” is used to address a man while “Xin chào Chị” is used to address a woman.
The chào actually sounds exactly the same as the world-renowned Ciao – hello in Italian!
How do you say Hello everyone in Vietnamese?
You can use the phrase Xin chào tất cả mọi người to greet a group of people in Vietnamese.
What is À lô!?
This is actually a greeting in Vietnamese which sounds almost the same as the German version (Hallo).
What is an informal way to greet a friend in Vietnamese?
If you see your friend in the crowd and want to call them from afar, you should say “Ê!”.
It is equivalent to “Hey!” and should be used with friends ONLY.
Why?
Because no one wants to be addressed as “Ê” in a first meeting.
This sounds so awkward, right? Keep it casual with friends.
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!
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