Saying Thank You in Vietnamese 💐 33 Fantastic Phrases To Learn

How To Say Thank You in Vietnamese // Your Quick Fire Guide

Expressing gratitude to someone’s actions or words is often the ‘glue’ that cements a relationship, which is true in most cultures! With that said, today we teach you how to say thank you in Vietnamese.

Etiquette and manners in Vietnam are always prioritised. Moreover, by knowing how to say thank you in Vietnamese, you will be highly appreciated by the local people.

In today’s blog, we will learn several ways to express your gratitude in day-to-day conversation in Vietnamese, just like native speakers do.

Here is what we’ll focus on today:

Thank You in Vietnamese I How to Address the Listener?

Thank You in Vietnamese I How Do You Say Thank You in Vietnamese?

Thank You in Vietnamese I Thank You in Formal Situations

Thank You in Vietnamese I Saying Thank You in 5 Specific Situations

Thank You in Vietnamese I Responding to a Thank You

Thank You in Vietnamese I FAQ’s

Literally, Thank you is simply translated to cảm ơn.

Watch out though, you may hear cám ơn as well. Notice the subtle tone change on the first word.

The two phrases have the same meaning but the tones of the words ‘cám‘ and ‘cảm‘ are different. While you should pronounce ‘cám‘ with a high rising tone, ‘cảm‘ should be spoken with a low rising tone.

To master the tones in Vietnamese, we recommend you check out our guide to mastering your pronunciation with the Vietnamese alphabet.

Vietnamese Alphabet // A Complete Guide (+ FREE Quiz)

29 letters, 17 consonants and 12 vowels make up the Vietnamese Alphabet. We break down the alphabet and provide you with a quiz to test your skills also.

How to Address the Listener?

Before getting stuck into more phrases, firstly we should know the basic personal pronouns in Vietnamese?

The basic tip for using the plural is to add các, chúng, tụi, bọn before the singular is pronounced. Not too difficult after a little practice!

Finally we take a look at the 3rd person. The basic tip (for singular) is to add “ấy” at the end.

How Do You Say Thank You in Vietnamese?

The basic rule to say thank you in Vietnamese is…

Subject + cảm ơn+ Object

You can make it sound more natural and less formal by omitting the subject:

• Cám ơn anh
• Cảm ơn chị
• Cảm ơn em

Saying thank you is an important part of Vietnamese culture, so don’t forget saying cảm ơn to:

• The flight attendant (tiếp viên hàng không) who serves you during your flight to Vietnam
• The taxi driver (tài xế) when he drops you off at the hotel
• The hotel receptionist (lễ tân khách sạn) when she/he helps you check in and out
• The waiters (nhân viên phục vụ) who helps bring you food/drinks
• The street seller (người bán hàng) when she/he provides with with excellent street food and souvenirs

To express your gratitude to someone more strongly and sincerely, we can say nhiều/rất nhiều/nhiều lắm.

Nhiều/rất nhiều/nhiều lắm = so much, a lot

Em cảm ơn chị nhiều

Cháu cám ơn cô rất nhiều

Cảm ơn anh nhiều lắm

6 Must-Try Vietnamese Street Food & Snacks // North vs South

Vietnamese Street Food has a lot of surprises we think you’ve never seen before! Today we introduce you 3 from the north and 3 from the south of Vietnam.

Thank You in Formal Situations

To make your thank you more formal and polite, you should add xin before cảm ơn, for instance:

Xin cảm ơn anh

Xin can be translated as to beg or to ask for favour

Moreover, you can also add trân trọng or chân thành.

Xin chân thành cảm ơn bác

Chân thành/trân trọng means sincerely, honestly

You may come across those phrases on Vietnamese TV shows, or in a very formal meeting such as a conference, shareholder meeting, wedding, funeral, and so on.

If you want to say thank you to the elderly or someone in a higher position than you, some untranslatable words such as ạ, dạ, nhé, nha could be added.

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words // Five You Should Know

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words // Vietnamese is beautiful but challenging because not all words can be directly translated into English.

Saying Thank You in 5 Specific Situations

There is a common formula to saying thank you in Vietnamese that you can apply to most casual conversations:

(Subject) + cám ơn/cảm ơn + object + vì + something you want to say thanks for

Cám ơn anh vì đã quan tâm tới sản phẩm – Thank you for taking interest in our product

Cháu cám ơn bác vì đã tới dự sự kiện ngày hôm nay – Thank you for your attendance in today’s event

Cảm ơn bạn vì đã giúp đỡ tôi rất nhiều – Thank you for your great help

But there are many other ways to say thank you in Vietnamese which can include:

#1 Thanks for Your Kind Words or Compliment

When someone gives you a compliment and you’d love to express your gratitude to him/her…

• Cám ơn vì lời khen của anh

Lời khen = A compliment

#2 Thanks For Your Help

Here are some ways to show your gratitude to someone who has helped you doing something.

Simply say cảm ơn:

• Cám ơn chị rất nhiều
• Cháu cám ơn bác ạ

Alternatively, you can also be more sincere by using either of the following sentences.

Cảm ơn anh đã giúp đỡ em or Cám ơn sự trợ giúp của anh rất nhiều

#3 Thanks For Coming

We can use this for special events and meetings such as formal meetings, weddings, funerals, etc.

You can say:

Cám ơn + object + vì đã đến dự + special event/meeting

• Cám ơn anh vì đã tới dự đám cưới của chúng tôi – Thank you for attending our wedding
• Cảm ơn sự có mặt của bác tại sự kiện này – Thank you for you attendance at the event
• Cám ơn anh vì đã dành thời gian với chúng tôi ngày hôm nay – Thank you for spending time with us at this event

Or more formal ways that are often used in written documentation:

• Sự có mặt của chị tại buổi lễ là vinh dự của chúng tôi – Your attendance is our honor
• Chúng tôi xin trân trọng cảm ơn vì sự hiện diện của anh tại sự kiện – We would love to send our sincere thanks for your attendance at the event

Trân trọng / chân thành = Sincerely

#4 Thanks For Your Gift

When someone hands you a present, here are some ways you can thank them:

• Cám ơn anh vì món quà – Thank you for your gift
• Cảm ơn món quà của chị rất nhiều – Thank you so much for your gift
• Cháu rất thích món quà, cảm ơn chú – I really like the present, thank you

Món quà = a gift / present

#5 Thanks for Listening / Watching

Thanks for listening/watching are often used in formal situations such as at the end of a presentation, a formal speech or a TV show.

You can say:

Phần trình bày của tôi tới đây là kết thúc, xin chân thành cảm ơn – That’s the end of my presentation, sincere thanks

Bài phát biểu tới đây là kết thúc, tôi xin trân trọng cảm ơn – That’s the end of my speech, thank you dearly

Meanwhile, thanks for watching is often used at the end of a TV show, a music video or a movie:

• Chương trình tới đây là hết, xin chân thành cảm ơn sự quan tâm và theo dõi của quý vị khán giả – That’s the end of the show, sincerely thank you for your attention
• Chúng tôi xin trân trọng cảm ơn quý khán giả đã đón xem chương trình – We want to send our sincere gratitude for watching

Quan tâm và theo dõi (chương trình) = đón xem = to watch a TV show

The Best Vietnamese Movies 🎬 Learn Vietnamese The Fun Way

Learning Vietnamese doesn’t have to involve reading books and studying grammar. That’s why we’ve listed our favourite Vietnamese Movies for you to enjoy.

Responding to a Thank You

Now you are on the other side of the table. This time someone is thanking you for something you’ve done – nice work!

That said, it’d be a bit embarrassing if you didn’t know how to reply to them!

So, here are three ways to reply to thank you in Vietnamese:

Đừng khách sáo

Khách sáo means being ceremonious, indicating that we have a close relationship so you deserve it without feeling thankful.

• Không có gì đâu – No problem / You are welcome
• Bạn quá lời rồi – You are welcome

When replying to a senior’s thank, you should add ạ / dạ like this:

• Dạ, không có gì ạ – It’s nothing / Don’t mention it
• Không có gì đâu ạ – It’s nothing

There we have it – the ultimate guide on saying thank you in Vietnamese!

We hope you understood our explanations and the meanings of these really handy phrases. If not, please do let us know in the comment section 👇

Do you know any more? Leave a comment below as we’d love to hear from you!

Want to take your language learning on even further? Why not learn how to say thank you in Mandarin Chinese as well.

Thank You in Vietnamese // 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!