How to use this list
- The Vietnamese column shows the real spelling — keep all diacritics.
- Hit the audio button for every word; tones can't be learned from text.
- Address terms (anh, chị, em…) have their own article — see pronouns & address.
People and self
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| tôi | I / me (neutral) |
| bạn | you (friend, peer) |
| người | person |
| gia đình | family |
| bạn bè | friends |
| người Mỹ | American (person) — swap the country |
| trẻ em | child / children |
| nam | male |
| nữ | female |
| tên | name |
Greetings and feelings
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| xin chào | hello |
| cảm ơn | thank you |
| xin lỗi | sorry |
| không có gì | you're welcome |
| vâng | yes (polite) |
| không | no / not |
| được | OK / fine / can |
| xin | request marker — 'please' inside Cho tôi xin…, Xin lỗi, Xin chào |
| mời | please (inviting) / to invite |
| hẹn gặp lại | see you again |
Places
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| nhà | house / home |
| khách sạn | hotel |
| nhà hàng | restaurant |
| cửa hàng | shop / store |
| siêu thị | supermarket |
| chợ | market |
| trường học | school |
| bệnh viện | hospital |
| sân bay | airport |
| ga | (train) station |
| nhà vệ sinh | toilet / bathroom |
| hiệu thuốc | pharmacy |
Food and drink
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| cơm | rice / meal |
| phở | phở (noodle soup) |
| bánh mì | bánh mì (baguette sandwich) |
| bún | rice vermicelli (noodle dish) |
| mì | noodles |
| thịt | meat |
| cá | fish |
| rau | vegetables |
| hoa quả / trái cây | fruit — N: hoa quả, S: trái cây |
| nước | water |
| cà phê | coffee |
| trà | tea |
| bia | beer |
Money and objects
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| tiền | money |
| đồng | đồng (currency) |
| giá | price |
| đắt | expensive |
| rẻ | cheap |
| hóa đơn | bill / invoice |
| quà | gift |
| điện thoại | phone |
| hộ chiếu | passport |
| vé | ticket |
| hành lý | luggage |
| cái túi | bag |
Getting around
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| đi | to go |
| đến | to arrive / come to |
| xe máy | motorbike |
| xe buýt | bus |
| tàu | train |
| taxi | taxi |
| đi bộ | to walk |
| đường | road / street |
| trái | left |
| phải | right |
| thẳng | straight |
Full transport phrases are in the transport article.
Time
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| hôm nay | today |
| ngày mai | tomorrow |
| hôm qua | yesterday |
| bây giờ | now |
| sớm | early |
| muộn | late |
| tuần | week |
| tháng | month |
| năm | year |
| giờ | hour / o'clock |
Numbers, prices and telling time in detail: numbers & time.
Verbs
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| ăn | to eat |
| uống | to drink |
| nói | to speak |
| nghe | to listen |
| hiểu | to understand |
| biết | to know |
| muốn | to want |
| có | to have / there is |
| làm | to do / to work |
| đọc | to read |
| mua | to buy |
| bán | to sell |
| thích | to like |
| cần | to need |
Adjectives
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| ngon | delicious |
| nóng | hot |
| lạnh | cold |
| lớn | big |
| nhỏ | small |
| nhiều | many / much |
| ít | few / little |
| đẹp | beautiful |
| nhanh | fast |
| chậm | slow |
| xa | far |
| gần | near |
| tốt | good |
| mới | new |
Question words and particles
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| cái gì | what |
| ai | who |
| ở đâu | where |
| khi nào | when |
| tại sao | why |
| bao nhiêu | how much / how many |
| có ... không | ...or not? (question frame) |
| rất | very |
| cũng | also / too |
| vậy | so / then |
| và | and |
| nhưng | but |
| quá | too / very |
Question patterns are covered in questions & negation.
Summary
Don't memorize all 100+ at once. Start with greetings (xin chào, cảm ơn) and the categories your trip needs — food, transport, money — and grow from there with the audio. Next: 80+ useful phrases to put the words to work.
Mini practice
Q1. 'cảm ơn' means…
- hello
- thank you
- sorry
Answer: thank you
Q2. 'nước' means…
- rice
- coffee
- water
Answer: water
Q3. 'khách sạn' is…
- a market
- a hotel
- a station
Answer: a hotel
Q4. 'đắt' means…
- cheap
- expensive
- delicious
Answer: expensive
Q5. 'bao nhiêu' asks…
- when
- where
- how much / how many
Answer: how much / how many
