English is an international language that is popular in many countries, and the Vietnamese people also speak it.
This article helps you gain more confidence when traveling to Vietnam and avoid English barriers when you visit this beautiful country.
1. The roles of English in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Vietnamese is the official language, but English plays an important role in the lives of the local people. It is used in many fields, including tourism, technology, and international meetings. Also, English is the second language used to communicate in modern life in Vietnam.
English is taught at most secondary and high schools and learning centers in Vietnam. However, few students can communicate well with English-speaking people because of the different ways to teach and learn this language. There are plenty of reasons for causing this problem; the top issue is that they focus too much on grammar.
With the vigorous development of the internet, many people can learn and speak English nowadays. Vietnam is also listed as one of the top countries with an increasingly large number of learners and people using English as a second language.
2. Can you visit Vietnam when you know only English?
The short answer is absolute yes.
Many people in Vietnam can speak English, and most of them work in the tourism sector in almost all big cities in Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Hoi An, and Ninh Binh. So, when you travel to Vietnam in these places, it is easy for you to communicate with the local people.
However, English in Vietnam is still a second language, so people in the countryside, mountainous areas, or remote places cannot know any words of a foreign language. Thus, you may need help to travel to these destinations.
One thing to know is that the pronunciation of some Vietnamese people is hard to hear, which may cause misunderstanding and difficulty in speaking to them. Therefore, foreigners need to tell them carefully and speak slowly and clearly.
3. Ways to communicate with the Vietnamese when they cannot speak English
Vietnam is an impressive country with beautiful landscapes in the ranges of mountains or the countryside. Thus, when you travel to Vietnam, surely you will come to these areas. How can you tell the local people when they cannot speak English?
In this section, Vietnamdrive will give you some valuable tips on how to avoid language barriers.
- Body language is a useful means of communication. You can use it to tell easy things or show what you need.
- Google Translate can conveniently translate what you want to tell into the local language. But, in this way, you may always have the internet to connect with your phone. In the mountainous villages or the countryside, you can have difficulties. So, please check the next tip!
- Downloading and installing one of the offline dictionaries or always a pocket dictionary with the English-Vietnamese language is handy.
- Vietnamese people often smile; you may smile with most people in most situations.
- Hire a tourist guide to go with you. You can book them online through travel agents in Vietnam. However, this method costs more.
4. Some popular words in Vietnamese translated into English
Learning common words and sentences in Vietnamese before discovering Vietnam is fun and interesting, especially when you try to speak to the local people. Here is a list of common words and sentences.
- Xin Chao = Hello. Vietnamese people do not say “Xin chao buoi sang/chieu/toi” = “Good morning/afternoon/evening.” However, they say, “Ngu ngon nhe!” = Good night!
- Tam biet! = Goodbye!
- Bao nhieu? = How much? This is good when you go shopping in Vietnam. Many sellers can sell for a lower price when you say a few Vietnamese words.
- Giam gia di! = Please, discount it!
- Dat qua = Too expensive!
- Toilet/Nha ve sinh o dau? = Where is the toilet?
- Toi muon tinh tien = May I have the bill?
- Ngon qua = Very delicious
Above are some tips about using English in Vietnam that can help you when you travel to Vietnam. It would help if you did not worry about using English in this nation. Keep peace in mind and overcome language barriers to explore the local people’s attractive nature, deep culture, and daily life.
We hope you will have good memories during your holidays in Vietnam.
Are you ready to visit it? And please share with us what you get here!
