1. What is the national language of Vietnam?

Vietnam's Constitution clearly states that Vietnamese is the national language, demonstrating its legal status and central role. Despite having three dialects (Northern, Central, and Southern), all Vietnamese people use Quoc Ngu – a modified Latin script – as their unified writing system. Vietnamese serves both as a bridge for communication and as a symbol of national unity and identity.

As the mother tongue of the Kinh people, the majority ethnic group, Vietnamese is used by approximately 85% of the population as their first language. Additionally, over 4 million overseas Vietnamese continue to maintain their use of Vietnamese. For the other 53 ethnic minorities, Vietnamese serves as a second language in education and administration.

Vietnamese – a bridge to the community, a symbol of Vietnamese national identity (Source: Freepik)

2. The origin and development of Vietnamese

Vietnamese has ancient origins and has undergone many transformations following the flow of the nation's history. Below are the representative periods that illustrate the formation and development process of this language:

2.1. Vietnamese in the Feudal Period

During the feudal period, Chinese was the official language used in administration, education, and official documents, while Vietnamese was only used in daily communication among the people. Despite lacking official status, the Vietnamese continued to develop strongly in daily life and folk literature.

This period saw the coexistence of two languages (Vietnamese and Chinese) and three writing systems: Chinese characters used among intellectuals, Chu Nom for transcribing Vietnamese in literary works, and later the emergence of Quoc Ngu – the foundation for today's writing system.

2.2. Vietnamese during French Colonization

During the French colonial period, Vietnamese, French, and classical Chinese coexisted, creating a complex multilingual environment. Four types of scripts were used: Chinese characters, Chu Nom, French script, and Quoc Ngu, among which Quoc Ngu gradually became more popular.

This was a period when Vietnamese was heavily influenced by French, particularly in vocabulary borrowing and expression structures. Journalism, poetry, and novels in Vietnamese flourished, contributing to the enrichment and modernization of the national language.

Language interference creates the foundation for the development of the national language of Vietnam

https://imagedelivery.net/pSwLV9Jxok4_NMfFiYGOKA/de76eacb-13a2-4493-085a-6746a2d4f200/public

2.3. Vietnamese after Independence

After the August Revolution of 1945, Vietnamese became the only language officially used throughout the entire territory of Vietnam. The sole script was Quoc Ngu, which was standardized and widely popularized in education, administration, media, and literature. This period marked the strong development of Vietnamese in terms of vocabulary, expression styles, and adaptability to fields of science, technology, and modern life.

3. Outstanding features of Vietnamese - The official language of Vietnam

Vietnamese also has many unique characteristics, creating a distinction compared to other languages in the world, specifically:

3.1. Phonology of the Vietnamese language

Vietnamese has a diverse phonological system consisting of three main components:

• Consonants: Vietnamese has 17 single consonants such as /p/, /b/, /t/, /đ/, /k/, /g/, /m/, /n/, /nh/, /ng/, /s/, /x/, /l/, /r/, /v/, /h/, and /ch/. Additionally, there are 11 consonant clusters, including combinations like /th/, /tr/, /kh/, /gi/, /ph/, /qu/, /gh/, /ng/, /nh/, /ch/, and /ngh/. These consonants play an important role in creating syllable structure and help distinguish different words in Vietnamese.
• Vowels: Vietnamese possesses 11 single vowels such as /a/, /ă/, /â/, /e/, /ê/, /i/, /o/, /ô/, /ơ/, /u/, and /ư/. Additionally, there are 32 diphthongs and 13 triphthongs, formed by combining single vowels to create many rich sound combinations, making Vietnamese flexible in expression.
• 6 tones: Level (ngang), falling (huyền), rising (sắc), hook (hỏi), creaky (ngã), and heavy (nặng). Tones not only diversify sound quality but also determine word meaning. For example, the difference between the word "ba" (father) and "bà" (grandmother) lies in the tone. Thanks to this tonal system, Vietnamese becomes rich in nuance and unique in daily communication.

The combination of sounds and tones creates the beauty of Vietnamese (Source: Internet)

https://imagedelivery.net/pSwLV9Jxok4_NMfFiYGOKA/acfd2cf1-3bda-4592-f20d-4f591b12b300/public

3.2. Grammar

Grammatically, Vietnamese has some similarities with English, particularly in sentence order. Vietnamese typically follows the basic sentence structure of subject – predicate – object, similar to English. For example, the sentence "Tôi ăn cơm" (I eat rice) is arranged in the order of subject (Tôi/I), verb as predicate (ăn/eat), and object (cơm/rice).

However, Vietnamese also has many distinct differences from English. One of the most notable points is that Vietnamese does not apply subject-verb agreement. This means that verbs in Vietnamese do not change form depending on the subject, like in English (for example: "he runs" and "they run").

Additionally, Vietnamese does not conjugate verbs according to tense; meaning verbs do not change morphologically to indicate time in the past, present, or future. Instead, Vietnamese uses time adverbs or temporal markers to express the tense of actions.

4. Must-know Vietnamese phrases when visiting Vietnam

When visiting Vietnam, mastering some common Vietnamese phrases and words will help tourists communicate easily and conveniently in daily activities. Below is a list of basic essential phrases for frequently encountered situations.

First are common greetings such as:

• Xin chào – /xin chào/: Hello
• Tạm biệt – /tahm byet/: Goodbye
• Cảm ơn – /gahm un/: Thank you
• Bạn khỏe không? – /ban kwe khom?/: How are you?

Additionally, pronouns used for addressing others are very important in Vietnamese culture, as Vietnamese people use different words to address each other depending on the relationship and age:

• Tôi – /toy/ – I (speaker)
• Bạn – /bạn/ – You (listener)
• Em – /em/ – used to address younger women or subordinates
• Chị – /chee/ – used to address older women or superiors

Traveling in Vietnam is easier when you understand the Vietnamese culture of addressing people (Source: Freepik)

In situations where you need to ask for or give directions, the following sentence patterns are widespread:

• Đi thẳng – /dee thăng/ – Go straight
• Rẽ phải – /zeh fye/ – Go right
• Rẽ trái – /zeh chai/ – Go left
• Dừng lại – /zoong lai/ – Stop

Furthermore, knowing basic numbers helps tourists easily shop and exchange:

• Một – /moht/ – 1
• Hai – /hai/ – 2
• Ba – /ba/ – 3

Finally, in emergencies, some useful phrases include:

• Tôi cần gặp bác sĩ – /toy kun gap bak see/ – I need to see a doctor
• Tôi bị bệnh – /toy bee benh/ – I am sick

Mastering these basic phrases and vocabulary will help make your trip more convenient, enjoyable, and safer as you experience Vietnamese culture.

Vietnamese, the national language of Vietnam, is not only the next means of communication but also a cultural symbol, reflecting the spirit and depth of the nation’s history. With its unique tones and special grammatical structure, Vietnamese brings a fascinating difference. Book a ticket and start your journey of discovering Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines.