r/learnvietnamese

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to study Vietnamese full-time in Hanoi starting this September, and I'm trying to decide between VNU (University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National University) and HANU (Hanoi University).

My main goal is not just to get a student visa, but to become genuinely fluent in Vietnamese – especially speaking, listening and understanding everyday spoken Vietnamese, while also learning to read and write well.

From what I've learned so far:

VNU

• around 45 million VND / 3 months
• approximately 10 students per class
• much more expensive
• I imagine the teacher can spend more time correcting pronunciation and giving individual feedback.

HANU

• around 15 million VND / 3 months
• classes of up to 30–35 students
• much cheaper
• however, I'm worried that with such large classes it may be difficult for the teacher to give everyone enough speaking practice and pronunciation feedback.

For me, the price is definitely important, but I'm willing to pay more if the quality of teaching is genuinely much better.

Does anyone here have personal experience with either university or know someone who studied there? Even better if you attended one of their full-time weekday Vietnamese courses (Monday–Friday, around 3–4 hours a day).

Which university would you recommend, and why?

What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of each program?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello everyone!

I'm currently conducting an undergraduate research study on first- and second-generation Vietnamese Americans’ attitudes toward their heritage culture and community engagement.

As an international student, I do not have many Vietnamese-American friends to help me distribute my survey, and I am currently struggling to collect enough responses, and the deadline is approaching soon.

If you are a Vietnamese American, I would greatly appreciate your help in completing my survey

This is an undergraduate research project, and I genuinely need your help. Unfortunately, my budget is limited, so I cannot offer gift cards or other compensation. However, if you have any questions about Vietnam, Vietnamese culture, the Vietnamese language, or traveling in Vietnam, I would be happy to help in return!!

Chào các bạn! Last year I started learning Southern Vietnamese through 1:1 lessons through svff.online. I had a great experience with my tutor but circumstances changed and I'm no longer learning the language. I'd be happy to transfer my remaining 1:1 lessons at a discount to interested learners. (SVFF officially supports transferring.) I highly recommend their tutors for absolute beginners through intermediate learners. Trying something new can be uncomfortable but I never felt awkward learning from my tutor. Feel free to reach out if you're interested.

I've noticed that the word nước is used in so many different contexts like drinks, sauces, cleaning products and other things. I know the meaning depends on the context, but is there a deeper reason why it's used so broadly?

For example, nước giặt (liquid laundry detergent) and nước mắm (fish sauce) are completely different things. They're both liquids, but why do we have to use nước for both instead of having a separate word for each type.

Water & Types

Nước

Nước lọc

Nước tinh khiết

Nước cất

Nước khoáng

Nước máy

Nước mưa

Nước ngầm

Nước mặt

Nước biển

Nước sông

Nước suối

Nước ao

Nước hồ

Nước nóng

Nước lạnh

Nước sôi

Nước đá

Nước ngọt (freshwater)

Nước mặn

Nước lợ

Drinks

Nước uống

Nước ngọt (soft drink)

Nước ép

Nước dừa

Nước trà

Nước cà phê

Nước điện giải

Nước đường

Cooking & Food

Nước mắm

Nước tương

Nước chấm

Nước lèo

Nước dùng

Nước canh

Nước luộc

Nước hầm

Nước sốt

Nước xốt

Nước cốt

Nước màu

Nước vôi trong

Nước tro tàu

Cleaning & Personal Care

Nước rửa tay

Nước rửa chén

Nước lau sàn

Nước giặt

Nước súc miệng

Nước tẩy trang

Nước cân bằng

Nước hoa hồng

Nước hoa

Medical & Chemical

Nước muối sinh lý

Nước oxy già

Nature & Environment

Nước chảy

Nước đọng

Nước xiết

Nước xoáy

Nước triều

Nước lũ

Nước đầu nguồn

Nước cuối nguồn

Nước thải

Nước cấp

Nước sinh hoạt

Nước tưới

Body

Nước mắt

Nước da

Country & Government

Nước (country)

Đất nước

Nhà nước

Trong nước

Nước ngoài

Nước bạn

Nước chủ nhà

Games & Figurative

Nước cờ

Nước đi

Nước rút

Tides

Nước lớn

Nước ròng

Nước lên

Nước xuống

Literary / Idiomatic

Nước non

Nước nôi

My first time here, I know currently the bus is free for everyone, but I think the bus ticket seller still want to check your identity? What should I say when I get on the bus? I just smile and show them my route on google map.

I see a lot of posts here struggling with Vietnamese pronouns, and honestly, it IS one of the harder parts of the language — there's no single word for "I" or "you" the way English has. Instead, pronouns shift based on age, relationship, and respect level.

Here's the simplified version I give beginners:

**Safest default for strangers/peers your age:** "tôi" (I) and "bạn" (you) — neutral, polite, works in most casual situations.

**For someone clearly older than you:** call yourself "em" or "con" (depending on how much older), and call them "anh/chị" (slightly older) or "chú/cô/bác" (significantly older, like an uncle/aunt figure).

**For someone clearly younger:** you become "anh/chị," they become "em."

The trick that helped me explain this to students: Vietnamese pronouns work more like **kinship titles borrowed for general use** than like fixed pronouns. You're essentially calling people "older brother," "younger sister," "aunt," etc., even if you're not related — it reflects the relationship hierarchy, not literal family.

Don't stress about getting it perfect early on — Vietnamese people are generally very understanding when foreigners default to "tôi/bạn" with everyone. It's a system you build comfort with over months, not days.

I have duo lingo and mango languages. Just curious what other resources people recommend

I see a lot of posts here struggling with Vietnamese pronouns, and honestly, it IS one of the harder parts of the language — there's no single word for "I" or "you" the way English has. Instead, pronouns shift based on age, relationship, and respect level.

Here's the simplified version I give beginners:

**Safest default for strangers/peers your age:** "tôi" (I) and "bạn" (you) — neutral, polite, works in most casual situations.

**For someone clearly older than you:** call yourself "em" or "con" (depending on how much older), and call them "anh/chị" (slightly older) or "chú/cô/bác" (significantly older, like an uncle/aunt figure).

**For someone clearly younger:** you become "anh/chị," they become "em."

The trick that helped me explain this to students: Vietnamese pronouns work more like **kinship titles borrowed for general use** than like fixed pronouns. You're essentially calling people "older brother," "younger sister," "aunt," etc., even if you're not related — it reflects the relationship hierarchy, not literal family.

Don't stress about getting it perfect early on — Vietnamese people are generally very understanding when foreigners default to "tôi/bạn" with everyone. It's a system you build comfort with over months, not days.

I have never heard anyone using làm ơn , is this true or am I missing something

I’m relearning vietnamese and ive heard people using the pronoun tụi nó and chúng nó, i know it basically means “them” but i cant tell for which context. ive only heard it used mainly in reference to animals (like my cousin pointed out a pair of dogs walking by with jackets and said “oh tụi nó xinh quá heng!”) it sounded very positive but it made me realize I’ve never heard this phrase used for adults or anyone that’s not a child. Most of the time I’ve heard it used on really small kids or pets.

I’ve never heard this being used to refer to other people/adults. Would you say there is a derogatory undertone or any negative connotation to this phrase?

Just looking to learn some Vietnamese. Let me know if you're willing to help and/or want to learn English. Thanks

As an older woman, what pronoun would I use for myself when speaking to monastics (Central or Southern)? Em?

I saved Money for at least half a year and will soon start my journey and a Vietnamese course in Vietnam! It will be a one on one, five times a week for 2h a day. 4 weeks.
Does anybody have advice on how to make the best out of this?
Should I start learning by myself now?

Hi all, I'm learning the Northern accent and have found it almost impossible to find any of the above shows. Besides news and radio, most content seems to be with the Southern accent.

Does anyone know any kind of media with the North accent? thanks

Hello all,
wondering if anyone knows of a good intermediate to higher level Vietnamese course, maybe self paced. I did the Vietnamesepod101 course a long time ago, though the materials above beginner deteriorated dramatically. They were so much more detailed before the higher levels, with great explanations, nuance and thorough content. I have found it very difficult to find good resources for learners that are actually curated for VSL learners, with structure and support for that purpose. Anybody know of some resources like this. Thanks!