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Tips and guides for learning Vietnamese.
★ Start hereHow to Learn Vietnamese: A Complete Beginner's Roadmap (2026)
A step-by-step roadmap to learn Vietnamese from scratch: alphabet, tones, pronunciation, phrases, and grammar, with free resources for each stage.
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Vietnamese Food Words: A Menu Survival Guide for Travelers
Read any Vietnamese menu: phở, bún, cơm, gà, bò, and the words for ordering. A practical food-vocabulary guide for travelers and food lovers.
Colors in Vietnamese: All the Color Words (+ Flashcards)
Learn colors in Vietnamese, đỏ (red), xanh (blue/green), vàng (yellow), plus the quirk where one word covers both blue and green.
Vietnamese Family Words & Pronouns (Why They're the Same Thing)
In Vietnamese, family words ARE the pronouns. Learn mom, dad, older/younger siblings, and how the same words mean "you" and "I" in conversation.
Days, Months & Time in Vietnamese (with the Number Trick)
Vietnamese days and months are basically numbers: Monday = "day 2," February = "month 2." Learn the pattern, plus how to tell time.
Vietnamese vs Thai vs Chinese: Which Is Hardest to Learn?
All three are tonal, but they differ a lot. Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet, Thai and Chinese don't. Here's an honest difficulty comparison for English speakers.
Why Learn Vietnamese? 7 Reasons It's Worth It in 2026
Is Vietnamese worth learning? 7 reasons: 85M+ speakers, a booming economy, travel, heritage, easy grammar, and fewer learners competing.
Best Apps to Learn Vietnamese in 2026 (Honest Comparison)
Compared: the best apps to learn Vietnamese in 2026 by price, features, and what each does well, including the free option built for tones and pronunciation.
Vietnamese Vowels & Consonants: A Pronunciation Guide
Vietnamese has 12 vowels and 17 consonants. Learn how each sounds, the tricky ones (ư, ơ, đ, ng, tr), and how vowels combine.
Vietnamese Pronunciation Practice: Drills That Actually Work
Stop just reading about tones, practice them. These Vietnamese pronunciation drills (minimal pairs, shadowing, recording feedback) build real accuracy.
The Best Free Ways to Learn Vietnamese in 2026
The best free ways to learn Vietnamese: structured apps, YouTube, flashcards, and language exchange, plus how to combine them into a routine that works.
Vietnamese Sentence Structure: Grammar Basics for Beginners
Vietnamese follows Subject-Verb-Object like English, but adjectives follow nouns and classifiers count things. Learn the core sentence patterns.
Is Vietnamese Grammar Hard? (It's Easier Than You Think)
Vietnamese grammar is one of the easiest parts: no verb conjugation, no plurals, no genders, no articles. Here's why, and the few rules that matter.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Vietnamese? Real Timelines
Expect ~1,100 hours (FSI) for fluency, but simple Vietnamese conversations are reachable in 3 to 6 months. See timelines by level and daily-practice math.
Is Vietnamese Hard to Learn? An Honest Answer for English Speakers
Vietnamese is moderately hard for English speakers: tones and pronunciation are the challenge, but grammar is genuinely easy. Here's the honest breakdown.
Northern vs Southern Vietnamese: Which One Should You Learn?
Northern (Hanoi) vs Southern (Saigon) Vietnamese differ in tones, vocab, and pronunciation. Here's how they compare and which to learn first.
Numbers in Vietnamese 1 to 100 (Count Like a Local)
Learn Vietnamese numbers 1 to 100. Master 1 to 10, the "mươi" pattern for tens, and the few irregularities, with a full counting chart.
Vietnamese Greetings: How to Say Hello, Thank You & More
"Hello" in Vietnamese is "Xin chào", but the right greeting depends on who you're talking to. Learn greetings and the pronoun system that powers them.
50+ Basic Vietnamese Phrases for Beginners (with Pronunciation)
50+ essential Vietnamese phrases for travel and daily life, greetings, food, directions, emergencies, each with pronunciation and meaning.
Does Duolingo Have Vietnamese? Yes, Here's the Catch
Yes, Duolingo has a Vietnamese course for English speakers. Here's what it does well, where it falls short on tones, and a free tone-focused alternative.
How to Pronounce Nguyen (the #1 Vietnamese Last Name)
"Nguyen" sounds roughly like "win" or "ngwin", not "noo-yen." Here's how to actually say Vietnamese's most common surname, North and South.
How to Pronounce Vietnamese Words: A Beginner's Guide
Learn to pronounce Vietnamese words: the 6 tones, tricky letters (đ, ư, ơ, ng), and final consonants, plus how to practice with instant feedback.
Vietnamese Tone Marks Explained (All 5 Accent Marks + Chart)
Vietnamese has 5 tone marks for 6 tones. See every accent mark, what it means, and how to type and read them, with a quick chart.
Vietnamese Alphabet: All 29 Letters Explained (Beginner's Guide)
The Vietnamese alphabet has 29 letters. Learn every letter, its sound, the 7 with diacritics, and why there's no F, J, W, or Z.
The 6 Vietnamese Tones Explained (with Examples)
Vietnamese has six tones (five in the South). Learn each tone's pitch, its mark, and a mnemonic, with the classic 'ma' examples and practice tips.