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.
Quick answer
The all-purpose hello is "Xin chào" (sin chow). In everyday speech, Vietnamese pair chào with an age- and gender-based pronoun, e.g. chào anh (older male), chào chị (older female), chào em (younger person). Thank you is "Cảm ơn."
"Hello" sounds simple, but Vietnamese greetings reveal one of the language's most important features: you address people by their role and age, not with a single neutral "you." Once that clicks, a lot of Vietnamese makes sense.
How to say hello
- Xin chào, the safe, polite, all-purpose hello. Use it with anyone.
- Chào + pronoun, the everyday version: chào anh, chào chị, chào em.
- Chào alone, casual, with friends or people younger than you.
The pronoun system (the real lesson)
Vietnamese doesn't have one word for "you." Instead you pick a family-style pronoun based on the other person's age and gender:
| Pronoun | Use for | Rough meaning |
|---|---|---|
| anh | older male | older brother |
| chị | older female | older sister |
| em | younger person | younger sibling |
| cô / chú | adult ~ parent's age | aunt / uncle |
| ông / bà | elderly man / woman | grandfather / grandmother |
| bạn | peer / friend | friend |
So "hello" literally becomes "hello, older brother" or "hello, younger sibling." This same system runs through all of Vietnamese sentence structure and family terms, see Vietnamese family words.
Common greetings
| Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Xin chào | sin chow | Hello |
| Tạm biệt | tam bee-et | Goodbye |
| Bạn khỏe không? | ban kwe khong | How are you? |
| Tôi khỏe, cảm ơn | toy kwe gam un | I'm well, thanks |
| Rất vui được gặp bạn | zat vui duok gap ban | Nice to meet you |
| Hẹn gặp lại | hen gap lai | See you again |
How to say thank you
Cảm ơn (gam un) is "thank you." Make it warmer or more polite by adding the pronoun or ạ: Cảm ơn anh, Cảm ơn chị ạ. To reply "you're welcome," say Không có gì ("it's nothing").
Formal vs casual
Use Xin chào and add ạ when speaking to elders, customers, or strangers. Drop to plain chào with friends and kids. When in doubt, be more polite, it's never wrong.
These greetings are the doorway to your first conversations; pair them with 50+ basic phrases.
Sources
- Vietnamese greetings and pronouns verified against standard references (Wiktionary) for spelling and meaning of xin chào, cảm ơn, and the age/gender pronoun set.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Vietnamese?
The all-purpose hello is 'Xin chào' (sin chow). In everyday speech, people pair 'chào' with an age/gender-based pronoun, like 'chào anh' to an older man or 'chào chị' to an older woman.
How do you say thank you in Vietnamese?
Thank you is 'Cảm ơn' (gam un). You can add the person's pronoun for warmth, 'Cảm ơn anh/chị', or 'ạ' at the end to be extra polite.
Why do Vietnamese greetings change by age?
Vietnamese uses family-style pronouns based on relative age and gender instead of a single 'you.' So the right greeting depends on whether the other person is older, younger, male, or female.
How do you say good morning in Vietnamese?
There's no everyday separate 'good morning', people just say 'Chào' with the right pronoun. A literal 'Chào buổi sáng' exists but sounds formal or textbook-like.