Learn to speak Vietnamese

1. 1

   Week 1: sounds and greetings

   Say hello (Xin chào) and thank you (Cảm ơn) until they feel natural. Learn the sounds that differ from English, and say ten short sentences about yourself. Vietnamese has six tones, and the same letters change meaning with pitch. Hearing every sentence and saying it aloud is the only way to train that.

2. 2

   Week 2: everyday requests

   Learn to order, ask the price, ask where things are and say you do not understand. Build each as a full sentence and say it three times.

3. 3

   Week 3: questions and answers

   Practise question words and the answers to them. Listen to each Vietnamese sentence first, then say it, then compare.

4. 4

   Week 4: short exchanges

   Chain sentences into a mini conversation: greet, introduce yourself, ask a question, answer one. Record yourself and listen back.

Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet, so you can read and sound out words from day one.

It takes longer than European languages because of the tones. The grammar is simple, with no verb conjugation.

A good first target sentence: Tôi muốn một ly cà phê. (I would like a coffee.).

• Ten to twenty minutes, same time every day.
• Say everything out loud, even when alone.
• Learn whole sentences, not isolated words.
• Repeat yesterday's sentences before learning new ones.
• After a couple of weeks, find a conversation partner or tutor and use what you have practised. At 30 minutes a day, Vietnamese reaches working proficiency in roughly 6 years, and you will be speaking well before that.