Vietnamese Phrases for Travel - What Every Tourist Needs to Know

To start us off, here are some basic words that you can learn and practice when talking with the locals. Your pronunciation might not be perfect, but the locals love it when you try speaking their language, so don’t be afraid to practice - and remember to do it with a smile! 

Navigating through the busy streets can be a hassle, especially in big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Sometimes the map cannot be reliable when you are out and about without any good internet connection or data, so it is much wiser to ask for directions from the locals when you are lost. 
Here are some useful terms that can be helpful to get you around town:

Nowadays, accommodation is usually booked online in advance before traveling. However, you might have some questions regarding the facilities or, in some cases, need to book a room if you haven’t done so already. In those cases, here are some Vietnamese phrases for tourists related to accommodation that will come in handy when speaking with the hotel staff:

Vietnam's thriving food culture is something that every tourist ought to experience!
Acquainting yourself with some typical Vietnamese terms for dining out can be especially useful, whether you're browsing the busy street food booths, dining in a local restaurant, or ordering your favorite specialty. You can express your preferences and guarantee a wonderful eating experience by using the following phrases:

Bargaining is a unique culture of Vietnam and an interesting experience for travelers. By familiarizing yourself with some basic Vietnamese words for negotiating, you can get the most out of your shopping experience and interact with the locals. The following is a collection of typical Vietnamese words that you might use when haggling and shopping: 

Speaking a few key Vietnamese words can help to ensure that all of your payments and cash withdrawal transactions go smoothly when you're traveling around Vietnam. These words will come in handy whether you're paying the bill at a restaurant, making a purchase at a store, or getting cash out of an ATM. Let's look at some essential Vietnamese terms for making payments and withdrawing cash:

Giving compliments to someone is a great approach to establish connection and express gratitude, and in Vietnam, it’s no different. It might make a good impression to provide polite words and praises in their own tongue language, as Vietnamese people value such things. The following are some Vietnamese expressions of gratitude that you can use:

In order to plan and communicate effectively in Vietnam, it is necessary to know and understand the dates and times in Vietnamese when traveling here. The following are some expressions in Vietnamese that refer to times and dates:

After all the time and effort put into planning your trip, you hope and pray that it all goes to plan. However, sometimes things do unfortunately go wrong and you need to voice a complaint or dissatisfaction. So here are some Vietnamese expressions that you may find helpful when you want to make complaints: 

If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation, it's important to stay calm and seek immediate assistance from local authorities or emergency services. The first thing you need to know are Vietnam's emergency phone numbers: 115 for ambulance, 114 for fire and 113 for police. 
If you find yourself in a situation where you can't call the emergency hotline, being familiar with these Vietnamese emergency terms can help you to communicate with the locals and enable them to assist you:

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