Vietnamese Market Phrases for Prices and Bargaining
32 flashcards · Beginner · Language Learning
Teaches 32 Vietnamese phrases for the market: how to ask how much, understand the price you hear, bargain politely, ask for a smaller size and pay. Includes what the seller says back, with Northern and Southern forms where they differ.
Best forTravelers and new residents in Vietnam who shop at markets and street stalls.
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Chị ơi.
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Ask the Price
Excuse me (to a woman seller a little older than you). Use it to get the seller's attention before you ask anything. Change the family word to fit the person: cô ơi for an older woman, anh ơi for a man, em ơi for someone younger than you.
Chị ơi.
Pronunciation
chee uh-ee
What you'll learn
- How to say how much in Vietnamese, from the plain form to the polite one
- How spoken prices work, including why 50k means 50,000 dong
- Polite ways to say it is too expensive and ask for a little off
- How to ask for a smaller size, try something on or buy half a kilo
- How to pay, transfer money and ask for change
- What the seller says, from the first call to the final yes
What's inside: all 32 cards
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Ask the Price · 5
- Chị ơi./ chee uh-ee /
- Excuse me (to a woman seller a little older than you). Use it to get the seller's attention before you ask anything. Change the family word to fit the person: cô ơi for an older woman, anh ơi for a man, em ơi for someone younger than you.
- Bao nhiêu tiền?/ bow nyew tee-en /
- How much? Literally 'how much money'. The plain, everyday way to ask a price, understood everywhere in Vietnam. It is neutral, so add a family word like chị or anh to sound warmer.
- Cái này bao nhiêu vậy chị?/ kai nai bow nyew yay chee /
- How much is this one, ma'am? The softer, polite form: vậy softens the question and chị addresses the seller as an older sister. Point at the item as you say it. Northern speakers also say thế: Cái này bao nhiêu thế chị?
- Cái này nhiêu vậy?/ kai nai nyew yay /
- How much is this? The short Southern form. In Saigon and the South, bao nhiêu is often clipped to nhiêu in casual speech. The North keeps bao nhiêu. Add chị or anh at the end to keep it polite.
- Một ký bao nhiêu?/ moht kee bow nyew /
- How much for a kilo? Use it for fruit, vegetables, meat and anything sold by weight. Ký is the Southern word for kilo. In the North people say cân: Một cân bao nhiêu?
Understand the Price · 7
- Hai mươi nghìn./ hai muh-ee ngin /
- Twenty thousand (dong). Nghìn means thousand. It is the standard word and is heard most in the North; the South usually says ngàn. Vietnamese prices are counted in thousands, so a price tag that says 20k or 20.000đ means this. Sellers often drop the word for thousand and just say hai mươi.
- Hai chục ngàn./ hai chook ngahn /
- Twenty thousand (dong), the Southern way to say it. Ngàn is the Southern word for thousand, and chục means ten, so this is 'two tens of thousands'. You will hear chục for round tens across the country, often with ngàn left off: hai chục.
- Hai lăm ngàn./ hai lahm ngahn /
- Twenty-five thousand (dong), the short way sellers say it. The full form is hai mươi lăm ngàn, or nghìn in the North. After a tens number, five becomes lăm instead of năm.
- Trăm rưỡi./ trahm ruh-ee /
- A hundred and fifty (thousand dong). Literally 'a hundred and a half'. Sellers drop nghìn when the amount is clear, and rưỡi means half of the unit before it. Hai trăm rưỡi is 250,000.
- Một triệu hai./ moht tree-ew hai /
- One million two hundred thousand (dong). Triệu means million. The number after it is understood as hundreds of thousands, so một triệu hai is 1,200,000. You hear this for clothes, shoes and bigger souvenirs.
- Chị nói lại được không?/ chee noy lai duh-uk khohm /
- Can you say that again? Use it when a price goes by too fast. Swap chị for the family word you are using with the seller. Adding chậm thôi (slowly) after it also helps.
- Chị viết giùm em được không?/ chee vee-et yoom em duh-uk khohm /
- Can you write it down for me? Many sellers will type the price on a phone or calculator instead. Giùm (for me) is Southern. The North says giúp or hộ: Chị viết giúp em được không?
Bargain Politely · 6
- Đắt quá./ daht kwah /
- Too expensive. The Northern word for expensive is đắt. Say it lightly, with a smile, and it reads as the start of a friendly bargain. Said flatly, it can sound like a complaint.
- Mắc quá./ mahk kwah /
- Too expensive. The Southern word for expensive is mắc. In Saigon and the South this is what you will say and hear. Northern speakers understand it, but say đắt themselves.
- Bớt chút được không chị?/ buht choot duh-uk khohm chee /
- Can you take a little off? Bớt means reduce. This is the most common polite way to ask for a lower price. If the seller says no, accept it kindly; many prices are already fair.
- Bốn mươi nghìn được không chị?/ bohn muh-ee ngin duh-uk khohm chee /
- Is forty thousand okay? Use this pattern to name your own price: the amount plus được không. In the South you would more often say bốn chục ngàn được không chị? Offer a price you would be happy to pay.
- Em mua hai cái, bớt cho em nha./ em moo-uh hai kai, buht chaw em nyah /
- I'm buying two, so give me a little off, okay? Buying more than one is a natural reason to ask for a better price. Nha softens a request in the South. The North says nhé: bớt cho em nhé.
- Để em xem thêm./ deh em sem tehm /
- Let me look around a bit more. A polite way to step away when you do not want to buy yet. In the South people often say coi instead of xem: Để em coi thêm. Sometimes the seller calls you back with a lower price, but do not count on it.
Ask for Size and Amount · 3
- Có cỡ nhỏ hơn không chị?/ kaw kuh nyaw huhn khohm chee /
- Do you have a smaller size? Cỡ means size. In clothing shops you will also hear the English word size used in Vietnamese. For a bigger size, swap nhỏ for lớn, or for to in the North.
- Cho em thử được không?/ chaw em tuh duh-uk khohm /
- Can I try it on? Use it for clothes and shoes. Some small stalls have no fitting room, so the seller may hold the item up to you instead.
- Cho em nửa ký./ chaw em nuh-uh kee /
- Half a kilo, please. Literally 'give me half a kilo'. Cho em is the everyday way to ask for something when you speak to someone older. Ký is Southern; the North says nửa cân.
Agree and Pay · 5
- Em lấy cái này./ em lay kai nai /
- I'll take this one. Use it when you have decided to buy. Lấy means take. If you bargained, say it once you agree on the price; walking away after the seller accepts your offer is seen as rude.
- Hết bao nhiêu tiền chị?/ het bow nyew tee-en chee /
- How much is it altogether? Use it when you are buying several things and want the total. Hết here means 'in all'. You may also hear tổng cộng (total).
- Em gửi chị./ em goo-ee chee /
- Here you go. A polite thing to say as you hand over the money. Literally 'I send to you'. Hand money over with both hands, or with your right hand, to show respect to an older seller.
- Chuyển khoản được không chị?/ chwee-en khwahn duh-uk khohm chee /
- Can I pay by bank transfer? Many stalls show a QR code for bank transfer. This works only if you have a Vietnamese bank app or a payment app the stall accepts, so carry cash as well.
- Chị có tiền thối không?/ chee kaw tee-en toy khohm /
- Do you have change? Ask it before you hand over a big note such as 500,000. Thối means give change and is Southern. In the North people say trả lại or ask chị có tiền trả lại không?
What the Seller Says · 6
- Em mua gì?/ em moo-uh zee /
- What are you looking for? Literally 'what are you buying?'. What a seller calls out as you walk past. The seller uses em for you if you look younger; an older customer hears chị or anh. A smile or Em xem thôi (just looking) is enough.
- Em trả bao nhiêu?/ em chah bow nyew /
- How much will you pay? The seller is asking you to name your price. It means bargaining is open. Name a price you would be happy with.
- Không bớt được đâu em./ khohm buht duh-uk dow em /
- I can't go any lower. The seller is telling you the price is final. Đâu makes the no firmer. At this point, pay or thank them and move on.
- Thôi được, chị bán cho em./ toy duh-uk, chee bahn chaw em /
- Fine, I'll sell it to you. The seller accepts your price. Now it is your turn to buy: say em lấy and pay.
- Em có tiền lẻ không?/ em kaw tee-en leh khohm /
- Do you have smaller notes? The seller is asking for exact money or a smaller note because they are short on change. Lẻ means small or odd amounts.
- Mở hàng cho chị đi em./ muh hahng chaw chee dee em /
- Be my first sale of the day. Literally 'open the shop for me'. Many sellers believe the first sale sets the luck for the day, so you may hear this in the morning, sometimes with a good price to close the deal.
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