Learn Vietnamese Fast - Master Essential Words and Phrases for Quick Fluency

What you'll learn

• Master the 6 Vietnamese tones with Hanoi accent
• Learn 30 core survival words for daily life
• Use 35 essential phrases for greetings and shopping
• Order food and drinks at restaurants confidently
• Navigate Hanoi with directions and transport vocab
• Engage in social conversations with proper politeness
• Handle emergencies with safety-critical vocabulary
• Build sentences using 25 reusable grammar patterns

Preview the flashcards

A sample of the 200 cards in this set — each with pronunciation and English meaning.

ma/ mah (flat, steady voice) /

ghost - Level tone (ngang). Keep your voice steady, no rise or fall.

má/ mah (sharp upward rise) /

cheek - Rising tone (sác). Voice rises sharply from mid to high pitch.

mà/ mah (dropping low gently) /

but, yet - Falling tone (huyền). Voice drops from mid to low pitch.

mả/ mah (dips down then comes back up) /

tomb, grave - Dipping tone (hỏi). Voice falls then rises, like asking a question.

mã/ mah (rises with a crack in the middle) /

horse - Broken tone (ngã). Voice rises, catches with a glottal break, then rises again.

mạ/ mah (drops hard and stops abruptly) /

rice seedling - Heavy tone (nặng). Voice drops sharply and cuts off.

mười/ moo-ee (spread lips, not rounded) /

ten - Key vowel: ư is an unrounded 'oo' (lips spread, not rounded).

mùi/ moo-ee (rounded lips) /

smell, nose - Key vowel: u is a rounded 'oo' (lips rounded like English 'oo').

cơm/ kuhm (open jaw 'aw') /

rice (cooked) - Key vowel: ơ is an open 'aw' sound (jaw drops).

côm/ kohm (tight 'oh') /

not a common word - Key vowel: ô is a closed 'oh' sound (lips tight circle).

ăn/ an (short, clipped 'a') /

eat - Key vowel: ă is a short clipped 'a' sound.

ân/ uhn (short 'uh') /

grace, kindness - Key vowel: â is a short 'uh' sound (like 'u' in English 'but').

đi/ dee (English 'd' sound) /

go - Key consonant: đ sounds like English 'd'. In Hanoi, plain 'd' sounds like 'z'.

bán/ bahn (rising tone = sell) /

sell - Minimal pair with bẩn (dirty). Same word, different tone changes meaning entirely.

bẩn/ bahn (dipping tone = dirty) /

dirty - Minimal pair with bán (sell). Same word, different tone changes meaning entirely.

+ 185 more cards with full native audio in the complete set.