anh ơi
Calling a man slightly older than you — waiter, driver, passer-by. The default polite hail toward adult men who aren't elderly.
Everyday conversation · Giao tiếp hằng ngày 139
Speak from day one: greetings, café and market formulas, small talk, and the little words real conversations run on.
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bao nhiêu tiền
THE shopping question: "how much money?" — usually softened with a vocative: "Cô ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền?".
biết nói tiếng Anh không
The survival question "do you speak English?" — street-form Vietnamese drops the pronoun; add "anh/chị" in front to be polite.
biết rồi
"I know / got it" — acknowledgment with a teenager's edge when repeated: "biết rồi mà!" (I KNOW, okay?).
buồn ngủ quá
"So sleepy" — the after-lunch national condition; the cà phê sữa đá exists because of this phrase.
bạn còn phòng không
The check-in question: "do you have rooms left?" — "còn" (still have) is the load-bearing word for any availability question.
bạn khỏe không
The textbook "how are you?" — fine with strangers your age, but real speech swaps "bạn" for the right kinship word: "anh/chị/em khỏe không?".
bận lắm
"Really busy" — the standing reply of modern life; append "để bữa khác nha" (another time, okay?) to soften the decline.
bỏ qua đi
"Let it slide" — advice to drop a grievance; between friends it's mercy, from elders it's a verdict.
bớt chút được không
The bargaining ask: "can you take a little off?" — friendly haggling is expected at markets; smiles win discounts, indignation doesn't.
cho hỏi
The universal question opener — "may I ask…" — soften any request to a stranger by leading with it; fuller form "làm ơn cho hỏi" is extra-polite.
cho tôi cái này
Point-and-order: "I'll take this one" — the menu-independent survival move; swap "tôi" for "em/anh/chị" to match the seller.
choáng luôn
Stunned outright — "choáng" (dizzy with shock) plus the sealing "luôn": knocked flat by a number, a reveal, a price tag.
chú ơi
Calling a man of your parents' generation — the xe ôm uncle, the security guard, the neighbor. Pairs with self-word "con/cháu".
chắc chắn rồi
"Absolutely / for sure" — commitment without wiggle room; the answer that lets people stop worrying.
chết rồi
"Oh no / I'm dead" — the realization noise: forgotten keys, missed deadlines, unsent messages; almost never about actual death.
chỉ là hiểu lầm thôi
"It's just a misunderstanding" — the de-escalation phrase; "thôi" at the end shrinks the whole affair back to size.
chị ơi
Calling a woman slightly older than you — vendor, cashier, stranger on the street. Respectful and friendly at once.
chốt luôn
"Locked in!" — decision finalized on the spot; the verbal gavel of group chats planning anything.
chốt đơn
To close the order — livestream-commerce Vietnamese for committing to buy; sellers chant it, buyers comment it, wallets fear it.
chờ chút
"Hold on a sec" — universal pause button; Southern speech shrinks it to the even friendlier "chờ xíu".
chờ xíu
The Southern "wait a tiny bit" — "xíu" (a smidge) makes any wait sound short and sweet.
cà phê không
"Coffee?" — the one-word-plus-tag invitation that starts half of Vietnam's friendships, dates, and business deals.
còn hàng không
"Is it still in stock?" — the first comment under every online shop post; "còn" carries the whole question.
có nhận thẻ không
"Do you take cards?" — ask BEFORE you order; Vietnam is card-friendlier than before but cash and bank-transfer QR still rule.
có ship không
"Do you deliver?" — borrowed "ship" is now core Vietnamese commerce; the answer decides everything.
cô ơi
Calling a woman of your parents' generation — the market auntie, the landlady, a teacher. Warmer than formal, exactly right for the age gap.
cạn ly
"Bottoms up!" — literally "dry the glass"; the toast that means it. Refusing entirely is easier than half-drinking.
cực hay
"Extremely good" — the intensifier "cực" (extreme) doing everyday duty; what reviews and group chats say when five stars feel deserved.
dạ không
The polite "no" — "dạ" cushions the refusal so it lands soft; bare "không" to an elder sounds curt.
dừng ở đây
"Stop here" — the taxi/xe-ôm instruction; "cho xuống" (let me off) works when you're the passenger hopping out.
em ơi
The universal service call to someone YOUNGER — waiter, shop assistant, junior. Warm, normal, expected: this is how you summon help in Vietnam, not rudeness.
giỏi lắm
"Well done!" — sincere praise to juniors and students; said flatly to an adult it flips into pure sarcasm. Tone is everything.
giữ gìn sức khỏe
"Take care of your health" — the parting blessing to elders, travelers, and anyone you won't see for a while; deeper than "bye".
gì cơ
Northern "what was that? / come again?" — polite non-comprehension; "cơ" is a distinctly Hà Nội particle.
gì vậy
Southern "what? / what's that?" — from genuine question to mild outrage ("cái gì vậy trời!") depending on volume.
hay phết
Northern understatement for "actually pretty good" — "phết" softens the praise into a pleasantly surprised nod.
hiểu rồi
"Understood" — the learning checkpoint; say it only when true, because the follow-up question will find you.
hôm nay thứ mấy
"What day is it today?" — asks the weekday; remember Vietnamese weeks count from thứ hai (Monday = "day two").
hết bao nhiêu
"What's the total?" — asked at the end of a meal or a cart-load; "hết" totals everything up where "bao nhiêu tiền" prices one thing.
hết pin rồi
"Battery's dead" — phone, earbuds, or (jokingly) yourself at day's end; the modern excuse that everyone accepts.
hết sảy
Southern for "fantastic, top-notch" — retro slang that never died; praise with a grin built into it.
khoan đã
"Wait — hold everything" — the full-stop interjection when something needs re-checking before anyone moves.
khát nước quá
"So thirsty" — Vietnam's heat writes this line daily; the vocabulary of ordering the drink comes right after it.
không cay nha
"Not spicy, please" — the self-defense clause; Southern "nha" makes it a friendly request rather than an order.
không cần đâu
"No need, really" — declines offers (help, plastic bags, extra chili) without refusing the kindness behind them.
không sao đâu
The all-purpose "it's okay, no harm done" — waves off apologies, thanks, and small accidents in one breath.
không tin nổi
"I can't believe it" — the everyday disbelief phrase for results, prices, and plot twists; standard language, worth learning as a unit.
khỏi nói
"Don't even ask / goes without saying" — the answer is so obvious (so good, so bad) that words would waste it.
kính gửi
The formal letter/email opener — "respectfully addressed to" — mandatory register for officials, professors, and cover letters; never spoken aloud.
kẹt xe quá
"Traffic's terrible" — the Sài Gòn excuse that needs no proof; Northern speech says "tắc đường" for the same misery.
làm hết mình
To give it everything — total effort with nothing in reserve; the promise before the attempt and the consolation after it.
làm quen được không
"Can we get to know each other?" — the classic, slightly formal way to introduce yourself to a stranger you'd like to know; sincere, not sleazy.
lâu quá không gặp
"Long time no see" — near word-for-word, and used exactly the same way; the reunion opener.
lạnh quá
"So cold" — Hà Nội's winter refrain, said through scarves; the South borrows it for aggressive air-conditioning.
mai gặp nhé
"See you tomorrow" — the everyday parting between classmates and colleagues; Southern speech ends it in "nha".
mang về
Takeaway — "to carry home"; the counter question is "ăn ở đây hay mang về?" (for here or to go?).
miễn chê
"Beyond criticism" — quality so solid complaint is exempt; the reviewer's highest shrug of approval.
má ơi
"MOM!" as an exclamation — the Southern gasp for shocks big and small; nobody's actual mother is being called.
mất mạng rồi
"The internet's down" — deliciously, "mạng" means both network and life, so this also reads "I've lost my life": accurate.