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The vietIQ blog — learning Vietnamese
Articles, guides and tips for learning Vietnamese: tones, pronunciation, vocabulary, culture and life in the Việt Kiều diaspora.
19 July 2026Vietnam : formalitésDécouvrez les formalités administratives nécessaires pour les Français qui souhaitent se rendre au Việt Nam. Tout ce que vous devez savoir pour préparer votre voyage.19 July 2026How to learn Vietnamese: the complete beginner’s guideWhere to start with Vietnamese: alphabet, tones, first words, an efficient method and mistakes to avoid.18 July 2026Apprendre le vietnamienDécouvrez les meilleures applications en ligne pour apprendre le vietnamien, comparons les fonctionnalités de Ling, Mondly, Duolingo et plus. Apprenez la langue vietnamienne avec efficacité.17 July 2026The 6 Vietnamese tones explained (with examples)Ngang, huyền, sắc, hỏi, ngã, nặng: understand and pronounce the six Vietnamese tones with minimal pairs.15 July 2026The Vietnamese alphabet (quốc ngữ): letters and pronunciationThe special Vietnamese letters (đ, ă, â, ê, ô, ơ, ư) and how to pronounce vowels and consonants.13 July 2026Northern vs Southern Vietnamese: accent and vocabularyHanoi or Saigon? The main pronunciation and vocabulary differences between Northern and Southern Vietnamese.11 July 2026The essential Vietnamese words to get startedThe most useful Vietnamese words for beginners: politeness, numbers, food, travel : with diacritics.9 July 2026Saying hello in Vietnamese: greetings and politenessXin chào and beyond: how to greet politely in Vietnamese depending on age and status.7 July 2026Vietnamese pronouns and the kinship systemAnh, chị, em, cô, chú… how to choose the right Vietnamese pronoun by age and relationship.5 July 2026Counting in Vietnamese: numbers from 0 to 1,000,000The Vietnamese number system, tens, exceptions (mười, mươi, lăm) and how to read a market price.3 July 2026Ordering at a restaurant in Vietnamese: useful phrasesThe essential phrases to order in Vietnamese, state preferences and ask for the bill.1 July 2026Is Vietnamese hard to learn?Tones vs grammar: what’s truly hard in Vietnamese, and what’s surprisingly simple.29 June 2026How long does it take to speak Vietnamese fluently?Realistic per-level estimates to speak Vietnamese, and the factors that speed up (or slow) your progress.27 June 2026The best methods to learn VietnameseApps, tutors, immersion, spaced repetition: how to combine methods to learn Vietnamese efficiently.25 June 2026Vietnamese pronunciation: pitfalls for learnersThe Vietnamese sounds that trip up learners (ư, ơ, ng-, đ) and drills to improve.23 June 2026Vietnamese grammar: simpler than you thinkWord order, no conjugation, time markers: why Vietnamese grammar is approachable.21 June 2026Vietnamese classifiers (cái, con, chiếc…) explainedWhat classifiers are for in Vietnamese, and which to use for objects, animals and people.19 June 2026Expressing time in Vietnamese: đã, đang, sẽPast, present, future without conjugation: how đã, đang and sẽ place the action in time.17 June 2026Asking a question in VietnameseYes/no questions and question words (gì, ai, đâu, bao nhiêu): how to ask in Vietnamese.15 June 2026Family vocabulary in VietnameseBố, mẹ, anh, chị, ông, bà: Vietnamese family vocabulary and the logic of terms by age.13 June 2026Introducing yourself in Vietnamese (name, age, nationality)A model dialogue to introduce yourself in Vietnamese: say your name, where you’re from and ask back.11 June 2026Days, months and dates in VietnameseThe logical system of numbered days and months in Vietnamese (thứ hai, tháng một) and how to say a date.9 June 2026Vietnamese coffee vocabulary (cà phê sữa đá & more)Coffee types, the phin filter and how to order a cà phê sữa đá: essential Vietnamese coffee vocabulary.7 June 2026Learning Vietnamese as a Việt KiềuReconnecting with a heritage language: where to start, staying motivated and using what you already understand.5 June 2026Common Vietnamese idioms and expressionsCommon Vietnamese expressions with literal and figurative meaning, to sound more natural.3 June 2026Training your ear for Vietnamese tonesActive listening drills, minimal pairs and shadowing to finally tell the six Vietnamese tones apart.1 June 2026Common beginner mistakes in VietnameseIgnoring tones, wrong pronouns, translating word for word: classic beginner mistakes and how to fix them.30 May 2026Travel vocabulary for Vietnam (transport, hotel, directions)Useful Vietnamese travel phrases: getting around, booking a room and asking for directions.28 May 2026Tết and Vietnamese New Year vocabularyChúc mừng năm mới: the traditions, dishes and essential vocabulary of Tết, Vietnam’s biggest festival.26 May 2026Learning Vietnamese with music (V-pop) and filmsSongs, series and subtitles: how immersion through music and films boosts your Vietnamese.24 May 2026Fixing your Vietnamese pronunciation with speech recognitionSpeak, get transcribed and compare syllable by syllable: how speech recognition fixes your tones.22 May 2026Learn Vietnamese in 30 days: a realistic planA day-by-day study plan to build solid Vietnamese foundations in a month, at 15 to 20 minutes a day.