Preparing by situation beats preparing by vocabulary list, because a situation gives you both the words and the structure they sit in. The list below covers what a foreigner in Vietnam meets in an ordinary week.
- Prepare ingredients to assemble, not a memorised script
- Motorbike taxis and street food are the most frequent situations
- Prices and numbers come up constantly and are worth drilling
- Prepare how to ask for repetition, not just what you will say
The situations you will certainly meet
Ordering food at a street stall, buying at a market, taking a motorbike taxi or ride-hailing car, asking directions, paying, and exchanging contact details. If you live in Vietnam, add renting a room, dealing with a landlord, and visiting a pharmacy. These few cover the overwhelming majority of daily interactions.
How to prepare
For each situation, prepare about five sentences you will say and learn to recognise a few replies. Just as important, prepare the sentences for asking someone to repeat or slow down, because the half you control is easy and the half you do not is where things break down.
What textbooks leave out
Renting a room, dealing with a landlord, and buying medicine at a pharmacy. All three arrive early for anyone actually living in Vietnam, and none of them appear in beginner materials. A small amount of preparation here saves a disproportionate amount of trouble.
Common mistakes
- Memorising whole dialogues, which collapse when the reply differs
- Preparing only your own lines and none for asking to repeat
- Learning vocabulary for situations you will never be in
Frequently asked questions
Is bargaining expected in Vietnam?
At markets and with street vendors, often yes; in shops with marked prices, no. Tone matters more than wording: bargaining cheerfully is received well, bargaining tensely is not.
Why are numbers so hard to catch?
Because they are said quickly and often without context to help you. Drilling numbers as a dedicated session pays off more than almost anything else, since they appear in every transaction.
Should I write addresses down?
Yes, and keep them in Vietnamese on your phone. Place names have tones, and getting one wrong means the driver takes you somewhere else entirely.
How many phrases per situation?
About five you say, plus recognising a few replies. Beyond that you are building a script, and scripts break the moment the other person says something unexpected.