Vietnam flag.
Problem
First, where can you learn a few words? I was disappointed not to find a list of common words and phrases on the VietJet plane from Singapore's Changi airport to Hanoi. They missed an opportunity.
I looked at Wikipedia (too complicated).
I tried Duolingo which is useful on easy languages such as Italian and Spanish. But Duolingo starts teaching words you rarely need such as bat and horse.
The Hanoi book cafes have books in Vietnamese, no English. Great for local students and schoolchildren. Not for tourists.
The bookshops and souvenir shops don't seem to offer phrase books.
Solutions
After a week in Hanoi we had dinner at Gourmet Corner restaurant. I picked up the house magazine of the hotel group. On the back inside page was what I had been looking for - a list of handy phrases.
The first thing I needed to learn was the greeting. I needed a way of remembering it. Sin chow, sound like sin and a chow dog. So I imagined seeing a chow dog which was doing something naughty and shaking my head and smiling and saying to it, not 'naughty doggie' but 'sin chow'.
That is how you pronounce it. Go into Google translate and type in hello in the English and in the other box after you type in Vietnamese it gives the correctly written version, xian (like the Chinese Xian is Shan or She-ann). The sound chow is written Chao and has a downward accent on the a. I reckon if I learn only one word a day, at least I can speak half a dozen words at the end of a week.
When you make even the most basic attempt at learning to read signs, you need to understand the writing.
I stood waiting for a hotel lift and read two emergency exit in fire signs in Vietnamese. I was hoping to see a repeated word such as 'please' or 'don't' but could not spot any.
I noticed that some of the letters have underlines as well as signs above. Some of the letters have not one but two dotty signs above.
However, I did pick up one interesting and vital piece of information. In emergency for the fire brigade you dial 114. I noticed that in the longer vertical notice. Then on the other horizontal sign
I spotted the number in the middle of the old-fashioned phone symbol.
On closer inspection I see a repeated word which without accents is chua chay.
In google translate I went forwards and backwards until I found for
fire
fighting
fire fighting
ngọn lửa trận đánh chữa cháy
More Information From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph's_Cathedral,_Hanoi
Travel information
For hotels
booking.com
Comparison site:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/index
For airlines
travelok.com
vietjetAir.com (Comprehensive list of budget airlines in Wikivoyage.)
For transport
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/
Language
Duolingo.com
(Remember to click on the sound symbol to hear how words are pronounced.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Please share links to your favourite posts. I have several more on Hanoi, Halong Bay and Vietnam.
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