The fastest way to start using a new language is not grammar — it is phrases. A traveller with thirty good phrases can greet people, buy things, order food, and ask for help from day one. And here is the secret that makes phrases twice as valuable for Vietnamese: if you also type each phrase in Telex, you fix its tones in your memory at the same time. Your fingers learn the tone keys while your ears learn the sounds.
That is what this list does. Every phrase below comes with the exact Telex keystrokes that produce it, so you can learn the phrase and the typing together. If Telex itself is new to you, read our complete Telex guide first — it explains the five tone keys and the vowel shapes in a few minutes. And if the tones still feel mysterious, our guide to the six Vietnamese tones walks through each one with examples.
How to read the list: each line gives the Vietnamese phrase, its English meaning, and then “Type:” followed by the keys to press, word by word, with spaces between words. The keystrokes are written exactly as you type them — the first letter of each phrase is capitalised, and so are names like Anna, Mỹ and Anh. Question marks and exclamation marks are typed normally at the end — they are left out of the keystroke lines to keep them clean. Ready? Start with the greetings, then try our free typing lessons to make the keys automatic.
1. Greetings & basics
Vietnamese greetings are warm and simple. You will use these every single day, with everyone from hotel staff to new friends.
- Xin chào — hello. Type: Xin chaof
- Bạn có khỏe không? — how are you? Type: Banj cos khore khoong
- Tôi khỏe, cảm ơn — I’m fine, thank you. Type: Tooi khore camr own
- Tạm biệt — goodbye. Type: Tajm bieetj
- Hẹn gặp lại — see you again. Type: Hejn gawpj laij
Notice khỏe (healthy, well) in the second phrase — it comes back in the friendly answer “tôi khỏe”. And look at the two heavy tones in tạm biệt: both words end with the j key.
2. Being polite
A few polite words open more doors than perfect grammar. Vietnamese speakers light up when a visitor says thank you properly — with the tone marks.
- Cảm ơn — thank you. Type: Camr own
- Cảm ơn nhiều — thank you very much. Type: Camr own nhieeuf
- Không có gì — you’re welcome. Type: Khoong cos gif
- Xin lỗi — sorry / excuse me. Type: Xin looix
- Không sao — it’s okay / no problem. Type: Khoong sao
Two shapes carry this whole section: ô in không (type oo) and ơ in ơn (type ow). Learn those two keys and half of polite Vietnamese is yours.
3. Getting to know people
Introductions follow a comfortable pattern: name, where you are from, and a kind word at the end. Swap in your own name and country.
- Bạn tên là gì? — what is your name? Type: Banj teen laf gif
- Tôi tên là Anna — my name is Anna. Type: Tooi teen laf Anna
- Bạn đến từ đâu? — where are you from? Type: Banj ddeens tuwf ddaau
- Tôi đến từ Mỹ — I am from America. Type: Tooi ddeens tuwf Myx
- Rất vui được gặp bạn — nice to meet you. Type: Raats vui dduowcj gawpj banj
The last phrase is the longest on this page and the one that earns the biggest smiles. It also contains the famous được — type dduowcj: double d for đ, uo + w for ươ, and j for the heavy tone.
4. Shopping & money
Markets and small shops run on friendly bargaining. These five phrases cover the whole conversation, from first question to final decision.
- Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? — how much is this? Type: Cais nafy bao nhieeu tieenf
- Đắt quá! — too expensive! Type: Ddawts quas
- Giảm giá được không? — can you give a discount? Type: Giarm gias dduowcj khoong
- Tôi chỉ xem thôi — I’m just looking. Type: Tooi chir xem thooi
- Cho tôi cái này — I’ll take this one / give me this one. Type: Cho tooi cais nafy
Say đắt quá with a smile — it is the traditional, good-humoured start of a negotiation, not a complaint. Then ask about a discount with giảm giá, and finish politely either way.
5. Eating & drinking
Food is where Vietnamese shines brightest — and where a little language goes a very long way. The magic word is cho tôi (“give me”), which begins most orders.
- Cho tôi một ly cà phê — one coffee, please (literally: give me a glass of coffee). Type: Cho tooi mootj ly caf phee
- Không cay — not spicy. Type: Khoong cay
- Ngon lắm! — very delicious! Type: Ngon lawms
- Cho thêm nước — more water, please (literally: give more water). Type: Cho theem nuwowcs
- Tính tiền cho tôi — the bill, please (literally: calculate the money for me). Type: Tinhs tieenf cho tooi
Tell the cook ngon lắm and watch their face. And keep không cay ready if your spice limit is lower than the local one — Vietnamese chilli does not negotiate.
6. Help & understanding
Finally, the phrases that rescue you. Nobody expects a visitor to understand everything — these lines say so gracefully and keep the conversation alive.
- Giúp tôi với! — help me! Type: Giups tooi vowis
- Tôi không hiểu — I don’t understand. Type: Tooi khoong hieeur
- Bạn nói tiếng Anh được không? — can you speak English? Type: Banj nois tieengs Anh dduowcj khoong
- Nói chậm lại — speak more slowly. Type: Nois chaamj laij
- Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu? — where is the toilet? Type: Nhaf veej sinh owr ddaau
Nói chậm lại may be the most useful sentence on this page. Vietnamese speakers are happy to slow down — you only have to ask.
How to use this list
Do not just read these phrases — put them in your fingers. This small routine takes about ten minutes:
- Read each phrase aloud first. Say it slowly, tone by tone, before you touch the keyboard. Your mouth and your hands are learning the same word.
- Type each phrase three times. Use the keystrokes given. First time, look at the keys; second time, look at the screen; third time, try to feel the pattern — especially the tone key at the end of each word.
- Build the tone-key habit. Notice how often f (falling), s (rising) and j (heavy) appear. These three keys carry most everyday phrases.
- Then type your real messages. Message a Vietnamese friend, a teacher, or a language partner in Vietnamese, typed by you — not pasted from a translator. Real messages are where phrases become yours.
To turn those keystrokes into a reflex, work through the free lessons in our typing trainer: eight short lessons add one tone at a time, the practice mode drills the keys you miss most, and a speed test shows your progress in words per minute. No sign-up — your progress saves in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the tone marks when texting Vietnamese friends?
Yes. Vietnamese without tone marks is often genuinely ambiguous — many different words share the same plain letters, and readers must guess from context. Vietnamese people sometimes write casually without marks with each other, but as a learner you should always type the full, correct form: it is clearer, it is polite, and it is exactly the habit that fixes the tones in your memory.
Is Telex the fastest way to type these phrases?
Telex is the most common way to type Vietnamese, on phones and computers alike, and for most people it becomes the fastest because everything happens on the normal letter keys — no reaching for number rows or special characters. If you have not learned the system yet, our Telex guide (linked at the top of this page) covers all of it, and the phrases on this page make perfect first practice material.
Do these phrases differ between Northern and Southern Vietnam?
The phrases on this page are standard and understood everywhere in Vietnam — in Hanoi, in Ho Chi Minh City, and everywhere between. What changes by region is mainly pronunciation: the same words can sound a little different, and a few everyday words have local alternatives. The spelling, the tones, and the keystrokes stay the same, so what you learn here travels with you.