Southern Vietnamese
Vietnamese Alphabet Pronunciation Chart
Start here if Vietnamese spelling still feels confusing: learn each letter sound before tones and long phrases.
The short version
Vietnamese uses a Latin-based alphabet, but you cannot read it with English letter habits. Start with the 29 letters, then connect each letter to a short Vietnamese syllable.
Full Vietnamese alphabet
Play each letter at normal speed, then slow speed. Save the sounds you want to review again.
Letter
a
School sound
a
Example: ba
Open vowel. Do not reduce it like English about.
Letter
ă
School sound
ă
Example: ăn
Shorter than a. It needs a following consonant in normal spelling.
Letter
â
School sound
â
Example: ân
Short central vowel. Do not say ay.
Letter
b
School sound
bờ
Example: ba
Short b, no strong English puff.
Letter
c
School sound
cờ
Example: ca
C is a k sound, not an s sound.
Letter
d
School sound
dờ
Example: da
In Southern Vietnamese, d often sounds close to English y.
Letter
đ
School sound
đờ
Example: đa
This is the letter closest to English d.
Letter
e
School sound
e
Example: em
More open than ê.
Letter
ê
School sound
ê
Example: bê
More closed and steady than e.
Letter
g
School sound
gờ
Example: ga
Hard g before a, o, u. Use gh before e, ê, i.
Letter
h
School sound
hờ
Example: hai
Light h, not over-stressed.
Letter
i
School sound
i
Example: đi
High short vowel.
Letter
k
School sound
ca
Example: kem
K is used before e, ê, i, y.
Letter
l
School sound
lờ
Example: la
Lighter than English dark l.
Letter
m
School sound
mờ
Example: ma
Close the lips gently.
Letter
n
School sound
nờ
Example: na
Tongue behind the teeth.
Letter
o
School sound
o
Example: to
Rounded, not English ow.
Letter
ô
School sound
ô
Example: tô
More closed than o.
Letter
ơ
School sound
ơ
Example: bơ
Central vowel, not English er.
Letter
p
School sound
pờ
Example: úp
Initial p is rare; final p is clipped.
Letter
q
School sound
quờ / quy
Example: qua
Usually appears as qu. Do not read it as English cue.
Letter
r
School sound
rờ
Example: ra
Southern r is more pronounced than Northern r.
Letter
s
School sound
sờ
Example: sao
Southern s and x can sound close.
Letter
t
School sound
tờ
Example: ta
Short and crisp.
Letter
u
School sound
u
Example: tu
Rounded and pure.
Letter
ư
School sound
ư
Example: tư
Say u without rounding the lips.
Letter
v
School sound
vờ
Example: vào
Southern v can sound close to y in casual speech.
Letter
x
School sound
xờ
Example: xa
Soft s-like sound.
Letter
y
School sound
i dài
Example: yêu
Often called i dài; sound overlaps with i.
| Letter | School sound | Example | What to notice | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | a | ba | Open vowel. Do not reduce it like English about. | |
| ă | ă | ăn | Shorter than a. It needs a following consonant in normal spelling. | |
| â | â | ân | Short central vowel. Do not say ay. | |
| b | bờ | ba | Short b, no strong English puff. | |
| c | cờ | ca | C is a k sound, not an s sound. | |
| d | dờ | da | In Southern Vietnamese, d often sounds close to English y. | |
| đ | đờ | đa | This is the letter closest to English d. | |
| e | e | em | More open than ê. | |
| ê | ê | bê | More closed and steady than e. | |
| g | gờ | ga | Hard g before a, o, u. Use gh before e, ê, i. | |
| h | hờ | hai | Light h, not over-stressed. | |
| i | i | đi | High short vowel. | |
| k | ca | kem | K is used before e, ê, i, y. | |
| l | lờ | la | Lighter than English dark l. | |
| m | mờ | ma | Close the lips gently. | |
| n | nờ | na | Tongue behind the teeth. | |
| o | o | to | Rounded, not English ow. | |
| ô | ô | tô | More closed than o. | |
| ơ | ơ | bơ | Central vowel, not English er. | |
| p | pờ | úp | Initial p is rare; final p is clipped. | |
| q | quờ / quy | qua | Usually appears as qu. Do not read it as English cue. | |
| r | rờ | ra | Southern r is more pronounced than Northern r. | |
| s | sờ | sao | Southern s and x can sound close. | |
| t | tờ | ta | Short and crisp. | |
| u | u | tu | Rounded and pure. | |
| ư | ư | tư | Say u without rounding the lips. | |
| v | vờ | vào | Southern v can sound close to y in casual speech. | |
| x | xờ | xa | Soft s-like sound. | |
| y | i dài | yêu | Often called i dài; sound overlaps with i. | |
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Day 1 writing focus
Letter writing set: a, ă, â, b, c, ch
Copy these shapes slowly. This task is about recognizing and writing the forms, not listening yet.
a
vowelOpen shape. Copy it cleanly before adding marks.
ă
vowel markNotice the breve above a. Keep the base shape visible.
â
vowel markNotice the circumflex above a. Do not confuse it with ă.
b
letterTall stem first, then rounded bowl.
c
letterOpen curve. In Vietnamese, c is a k sound.
ch
digraphTwo letters working as one sound unit. It is not one of the 29 letters.
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Day 1 listening focus
Listening drill: tell a, ă, â apart
Play each sound, repeat it out loud, then compare the mouth position before moving to the next one.
Step 1
a
letter a; open vowel as in ba
Open your mouth. Do not make it the weak English schwa.
Step 2
ă
short a sound as in ăn
Shorter and tighter than a. It usually appears inside a syllable, not alone in real speech.
Step 3
â
central short vowel as in ân
Do not say English ay. Keep it short and central.
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Day 1 grammar focus
Marks change sound and meaning
Vowel marks shape the sound
Marks like breve, circumflex, and horn create different vowel qualities: a, ă, â, o, ô, ơ, u, ư.
Tone marks change the meaning
Tone marks sit on syllables and can change the meaning even when the letters look almost the same.
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Day 1 offline exercise
Write and read aloud
- Write the full 29-letter Vietnamese alphabet 3 times on paper.
- Read each row aloud slowly after you finish writing it.
- Return to the path and mark this task complete only after the offline practice is done.
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What is missing from the Vietnamese alphabet?
Vietnamese does not use f, j, w, z as native alphabet letters. You may still see them in foreign names, brand names, internet words, and loanwords. Do not use them as your default pronunciation model for Vietnamese words.
Letter names vs real pronunciation
Letter names help you spell a word out loud. Real pronunciation comes from the syllable: initial consonant, vowel, final consonant, and tone. For example, learning cờ is useful, but you still need to practice ca, cơ, cô, con, có, cốc because the vowel and tone change what your mouth does.
Southern Vietnamese note
Southern Vietnamese keeps the same writing system, but several letters sound different in daily speech. The big ones for beginners are:
- d, gi, v can sound close to English y for many southern speakers.
- r is usually more distinct in the south than in the north.
- s and x may sound close in casual southern speech.
- hỏi and ngã tones can sound closer in the south, even though the spelling stays different.
How to practice today
- Listen to one letter sound.
- Repeat it once slowly.
- Say the example syllable from the table.
- Compare it with a similar letter, such as a / ă / â, d / đ, o / ô / ơ, or u / ư.
- Save only the sounds that still feel hard.
Common mistakes
Do not read Vietnamese as if it were English written with accents. Vietnamese spelling is more consistent than English, but only after you learn the Vietnamese sound value of each letter.
Next step
After this page, practice Vietnamese vowels and Vietnamese consonants separately. Then move into tone marks.
Meaning check
Quick practice
Which Vietnamese letter is closest to the English d sound?
FAQ
How many letters are in the Vietnamese alphabet?
Modern Vietnamese has 29 letters. It does not use f, j, w, or z as native alphabet letters, although they can appear in names, brands, and loanwords.
Should I learn letter names or word sounds first?
For speaking, learn the sound inside a syllable first. Letter names help with spelling, but syllable examples help foreigners pronounce real Vietnamese faster.
Are Southern Vietnamese letter sounds different from Northern Vietnamese?
Some spellings are pronounced differently by region, especially d, gi, r, v, s, and x. This page uses Southern Vietnamese as the default.
Finish this lesson
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Week 1 · Day 1 in the 90-day path
Listen to at least 3 phrases
Use normal audio first, then slow audio.
Save at least 1 phrase
Only save phrases you would actually reuse.
Finish the quiz or practice task
Check that you can recall the idea, not only read it.
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Practice panel
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Listen, save one useful phrase, then mark this lesson complete.