If you’re about to leave for your first, second, or even third trip to Vietnam, we’re sure you’re very excited! Traveling to another country is a great way to meet new people, gain a more global perspective, and learn a new language! So, since you’re going to visit Vietnam, why not learn Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is a beautiful language with a rich history, and it’s not too difficult if you put time and effort into learning it. But, like learning any language, it’s hard to know where to begin. While it’s important to learn basic phrases and words, you should definitely learn Vietnamese health vocabulary. This is in case you, or someone else, has to go to the hospital or there’s another emergency.
If you’re traveling outside the country, you should have some background on the country itself. But, don’t worry, because we have all that for you here too! After we give you a brief overview of Vietnam, we’ll begin to teach you 50+ Vietnamese health vocabulary to learn before your trip!
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Where Is Vietnam Located?
Vietnam is a country located in Southeast Asia. It shares borders with China to the north, Laos to the west, and Cambodia to the west.
While Vietnam might seem small in comparison to China, it actually has an estimated population of 96 million people. Its capital city Hanoi and bustling Ho Chi Minh City in the south attract millions of travelers every year! Some other popular travel destinations include Halong Bay, Hue, and Danang.
Of course, feel free to do your own research on attractions in Vietnam. The country is so vibrant and has a range of different landscapes, so you should try to explore as much as you can!
How Many People Speak Vietnamese?
There are approximately 70 million Vietnamese speakers around the world. Wow – that’s a lot of people to practice with!
Is Vietnamese A Tonal Language?
Yes, Vietnamese has six tones. We’ve listed the tones for you below, so make sure to practice them if you want to be understood correctly by locals!
- Mid-level tone
- Low falling tone
- High rising tone
- Low rising tone
- High broken tone
- Heavy tone
Is It Hard To Read And Write Vietnamese?
Vietnamese isn’t that difficult to read and write if you’re already familiar with the six tones and Latin script.
Since Vietnamese uses the Vietnamese alphabet, which is based on Latin script and consists of 29 letters, if your native language also uses Latin script, it should be pretty easy to write Vietnamese, with the exception of a few different letters.
As for reading, this isn’t too hard if you study the individual letters and know how they’re supposed to sound, plus the six-tone marks.
Vietnamese Health Vocabulary To Never Forget
Now, let’s go over some vocabulary you should definitely learn before your trip! That way, you won’t be burdened by doing translations all the time!
| English | Vietnamese | Pronunciation |
| Ache | nhức nhối | |
| Ambulance | xe cứu thương | |
| Anesthesiologist | bác sĩ gây mê | |
| Backache | đau lưng | |
| Body | thân hình | |
| Body parts | bộ phận cơ thể | |
| Cardiologist | bác sĩ tim mạch | |
| Dentist | bác sĩ nha khoa | |
| Dermatologist | bác sĩ da liễu | |
| Diarrhea | bệnh tiêu chảy | |
| Dizzy | chóng mặt | |
| Doctor | bác sĩ | |
| Examination | kiểm tra | |
| Fever | sốt | |
| Headache | đau đầu | |
| Health | sức khỏe | |
| Healthy | mạnh khỏe | |
| Heartbeat | nhịp tim | |
| Hospital | bệnh viện | |
| How badly does it hurt? | nó đau đến mức nào | |
| Hurt | đau | |
| Illness | bệnh | |
| I need help. | tôi cần giúp đỡ | |
| I need to see a doctor now. | tôi cần gặp bác sĩ ngay bây giờ | |
| Information | thông tin | |
| Medical bill | hóa đơn y tế | |
| Medical insurance | bảo hiểm y tế | |
| Medical record | bệnh án | |
| Medication | thuốc | |
| My __ aches. | cái __ của tôi nhức | |
| My __ hurts. | cái __ của tôi đau | |
| Nauseous | buồn cười | |
| Numb | tê | |
| Nurse | nữ y tá | |
| Pain | đau đớn | |
| Patient | kiên nhẫn | |
| Pediatrician | bác sĩ nhi khoa | |
| Pharmacy | tiệm thuốc | |
| Pills | thuốc | |
| Pulse | xung | |
| Sick | bệnh | |
| Stomach | dạ dày | |
| Stomachache | đau bụng | |
| Surgeon | bác sĩ phẫu thuật | |
| Surgery | ca phẫu thuật | |
| Sweating | đổ mồ hôi | |
| Symptoms | triệu chứng | |
| Underlying health conditions | tình trạng sức khỏe cơ bản | |
| Vomit | nôn mửa | |
| When did the pain start? | cơn đau bắt đầu khi nào | |
| Where is the doctor? | bác sĩ ở đâu | |
| Where is the pain? | nơi là nỗi đau |
That vocabulary should be enough to get you started, especially in an emergency situation, but you can always study more!
Love Vietnamese? Learn More With The Ling App!
If you just can’t get enough Vietnamese, you should try the Ling app!
Ling is a great language-learning app for learning Vietnamese that’s designed to make language learning easy, fun, and effective! The app features engaging, retainable lessons in over 60 languages, relevant vocabulary to use with locals, the ability to practice writing in real-time, instant feedback on your pronunciation via an AI chatbot, and more!
Outside of the app, Ling has a free language blog that serves as a great online resource for anyone wanting to extend their knowledge of a specific language, learn more about another culture, or get helpful language-learning tips! If you want to stay up to speed on the app, they also have an Instagram account and YouTube channel!
There is a lot to learn with Ling, so feel free to download the app from the App Store, Google Play, or on your desktop now! We wish you the very best on your language-learning journey!
