Hey friend, what is your dream job? If you are doing what you love, congratulations! If you plan to work in Vietnam, this article is for you. Why? Because I’m gonna help you learn a list of the most popular job titles in Vietnamese and introduce you to the work culture in Vietnam. I hope this article can help you get ready for your new journey in my beautiful country.
Asking About Occupation In Vietnamese
When you meet a new friend or go to a networking event, you may want to know what the person does and see if you can share with them some interest. In Vietnamese, the word for ‘occupation’ is ‘nghề nghiệp’ or ‘nghề’ (a short form). Its synonym is ‘việc làm’, ‘việc’, ‘công việc’. ‘To work’ is translated as ‘làm việc’ in the Vietnamese language.
If you want to ask someone’s job, you can say as follows:
- Bạn làm nghề gì? – What is your occupation?
- Bạn làm gì? – What do you do?
- Công việc của bạn là gì? – What is your job?
The following questions are for asking about the company or organization that the person works for:
- Bạn làm ở đâu? – Where do you work?
- Bạn làm ở công ty nào? – What company do you work for?
If you want to know the position of that person in a company, say as follows:
- Bạn làm vị trí gì? – What position do you do?
- Chức vụ của bạn là gì? – What is your position/title?
You can replace the word ‘bạn’ with another Vietnamese pronoun, depending on who you are talking to.
50 Job Titles In Vietnamese
Within this article, I’m gonna give you 50 popular names of jobs in Vietnamese. Do you find your dream job in the below list?
- Architect – Kiến trúc sư
- Artist – Hoạ sỹ
- Actor / Actress – Diễn viên
- Analyst – Nhà phân tích
- Athlete – Vận động viên
- Babysitter – Bảo mẫu
- Banker – Nhân viên ngân hàng
- Barber – Thợ cắt tóc / Thợ hớt tóc (Southern Vietnamese)
- Businessman, businesswoman – Doanh nhân
- Cashier – Thu ngân
- Chief – Đầu bếp
- Composer – Nhà soạn nhạc, nhạc sỹ
- Consultant – Nhà tư vấn
- Customer Service Officer – Nhân viên chăm sóc khách hàng
- Doctor – Bác sỹ
- Designer – Nhà thiết kế
- Developer – Nhân viên lập trình
- Director – Giám đốc
- Employer – Người thuê lao động
- Employee – Người lao động
- Engineer – Kỹ sư
- Farmer – Nông dân
- Fisherman – Ngư dân
- Financial Consultant – Nhà tư vấn tài chính
- Housemaid – Người giúp việc
- Interior Designer – Nhà thiết kế nội thất
- Investor – Nhà đầu tư
- Lawyer – Luật sư
- Lecturer – Giảng viên
- Librarian – Thủ thư
- Manager – Quản lý
- Mechanic – Thợ cơ khí
- Musician – Nhạc công
- Nurse – Y tá
- Policeman – Cảnh sát, công an
- Politican – Nhà chính trị
- Professor – Giáo sư
- Project Manager – Quản lý dự án
- Salesperson – Nhân viên kinh doanh
- Sales Representative – Đại diện bán hàng
- Secretary – Thư ký
- Singer – Ca sỹ
- Student – Sinh viên
- Tailor – Thợ may
- Teacher – Giáo viên
- Real Estate Broker – Môi giới bất động sản
- Recruiter – Nhân viên tuyển dụng
- Retired – Nghỉ hưu
- Unemployed – Thất nghiệp
- Waiter, waitress – Nhân viên phục vụ
- Worker – Công nhân
Vietnamese Work Culture
If you plan to work in Vietnam, you might want to know the work culture in the country to avoid culture shock. Vietnam is an Asian and Communist country, so that the work culture might be a bit different from the working environment in Western countries. In addition, the work culture varies from industry to industry. For example, the culture in technology companies might be more open than in State agencies.
Firstly, the age gap matters in the way people communicate and sometimes in the way they make decisions at work. For example, younger people will avoid criticizing elder people, especially in front of other employees. On the other hand, the older workers sometimes are conservative and not open to new ideas or changes.
Secondly, Vietnamese people tend to build a personal connection outside of the office. They believe that this will help them in teamwork. For example, people sometimes hang out after work or invite each other to their family’s events such as weddings or funerals.
Most Vietnamese employees will avoid conflicts. They usually agree with what most of the group agrees on, and they are not willing to give their own opinions. Therefore, it is challenging for a leader in a meeting to get different ideas or suggestions.
8 Most Common Vietnamese Jobs
1. Bác Sĩ (Doctor)
You probably already know that a doctor is someone who treats illnesses and such, but do you know why they’re called bác sĩ in the Vietnamese language? Taking a step back to see its history shows that “Bác” originally refers to “Older uncle/aunt.” It is a term used to show respect when addressing someone older or of higher status. While “Sĩ” translates to scholars or intellectual people back in the archaic days.
Hence, this led to the birth of the term Bác sĩ, which was used to be simply interpreted as “Respected Scholar.” This term also reflects the concepts of reverence and respect for people who were educated and seen as scholars in the Vietnamese culture. Over time, it became the standard term for a medical doctor in Vietnam.
2. Giáo viên (Teacher)
Teachers play a great role in our lives, they’re the pillars of education which makes learning fun and interesting. Looking back to its origin, its first syllable Giáo came from the Chinese character 教 (Jiào), which translates to the word “Teach” in English. While viên equates to 員 (Yuán), which refers to a person being part of a group or organization. So, if you are to solve this puzzle putting these two characters together gives you the words “Teaching Personnel,” and now, it directly translates to “Teacher.”
3. Kỹ sư (Engineer)
Who doesn’t appreciate technological innovation? Not me! This unstoppable alteration empowers the engineering fields. Here’s a quick recap on how the English word “Engineering” became Kỹ sư in the Vietnamese language. Its roots came from the Chinese character 技 (Ji) which means skill or technique. While the second syllable was from 師 (Shi), refers to “Master” or “Expert.” This gives you the words “Skilled Master” in English— or simply, Engineer.
4. Nhà thiết kế (Designer)
Are you someone who likes to design different things? The people who have these jobs in Vietnamese are called nhà thiết kế. You might notice that the origin of this word isn’t as complicated as the previous ones, but here’s a quick recap to help you remember it easily.
Firstly, we have Nhà, which directly translates to “Home” or “House” in Vietnamese, but in other contexts, its purpose is to describe someone as a professional or specialist. While we also have thiết kế, which translates to the phrase “To design.” Its meaning is pretty straightforward forward, and its scope isn’t limited to clothes designers, this includes designers from all fields!
5. Nhân Viên Văn Phòng (Office Staff)
Do you have friends who are also office workers? In Vietnamese, they’re called nhân viên văn phòng. It’s not the easiest job title to remember since it’s quite lengthy, but with the short etiology of this word, you might easily remember it. Nhân viên translates to “Employee” or “Staff member,” while văn phòng means “Office.”
6. Phi Công (Pilot)
If you’re planning to go to another place by aircraft, remember that the people who drive the plane are called Phi Công in Vietnamese. Its etiology is as simple as the previous words, so you won’t have a difficult time remembering it. Phi refers to aviation or simply flying, while công means “Worker” or “Driver.” It’s easy to remember, don’t you think?
7. Y tá (Nurse)
The healthcare field is incomplete without these people too. You see, nurses also play a huge role in the hospital when taking care of the patient. You might wonder, though, why do Vietnamese people call nurses “Y tá”? Y is analogous to “Medical” in English, while tá is associated with the word “Assistant.” Despite being influenced by China, this term doesn’t have deeper roots.
8. Công Nhân Nhà Máy (Factory Worker)
Are you aiming to work in a field that operates and maintains machines? You’re probably called a Công Nhân Nhà Máy in Vietnamese. It’s hilarious how these words just keep on getting longer, can you still remember all of them? Let’s take a brief run-through on its origin.
If you imagined a complicated breakdown of its meaning, then you’re quite right. Here’s what each word means in English:
- Công (Work) Nhân (Person/Human): translates to “Worker”/”Laborer.”
- Nhà (House/Building) Máy (Machine): translates to “Factory.”
How Do Vietnamese Communicate In The Workplace?
There are different ways that people in Vietnam use to communicate at work.
The official channels are emails, meetings, printed documents, printed notices. These channels are used to record what everyone agrees on and usually require high commitment from the employees.
For casual conversations, people can use instant messaging apps such as Skype, Slack, or Zalo. In-person talks are also popular in the workplace.
What Languages Are Used At Work In Vietnam?
Vietnamese is the main language used at work in Vietnam, of course. Besides, English is also very popular nowadays, thanks to globalization. Many companies in software development, hospitality, and import-export industries require their candidates to have a good command of English. This explains the bloom of English schools and centers in Vietnam and why many foreigners are working as English teachers in the country.
Vietnam has also received the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) from neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, and China. Therefore, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (mainly Mandarin) are the next popular languages used at work in Vietnam.
These languages are popularly used in factories where they have Japanese, Korean, and Chinese people working as managers.
To Have A Better Working Experience In Vietnam
If you want to try living and working in Vietnam, go for it. I encourage you to find a good native colleague to help you adapt to the culture and the community. Also, learning Vietnamese phrases and some basic sentences can help you have some casual talks with your co-workers, which helps build up personal connections with them.
I hope that you can remember some Vietnamese job titles and some insights into the working environment in Vietnam from this article. If you have any relating questions, don’t hesitate to let me know in the comment!
