Walk into any market in Saigon, point at a mango you can't name, and say two words — cái này — and the seller knows exactly what you want. "This," "that," "here," and "there" are the survival words of Southern Vietnamese. You'll use them a hundred times a day, and the good news is there are only four of them to learn: này, đây, đó, and kia.
Quick answer: này = this (goes after the noun), đó/kia = that (near / far), đây = here, đó = there — and cái này / cái đó means "this one / that one," your all-purpose way to point at anything.
Hear them in action first
Before the rules, listen to how naturally they fall out of a real Saigon conversation. Here's a customer at a fruit stall:
Four demonstratives, one little exchange. Now let's take them apart one at a time.
này = "this," and it lands after the noun
The single biggest thing English speakers get wrong: in Vietnamese, "this" comes after the thing it points to, not before. English says "this table"; Southern Vietnamese says cái bàn này — literally "table this." The noun leads, này follows.
Local tip
Saigon speakers love tacking nè onto này for a friendly "look, right here" feeling: cái này nè ("this one here"). It's warm, a little playful, and instantly makes you sound more local. You'll hear nè everywhere in the South.
đó and kia: "that" up close and "that" way over there
Vietnamese splits "that" into two distances. đó is "that" for something nearby-ish or already known between you — the default, everyday "that." kia is "that one over there," further away, often with a little point of the chin or finger.
Good to know
đó is a workhorse in the South. It also means "there," it softens sentences as a particle, and it stands in for the polished Northern word ấy. Where a Hanoi speaker says cái ấy or người ấy, a Saigon speaker almost always says cái đó or người đó. If you're learning Southern Vietnamese online, train your ear to đó and you can basically retire ấy.
đây and đó as places: "here" and "there"
The same words point at locations. đây is "here" (where I am), đó is "there" (where you are, or a spot we both know), and đằng kia is "way over there." Stick ở ("at") in front when you mean a fixed location.
The magic pattern: classifier + này / đó
Here's the trick that unlocks half of daily life. Take a classifier — a little counting word like cái (things), con (animals), trái (fruit, round things), ly (glasses of drink), chén (bowls) — and glue này or đó onto it. Now you can point at anything without knowing its name:
Notice cái nào in that last card — "which one." Swap này/đó for nào and you've got the question form. This little family — cái này / cái đó / cái kia / cái nào — is worth memorizing as a set.
Common mistake
Don't put the demonstrative before the noun like in English. "This coffee" is ly cà phê này, never này ly cà phê. And don't drop the classifier when you point: bare này alone sounds unfinished — say cái này, trái này, con này. The classifier is what makes it sound natural.
Southern vs Northern: where they really differ
The four core words are shared nationwide, but a few close cousins mark you as a Southerner (or a Northerner). This is where "learn Southern Vietnamese online" actually pays off — you pick the Saigon version and stay consistent.
| Meaning | Southern (Saigon) | Northern (Hanoi) |
|---|---|---|
| this (after noun) | này / nầy | này |
| that (known / mentioned) | đó | ấy |
| there | đó | đấy |
| like this | (như) vầy | thế này |
| like that / so | (như) vậy | thế ấy / thế |
| which one | cái nào | cái nào |
The two you'll feel most: Southerners say đó where Northerners say ấy/đấy, and Southerners say vầy/vậy for "like this / like that." Watch them work:
Try it yourself
- Point at a coffee near you and ask the price: "How much is this cup of coffee?"
- Tell a friend "That bag is mine, okay" using đó.
- Say "Come here" to a younger person.
- At a stall, ask for "this one and that one."
- Ask "Which one is cheaper?"
Answers: 1) Ly cà phê này bao nhiêu vậy? · 2) Cái túi đó của tui nha. · 3) Lại đây em. · 4) Cho tui cái này với cái đó nha. · 5) Cái nào rẻ hơn vậy?
Frequently asked questions
Is it này or nầy in the South?
You'll see both. In casual Southern writing and speech many people say and spell it nầy, but standard spelling is này. They mean exactly the same "this." Use này when you write and you'll never be wrong.
What's the difference between đó and kia?
Both mean "that," but distance decides. đó is nearby or already-known ("that one, the one we're talking about"). kia is farther away, something you'd point at across the room or street. When in doubt, đó is the safe everyday choice.
Do I always need a classifier before này or đó?
When pointing at a thing, yes — say cái này, not bare này. But for places and time you don't: ở đây (here), ở đó (there), hôm nay (today), tối nay (tonight) all stand on their own.
Can I really shop just using cái này and cái đó?
Absolutely — locals do it constantly. Point, say cái này or cái đó, add bao nhiêu? for the price, and you can buy almost anything without knowing its name. It's the single most useful pattern for a beginner in Saigon.
How is đó used as a sentence-ending particle?
Southerners drop đó at the end of a sentence to point attention or add a gentle "you know," like Ngon đó! ("It's tasty, you know!"). That's a separate, softer use from the "that/there" meaning — same word, different job.
Learn Southern Vietnamese online with people who actually speak it
SVFF is the school built entirely around the Southern (Saigon) dialect — native teachers from Ho Chi Minh City, since 2014.
- Listen to the SVFF podcast — real Southern Vietnamese, free.
- Book a free trial lesson — 30 minutes 1-on-1 with a native Saigon teacher.
- Browse our courses — structured A0–C1, all Southern dialect.
- Go Unlimited — every course and e-textbook, one payment.
0 Comments
Log in to leave a comment.