Your first week in Sài Gòn: master the tones, greet people, order drinks and learn survival phrases.
This course is in beta: lessons may still change.
What you'll learn
About this course
Your first week in Sài Gòn: master the tones, greet people, order drinks and learn survival phrases.
One continuing story: Ben, an Australian who moved to Sài Gòn for work, his friend Mai and the neighbours of his hẻm — cô Sáu, anh Tuấn, Vy and chú Bảy — so every new word comes back in real situations.
The 6 lessons
1. Greetings & the flat and falling tones — At Tân Sơn Nhất airport, Ben greets chú Bảy; learners can say hello and their names using pronouns tui, con, structures like Tên tui là, and vocabulary like hông.
2. The rising and heavy tones, thank you and sorry — On a xe ôm in Sài Gòn, Ben receives a call; learners practice apologizing and thanking using words like cảm ơn, xin lỗi, được, and the structure được hông.
3. The hỏi and ngã tones, numbers 0–10 — At a Sài Gòn hotel, Ben talks to a receptionist; learners ask prices and count numbers from không to mười using ngàn, đồng, and the structure bao nhiêu tiền.
4. Southern final sounds and ordering drinks — At a street café, Ben orders a drink; learners can order drinks and ask for the bill using vocabulary like cà phê, trà đá, tính tiền, and Cho tui.
5. Difficult vowels and asking to repeat — At the công ty Xanh office, Mai and Ben chat; learners can ask others to repeat speaking slowly using words like chậm, hiểu, and structure nói lại được hông.
6. Review and oral check — During his first weekend, Ben reviews his trip; learners complete five speaking tests on greetings, numbers, ordering drinks, and asking to repeat, passing the level zero oral check.
What you get
Inside every lesson: an illustrated student book (about 30 pages), native Southern Vietnamese recordings at two speeds (slow and natural), 24 interactive activities (dictation, listening, role-play with a twist, flashcards, tones and pronunciation, games) and a teacher guide your SVFF teacher follows page by page.
How it works
12 live hours with your SVFF teacher, plus about the same time of self-study. Each lesson has two 60-minute sessions with your teacher; lesson 6 is the review and oral check. Passing the oral check moves you up to Level 1.
Southern (Sài Gòn) Vietnamese only: the words and the accent you hear in the street, the market and the office.
Requirements
- No Vietnamese needed: this is the starting level.
- A computer, tablet or phone with internet, and headphones for the recordings.
- About one hour of self-study for every hour of class (activities, recordings, homework).
Goals
- Recognise and pronounce the six tones and Southern final consonants.
- Greet people, say your name and use polite address terms.
- Order drinks, ask for prices and understand numbers from 0 to 10.
- Ask someone to repeat or speak slowly when you do not understand.
Who this course is for
- Adults learning Southern (Sài Gòn) Vietnamese for daily life, work or family
- Complete beginners, or learners placed at A0 in the SVFF level check
- People who want the Vietnamese that Sài Gòn really speaks, with a native Southern teacher
Your Instructor
SVFF is a Vietnamese language school in Ho Chi Minh City. We have taught Vietnamese to English speakers since 2018 — most of them partners, spouses and family of Vietnamese people, learning the language of the people they love. Our courses are built and taught by native teachers from both ends of the country, because Vietnamese is not one accent. What you hear in Hà Nội is not what you hear in Sài Gòn, and a learner who only ever meets one of them gets stuck the moment they travel. We teach the language as it is actually spoken.
Course Curriculum
6 lessons · 12h
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