Translated's Research Center

Vietnam

Asia

To which language should you translate to localize in Vietnam?

What we know from our community

“Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is spoken by the majority of the population as a native language, while ethnic minority groups speak it as a second language.

Vietnamese is a tonal language. Accents are used to denote six distinctive tones: “level” (ngang), “acute-angry” (sắc), “grave-lowering” (huyền), “smooth-rising” (hỏi), “chesty-raised” (ngã), and “chesty-heavy” (nặng). In writing, one tone is represented as unmarked (a), four are indicated with diacritics marked on a vowel (á, à, ả, and ã), and one is marked with a dot under a vowel (ạ).

The language has head-initial directionality, with subject–verb–object order and modifiers following the words they modify. It also uses noun classifiers. In Vietnamese vocabulary, there are many Chinese-Vietnamese words, French-like words, and English terms. Vietnamese also includes a large number of idioms, slang, and legends. 

The language has several dialects, with the three most prominent:

– Northern Vietnamese – This is considered the standard language
-Central Vietnamese
-Southern Vietnamese

There are quite a few differences in pronunciation and vocabulary between the three dialects, but they are mutually understandable – at around the same level as US and UK English.”

LANGUAGE INSIGHT

Official language

Vietnamese (86.80%; 85.8 mln)

Actual languages

Vietnamese (86.80%; 85.8 mln), Tho (1.80%; 1.7 mln), Thai (1.60%; 1.5 mln), Nung (1.10%; 1 mln), Muong (1.50%; 1.4 mln), Khmer (1.40%; 1.3 mln), Chinese (1.40%; 1.3 mln), Man (0.70%; 692k), Miao (0.90%; 889k).

What the top 150 best localized websites in the world do in Vietnam

(Top 150 websites listed in the Global by Design ranking – published annually by Byte Level Research, this report provides a list of globally localized websites, showcasing best practices and emerging trends in their globalization)

  • 82/150 localize by translating into Vietnamese
  • 1/150 localizes by translating into Vietnamese, Thai, Khmer and Vietnamese Sign Language
  • 1/150 localizes by translating into both Vietnamese and Khmer
  • 1/150 localizes by translating into Vietnamese, French and Chinese
  • 1/150 localizes by translating into Chinese
  • Localization available 3M
  • Localization not available ABB
  • Localization not available Accenture
  • Localization available Adidas
  • Localization available Adobe
  • Localization available Airbnb
  • Localization not available Aldi
  • Localization not available Amazon
  • Localization not available American Airlines
  • Localization not available American Express
  • Localization available Apple
  • Localization available Audi
  • Localization not available Autodesk
  • Localization available Avis
  • Localization available Bayer
  • Localization available BMW
  • Localization available Booking.com
  • Localization available Bosch
  • Localization not available British Airways
  • Localization not available Bumble
  • Localization not available Burberry
  • Localization available BYD
  • Localization available Canon
  • Localization not available Capgemini
  • Localization not available Cartier
  • Localization not available Caterpillar
  • Localization not available Chevrolet
  • Localization available Cisco Systems
  • Localization available Citibank
  • Localization available Coca-Cola
  • Localization not available Costco
  • Localization not available Dell
  • Localization not available Deloitte
  • Localization not available Delta
  • Localization available DHL
  • Localization not available Disney+
  • Localization available Dyson
  • Localization not available eBay
  • Localization not available Eli Lilly
  • Localization available Emirates
  • Localization available