My Vietnamese Tutor

16/09/2018

I'm developing content for learners of the Vietnamese language. This is beginner level material and is one of many planned around simple conversations in a variety of common situations. Let me know your thoughts.

19/02/2018

The Tết holiday (lunar New Year) in Vietnam dates back more than 1000 years originally from China but Vietnamese practice their own unique traditions and customs for this festive season. One of these is that the first day of the lunar new year is also the birthday of all Vietnamese people.

Tết Nguyên Đán is the Lunar New Year Festival and is the most important Vietnamese holiday. Tết is the celebration of the beginning of spring and marks the start of the new year. It is the time for family and friends reunions, exchanging gifts, spring cleaning and well wishes. Planting a New Years tree or “Cây Nêu” is also a Vietnamese custom which is part of the spring time Tết Festival.
(Read the article below to understand about Vietnamese New Years traditions and culture .
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Let's learn some important vocabulary:
Tết Nguyên Đán = (lit.The Feast of the First Morning of the First Day.)
Ông Táo = The Kitchen God
ngày mùng một tết= The first day of the lunar new year
lì xì (South) tiền mừng tuổi (North) = lucky money (mostly given to children)
pháo bông = fireworks
món ăn truyền thống = traditional food
bánh chưng = sticky rice cake
hoa đào = peach blossom
hoa mai = apricot blossom
cây quất = kumquat tree
chúc mừng năm mới = happy new year

From children’s gambling games to fortune tellers, Vietnamese zodiacs, and the mysterious Kitchen God Tet holiday is a celebration steeped in rich tradition. Read more to see what it's all about.

16/02/2018

Happy New Year ! Chúc mừng năm mới
Mừng Tết Việt Nam - Happy New Year Vietnam

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. From all of us at My Vietnamese Tutor, we would like to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous year ahead and most of all you have lots of successes learning Vietnamese.

The zodiac animal for this year is the Dog and the same as the cat, dog is a close friend to Vietnamese and they respect dog for its faithfulness. A dog person is secretive and you can feel free telling him your secrets that you mind not feel comfortable telling someone else.
Read more about the significance of this animal and others go to the following url.
https://www.vietnamonline.com/culture/vietnamese-zodiac.html

15/02/2018

"Anh yêu em!", "Em yêu anh!" (both mean “I love you!”) Ah… it’s that special time of the year, isn’t it?

Today is Valentine Day. What do Vietnamese people usually do on this special day?

Most couples would express their love by exchanging gifts. The boys usually give their sweetheart a single rose while the girls give their man chocolate. Some really romantic girls may spend a few hours to create special chocolates by hand.

On this day, the streets become crowded and couples find romantic restaurants to enjoy dinner together, go to the movies or go to the shopping mall. Like in our countries, Vietnamese couples wish is to have a peaceful and happy time with their lover.

08/02/2018

Today is Tết Táo Quân in Vietnam and in Vietnamese culture it signals the beginning of the New Year celebrations. Read more below

Tết Táo Quân
Today for most Vietnamese, signals the start of Tết (Lunar New Year festival) because the ceremony of "ông Công - ông Táo" (Land Genie and Kitchen gods) the kitchen God day is considered one of the most essential traditions in Vietnamese culture.

The tradition celebrating Tết Táo Quân has its origins in Chinese mythology and Taoist believes of a Kitchen God or Stove God and is fused with a popular Vietnamese folk tale about a couple named Trọng Cao and Thị Nhi and her later husband Phạm Lang who later became the trio of Deities, or “Táo Quân”

On the 23rd of the last month of the lunar year, every family is busy staging a farewell ceremony for the Land Genie and the Kitchen Gods for their yearly visit of Heaven. The Kitchen Gods, the guardian spirit of the kitchen, are believed to comprise two male gods and one female, who bless the household and keep up the kitchen fire, making every member of the family happy and well-off. As the legend goes, the Land Genie and the Kitchen Gods will ride carps to Heaven on the day to deliver an annual report on the household’s activities to the God of Heaven called the Jade Emperor. As the gods make their journey on the back of fish, it is traditional to release live carps into lakes or rivers, which is considered a kindhearted deed to pray for good luck.

On this day, people also burn paper clothing, including hats, robes and boots, intended for use by the genies on the trip beyond. After the Kitchen Gods go to Heaven, families begin tidying and decorating their houses to usher in the New Year as they believe that a clean house represents a fresh start.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, they return to Earth to resume their duties, which is to oversee the kitchen of the house. This worship to the Spirits of the Earth and the kitchen has a value that reflects the human family happiness. The fire in the kitchen not only manifests the union of the family warm, but also a good harvest and prosperity.
Although residents in each region across the country pay their homage to ông Công and ông Táo in slightly different ways, the gods remain important figures in the rich texture of Vietnamese New Year.
Read more about the The Three Kitchen Gods from link below.
http://www.vietspring.org/custom/taoquan.html

20/10/2017

Chúc Mừng Ngày Phụ Nữ Việt Nam (Happy Vietnamese Women's Day)

07/08/2017

Vietnamese Family Names | Họ Việt Nam

A Vietnamese name usually consists of three parts: the family name (họ) comes first, followed by a middle name (tên đệm or tên lót), and then comes the given name (tên). The most common Vietnamese surname is Nguyễn and about 46% of Vietnamese people have this surname. It comes from the Nguyễn Emperors, the last dynasty of Vietnam. Other common surnames are Trần and Lê because they have similar origins. The most common female middle name is Thị and the most common male middle name is Văn. For instance: Nguyễn Thị Lan (Female name) or Lê Văn Hùng (male name). Many given names can combine a middle name as well.
See a list of the most common surnames below.

Họ = Family name/Surname
Nguyễn | Trần | Lê | Phạm | Huỳnh | Hoàng | Phan | Vũ | Ngô |
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Võ | Đặng | Bùi | Đỗ | Triệu | Thái | Trịnh | Tô | Ngô | Diệp | Châu

The history of Vietnamese surname is very interesting and if you would like to learn more then I encourage you to read an article titled: Why 40% of Vietnamese People Have the Same Last Name, linked below.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/nguyen-name-common-vietnam

08/06/2017

Cách xưng hô trong gia đình
(Family words in Vietnamese)

The way you address someone in Vietnamese is very complex with various forms. The words you use depend on your age and the age, social position of the person you are speaking to, on the family relationship, whether he or she is your grandmother or grandfather (or of their age), your elder or younger brother or sister (or of their age) and on whether the situation is formal or informal. For the one word in English “you” there are many possibilities in Vietnamese with different implications.

When we focus on the way Vietnamese people address members of their family we get a real insight into Vietnamese culture with regard to how respect is shown and it starts within the family. These ideas have a long tradition and come from Confucianism which emphasises five key relationships: ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder to younger and friend to friend.

Vietnamese in the modern world is changing all the time and the way people address each other, even in the family, can be very unique and differ from family to family and likewise when individuals form relationships they chose to address each other in they way they see fit.

Family Word List:
Ông = grandfather
Bà = grandmother
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Bố = father (Northern dialect) Ba = father (Southern dialect)
Mẹ = mother (Northern dialect) Má = mother (Southern dialect)
Con cái = children (con = child)
Con gái = daughter
Con trai = son
Anh (trai) = brother (your elder brother)
Em (trai) = brother (your younger brother)
Chị (gái) = sister (your elder sister)
Em (gái) = sister (your younger sister)
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Forms of uncle:
Ông (your great-uncle)
Bác (your father's older brother or mother's older sister)
Chú (your father's younger brother)
Cậu (your mother's younger brother)
Dượng (your dì's husband)
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Forms of aunt:
Bà (your great-aunt)
Cô (your father's younger sister)
Bác (your father's or mother's older sister)
Bác gái (your father's or mother's elder sister-in-law)
Dì (your mother's younger sister)
Thím (your chú's wife)
Mợ (your cậu's wife)
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Are you interested in learning Vietnamese?
Start by getting your first lesson at My Vietnamese Tutor for free.
Check us out: http://myvietnamesetutor.com/

10/05/2017

PART 1 - Lễ ăn hỏi (Engagement ceremony)

An engagement party (lễ đính hôn) or betrothal ceremony (lễ ăn hỏi) for the Vietnamese, like in other cultures, is a public announcement that the couple intends to marry and usually occurs a month or so, (sometimes a little longer) before the wedding. It is a key moment in the couples relationship because it marks their official journey into marriage and allows them socially to focus on their plans for their wedding.

We'd like outline some important aspects of the engagement in Vietnam.
These days, most engagement ceremonies and parties are held on the same day to accommodate people's busy schedules.
(Photos courtesy of Phuong Oanh Dinh)

Preparations before the ceremony:

The two families will discuss and agree on the number of gift hampers. (usually the number of hampers in the North is odd, from 3, 5, 7 to 15 depending on the house, while in the south, the pool is even) In the hamper there must include a black gift, which is the envelope for the boy's family used to burn incense at the altar of the girl's house. The number of black envelopes with money may depend on the number of the altars at the girl's house. Depending on the number of gift hampers, and the bridegroom must organise single men to carry the offerings and the girl's house does the same ensuring they provide a corresponding number of single female as well. Some common items included in the hamper are listed below.
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lễ đính hôn = lễ ăn hỏi = engagement or betrothal ceremony
bê tráp = gift hampers/trays
phòng bì tiền = envelopes with money
lễ vật = engagement offerings
trầu, cau = Betel and areca
bánh cốm = cereal
mứt sen = dried Lotus
rượu = alcohol
chè = traditional Vietnamese sweet dessert
thuốc lá = ci******es
bánh phu thê (bánh xu xê) = "husband and wife cake"
bánh đậu xanh = green bean cake
lợn sữa quay = roast pork
tiền dẫn cưới = wedding money
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Are you interested in learning Vietnamese?
Start by getting your first lesson at My Vietnamese Tutor for free.
Check us out: http://myvietnamesetutor.com/

06/05/2017

It is always a great feeling when you receive positive feedback from your students. Robert one of our students really hit the mark when commenting on why learning with My Vietnamese Tutor is so beneficial. "There are various sources and resources out there for learning Vietnamese – but only a fluent, native speaker with full knowledge of the current usages of the language can give you relevant and up-to-date insights on how contemporary Vietnamese is actually written and spoken."

Phuong Oanh, one of our talented tutors, also gets a glowing endorsement from her student who commends her for her insights and knowledge of all aspects of the language and says: "Phương Oanh’s ability to elaborate and explain the rules of grammar and as well to ground these in the social context of the language has made the experience of learning Vietnamese so far hugely enjoyable and valuable!" Read the full testimonial from her profile page below.
http://myvietnamesetutor.com/phuong-oanh-dinh/

Learn Vietnamese online with a personal tutor

30/04/2017

Learning Vietnamese is as difficult as any other language to learn but when you start it's worth considering two extremely important factors:
1. How motivated are you to learn?
2. How can you maximise the learning opportunities when starting out?

Here, at My Vietnamese Tutor, we believe that having a personal tutor can help you to both stay motivated and increase your opportunity to learn Vietnamese comprehensively. Give us a go and start by getting your first lesson at My Vietnamese Tutor for free.
Check us out: http://myvietnamesetutor.com/

An interesting article on how difficult it is to learn Vietnamese from the City Pass Guide written by Arik Jahn raises some important issues that people often experience when starting to learn Vietnamese. In summary, he points to two main issues that usually hamper learning then offers some tips. See below.

Problem No. 1: Can Somebody Please Make Me Speak Vietnamese?
Problem No 2: The Pronunciation Is Not Only Darn Difficult, but Crucial

Quick and Dirty Tips to Learn Vietnamese Properly

1. Start right away.
I’ve met so many expats saying they will start soon, very soon. Personally gathered statistics prove that if you don’t start within your first months here, you never will.

2. Realise that you already know how to pronounce Vietnamese.
We all do use tones in our native languages, just for different purposes! Take the admittedly not very common question “Fur?” (Like a doubtful answer to somebody asking what the difference between mammals and reptiles is.) Pronounce it like Sherlock and you’ll say an almost perfect phở.

3. Speak loud and clear.
Basic, I know. But if you wait for your Vietnamese level to give you confidence, you’ll wait forever. Most of the time, people quite simply can’t hear what you mumble. Speak up, even when in doubt.

4. Put yourself in situations where you have to speak Vietnamese.
If life doesn’t force you, force yourself. Two to three minutes per day are enough, be it with your colleagues, your cleaning lady or that fried-bananas guy on the corner.

5. Get a Vietnamese boy- or girlfriend.
It’s sad but a fact. You rarely ever meet someone who’s committed to learning Vietnamese for longer than a couple of months without a very good reason. And what better reason would there be than good ol’ love?
Read the full article https://www.citypassguide.com/en/living/ho-chi-minh-city/education/blog/how-difficult-is-it-to-learn-vietnamese