I think anyone who plans to spend a decent amount of time in any country should make an effort to learn the language, it will make your experience of that country so much better. I won’t go into the plethora of advantages of learning Vietnamese here but I will say that of all the people I have heard bitch and moan about this place very few had actually bothered to learn the language.

Due to the difficulty in learning Vietnamese it is almost a necessity to get a teacher, preferably someone to teach you one on one. Be sure to find a teacher who has experience in teaching Vietnamese to foreigners, this is no easy task. You may find someone willing to help you practice your Vietnamese but they may not have the patience or methodology to explain the intricacies of the language.

Thi Huynh is a native of Danang, she has years of experience in teaching Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. She has created her own text book and tries to make her lessons informative and fun. Her schedule is flexible so that students can study when they want, where they want and how often they want.

I personally think that to truly grasp the Vietnamese language you need to be using it and practicing it everyday, perhaps three or four days a week with a teacher then every other day day on your own. Two hours a day everyday for six months should have you reasonably proficient.

Thi Huynh
Vietnamese Teacher
090 505 1008
janne108@yahoo.com