Learn Southern Vietnamese: Read With a Saigon Accent
Same spelling, different sounds. Every sound the Southern accent merges, what it never merges, and how to read with your family's accent.
Most apps and textbooks teach the Northern accent. If your family is from the South, the words you hear at home don't match. Good news: the spelling is the same. Only the sounds change, and they change by rule.
Same writing, two accents
Switch the accent and listen.
- tràtea=chàto rub
- vìbecause=dìaunt (mother's side)
- bảoto tell, order=bãostorm, typhoon
- bàntable=bàngIndian almond (tree)
- mátcool, refreshing=máclong-bladed knife
Every sound the South merges
Here is the full list, straight from the app's accent model. Switch to North to compare.
Pronounced the same by default (21)
- d = gi
- v = d = gi
- tr = ch
- s = x
- r = g
- h = qu = rien
- -n = -ng
- -t = -c
- hỏi = ngã
- iêu = iu
- iêm = im
- iêp = ip
- ươu = ưu
- ươi = ưi
- uôi = ui
- uyên = iên
- uyêt = iêt
- -t = -ch · after i
- -n = -nh · after i
- -nh = -n · after ê
- -ch = -t · after ê
Merged by some speakers only (3, off by default)
- -n = -ng · after uô, ươ
- uôm = um
- ưu = iu
Close, but not the same (2)
- -nh ≈ -n
- -ch ≈ -t
One of them, in the words of the native Southern teacher who checked these rules with us: r sounds like g, “when we speak quickly, which is always”.
What the South does not merge
Not everything collapses. After o, ô and u, the lips close on -ng and -c, so these stay apart:
- conchild≠congcurved, bent
- ngọcgem, precious stone≠ngọtsweet
- buồnsad≠buồngroom
Some Saigon speakers do say buồn like buồng: in the app, that one is an option you can switch on.
Everyday words, Southern style
The labels show what the Southern accent changes in each word. Switch to North to see the difference.
- rồialready, thenr = g
- trờisky, heaventr = ch
- khôngno, notsaid as written
- ngườipersonươi = ưi
- chuyệnstory, matterch = truyên = iên = uyêng
- tiềnmoneyiên = iêng = uyên
- biếtto knowiêt = iêc = uyêt
- vuihappy, joyfulv = d = giui = uôi
- dạyes (polite)d = gi = v
- chiềuafternoonch = triêu = iu
- tuổiageuôi = uihỏi = ngã
- rượualcohol, liquor, winer = gươu = ưu
Reading with a Southern accent
If bàn and bàng sound the same to you, how do you know which one is written? You learn the spelling by reading: each spelling gets its own anchor, a word you already know.
Family 1 of 4
- bỏ
- cỏ
- nhỏ
- vỏ
- đỏ
How many of these 5 words can you read right now?
Your accent, rule by rule
Not every Southerner merges the same sounds. In the app, every rule above can be switched off ("I pronounce a real v") or on. Try it on the home page.
More: hỏi and ngã, Vietnamese spelling rules. Pairs a Southern accent says the same: tr vs ch, d vs đ (and gi, v).
See every sound the South and the North say the same way, with real word pairs: Vietnamese letters compared.
Quick answers
Is Southern Vietnamese written differently?
No. The spelling is the same everywhere. Only the sounds change: the South pronounces some different spellings the same way.
How many tones does Southern Vietnamese have?
Six are written, five are heard: in the South, hỏi and ngã sound the same.
Should I learn Northern or Southern Vietnamese?
The one your family speaks. The spelling is shared, so reading in one accent never stops you from reading the other.
Does every Southerner speak the same way?
No. Some merge more sounds than others (uôm and um, for example). That's why every rule can be switched on or off.
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