• Why Study Vietnamese?
• Programs
• Study Elsewhere Opportunities
• FAQs

Why Study Vietnamese?

• Vietnamese is part of the Mon-Khmer subfamily of Austro-Asiatic languages. The Vietnamese alphabet uses Roman characters, some diacritical marks and tones. Vietnamese has three main dialects; they are spoken in the northern, central and southern parts of Vietnam.
• Vietnamese is the official language spoken by eighty million people in Vietnam and approximately two million overseas Vietnamese.
• Students that attain high proficiency in Vietnamese will find new opportunities for employment opening up. International business organizations and multilateral organizations prefer to hire candidates who can speak the local language.
• Learning Vietnamese is a way to discover the country’s rich and varied culture. The acquisition of this language skill not only helps students who have Vietnamese roots understand their parents’ country, but it also prepares foreign students to work and study in Vietnam.
• Vietnam consists of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups, which blend together to make up Vietnamese culture. If you wish to do graduate work in any area, such as language, history, or Vietnamese studies, you can gain access to a rich literature by learning Vietnamese.

Programs

• Visit the Department of East Asian Studies website for more information.
• Consult the A&S calendar for specific course offerings.

Study Elsewhere Opportunities

There are many possibilities of studying in Vietnam. Consult the department for more information.

FAQs

1. What dialects would you be learning?
   The northern dialect. The dialect of the national capital Hanoi represents the phonetic system of the standard form of Vietnamese more accurately than the other dialects. The UofT Vietnamese language course introduces students to the contemporary Hanoi dialect.
2. How many tones marks exist in Vietnamese?
   There are six tones. Vietnamese is a tonal language, where changes of the pitch level signal a change in meaning. You will learn how to use tones in the first week of the course, and will further develop an ear for the tones during the rest of the programme.
3. How can I say “hello” and “good bye” in Vietnamese?
   It is simple. Just say "Chµo" (Ciao)
4. Can I study or work in Vietnam?
   There are many possibilities of studying and working in Vietnam. You can find job opportunities on the VietnamWorks website.