Learn all the Vietnamese New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join VietnamesePod101 for a special Vietnamese New Year celebration!

Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March – December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated.

So, how do you say Happy New Year in Vietnamese? Let a native teach you! At VietnamesePod101, you will learn how to correctly greet your friends over New Year, and wish them well with these Vietnamese New Year wishes!

Table of Contents

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Vietnam
2. Must-Know Vietnamese Words & Phrases for the New Year!
3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions in Vietnamese
4. Inspirational New Year Quotes
5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes
6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages
7. How VietnamesePod101 Can Help You Learn Vietnamese

But let’s start with some vocabulary for Vietnamese New Year celebrations, very handy for conversations.

1. How to Celebrate New Year in Vietnam

New Year’s Day, or Tết dương lịch, takes place on January 1st, and is one of the most important festivals in many nations around the world. In the past, celebrations surrounding New Year’s Day were usually adjusted to suit the Vietnamese lifestyle, but the day eventually became a standard official holiday recognized by the State of Vietnam.

Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?

What is the other name of New Year’s Day in Vietnamese?

If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.

New Year’s Day is not widely regarded as a traditional holiday in Vietnam, so there are no customary dishes associated with it. Instead, Vietnamese people often simply come together for meals at family reunions or with friends. The phrase for “Family reunion” in Vietnamese is sum họp gia đình. From the afternoon of December 31, many trade centers and streets become much more crowded than usual. Young people often gather together for meals, leisure activities, movies, and so on, and then wait for the turn of the new year.

At the moment the year turns over, Vietnamese people join the countdown from 10 to 0, shouting joyfully and greeting the New Year. In recent years, a brand of beer that is popular in Vietnam, Heineken, has regularly sponsored and organized the Countdown Party, or Lễ đếm ngược, in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Using an extravagant sound and lighting system, the party has quickly become very successful. At this event, many famous singers and DJs are invited to perform and create a lively atmosphere.

When the clock strikes midnight, fireworks are let off and people shout “Happy New Year,” or in Vietnamese Chúc mừng năm mới. However, as fireworks can cause damage if used improperly, the locations and quantity of fireworks allowed to be set off each year are decided by the government. Major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang are often popular places for fireworks, but the quantity of fireworks set off is typically less than that of the Lunar New Year’s Day, or Tết Âm lịch.

Now it’s time to answer our quiz question!

Do you know any other names for New Year’s Day in Vietnamese?

New Year’s Day is also known as Western New Year’s Day or in Vietnamese “Tết Tây” which literally means Western Tet. It’s because this holiday was rooted in the French Colonial period when the Western calendar first began to be adopted and used in Vietnam.

Happy New Year!
Chúc mừng năm mới!

2. Must-Know Vietnamese Words & Phrases for the New Year!

1- Year

năm

This is pretty self-explanatory. Most countries follow a Gregorian calendar, which has approximately 365 days in a year, while in some cultures, other year designations are also honored. Therefore, New Year’s day in Vietnam could fall on a different day than in your country. When do you celebrate New Year?

2- Midnight

nửa đêm

The point in time when a day ends and a new one starts. Many New Year celebrants prefer to stay awake till midnight, and greet the new annum as it breaks with fanfare and fireworks!

3- New Year’s Day

năm mới

In most countries, the new year is celebrated for one whole day. On the Gregorian calendar, this falls on January 1st. On this day, different cultures engage in festive activities, like parties, parades, big meals with families and many more.

4- Party

tiệc

A party is most people’s favorite way to end the old year, and charge festively into the new one! We celebrate all we accomplished in the old year, and joyfully anticipate what lies ahead.

5- Dancing

nhảy múa

Usually, when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year officially begins, people break out in dance! It is a jolly way to express a celebratory mood with good expectations for the year ahead. Also, perhaps, that the old year with its problems has finally passed! Dance parties are also a popular way to spend New Year’s Eve in many places.

6- Champagne

rượu sâm banh

Originating in France, champagne is a bubbly, alcoholic drink that is often used to toast something or someone during celebrations.

7- Fireworks

pháo hoa

These are explosives that cause spectacular effects when ignited. They are popular for announcing the start of the new year with loud noises and colorful displays! In some countries, fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits. In others, the use of fireworks is forbidden in urban areas due to their harmful effect on pets. Most animals’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’, so this noisy display can be very frightful and traumatising to them.

8- Countdown

đếm ngược

This countdown refers to New Year celebrants counting the seconds, usually backward, till midnight, when New Year starts – a great group activity that doesn’t scare animals, and involves a lot of joyful shouting when the clock strikes midnight!

9- New Year’s Holiday

kỳ nghỉ lễ Năm mới

In many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday – to recuperate from the party the previous night, perhaps! Families also like to meet on this day to enjoy a meal and spend time together.

10- Confetti

hoa giấy

In most Western countries, confetti is traditionally associated with weddings, but often it is used as a party decoration. Some prefer to throw it in the air at the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

11- New Year’s Eve

đêm giao thừa

This is the evening before New Year breaks at midnight! Often, friends and family meet for a party or meal the evening before, sometimes engaging in year-end rituals. How are you planning to give your New Year greetings in 2018?

12- Toast

nâng cốc chúc mừng

A toast is a type of group-salutation that involves raising your glass to drink with others in honor of something or someone. A toast to the new year is definitely in order!

13- Resolution

quyết tâm

Those goals or intentions you hope to, but seldom keep in the new year! Many people consider the start of a new year to be the opportune time for making changes or plans. Resolutions are those intentions to change, or the plans. It’s best to keep your resolutions realistic so as not to disappoint yourself!

14- Parade

cuộc diễu hành

New Year celebrations are a huge deal in some countries! Parades are held in the streets, often to celebratory music, with colorful costumes and lots of dancing. Parades are like marches, only less formal and way more fun. At VietnamesePod101, you can engage in forums with natives who can tell you what Vietnamese New Year celebrations are like!

3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions

So, you learned the Vietnamese word for ‘resolution’. Fabulous! Resolutions are those goals and intentions that we hope to manifest in the year that lies ahead. The beginning of a new year serves as a good marker in time to formalise these. Some like to do it in writing, others only hold these resolutions in their hearts. Here are our Top 10 New Year’s resolutions at VietnamesePod101 – what are yours?

Learn these phrases and impress your Vietnamese friends with your vocabulary.

1- Read more

Đọc thêm.

Reading is a fantastic skill that everyone can benefit from. You’re a business person? Apparently, successful business men and women read up to 60 books a year. This probably excludes fiction, so better scan your library or Amazon for the top business reads if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the successful! Otherwise, why not make it your resolution to read more Vietnamese in the new year? You will be surprised by how much this will improve your Vietnamese language skills!

2- Spend more time with family

Dành nhiều thời gian hơn cho gia đình.

Former US President George Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush, was quoted as having said this: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” This is very true! Relationships are often what gives life meaning, so this is a worthy resolution for any year.

3- Lose weight

Giảm cân.

Hands up, how many of you made this new year’s resolution last year too…?! This is a notoriously difficult goal to keep, as it takes a lot of self discipline not to eat unhealthily. Good luck with this one, and avoid unhealthy fad diets!

4- Save money

Tiết kiệm tiền.

Another common and difficult resolution! However, no one has ever been sorry when they saved towards reaching a goal. Make it your resolution to save money to upgrade your subscription to VietnamesePod101’s Premium PLUS option in the new year – it will be money well spent!

5- Quit smoking

Bỏ thuốc lá.

This is a resolution that you should definitely keep, or your body could punish you severely later! Smoking is a harmful habit with many hazardous effects on your health. Do everything in your power to make this resolution come true in the new year, as your health is your most precious asset.

6- Learn something new

Học thứ gì mới.

Science has proven that learning new skills can help keep brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay! It can even slow down the progression of the disease. So, keep your brain healthy by learning to speak a new language, studying towards a qualification, learning how to sew, or how to play chess – no matter how old you are, the possibilities are infinite!

7- Drink less

Uống ít hơn.

This is another health resolution that is good to heed any time of the year. Excessive drinking is associated with many diseases, and its effect can be very detrimental to good relationships too. Alcohol is a poison and harmful for the body in large quantities!

8- Exercise regularly

Tập thể dục thường xuyên.

This resolution goes hand-in-hand with ‘Lose weight’! An inactive body is an unhealthy and often overweight one, so give this resolution priority in the new year.

9- Eat healthy

Ăn uống lành mạnh.

If you stick with this resolution, you will lose weight and feel better in general. It is a very worthy goal to have!

10- Study Vietnamese with VietnamesePod101

học tiếng Việt cùng VietnamesePod101.com

Of course! You can only benefit from learning Vietnamese, especially with us! Learning how to speak Vietnamese can keep your brain healthy, it can widen your circle of friends, and improve your chances to land a dream job anywhere in the world. VietnamesePod101 makes it easy and enjoyable for you to stick to this resolution.

4. Inspirational New Year Quotes

Everyone knows that it is sometimes very hard to stick to resolutions, and not only over New Year. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but all of us need inspiration every now and then! A good way to remain motivated is to keep inspirational quotes near as reminders that it’s up to us to reach our goals.

Click here for quotes that will also work well in a card for a special Vietnamese new year greeting!

Make decorative notes of these in Vietnamese, and keep them close! Perhaps you could stick them above your bathroom mirror, or on your study’s wall. This way you not only get to read Vietnamese incidentally, but also remain inspired to reach your goals! Imagine feeling like giving up on a goal, but reading this quote when you go to the bathroom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” What a positive affirmation!

5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes

Still undecided whether you should enroll with VietnamesePod101 to learn a new language? There’s no time like the present to decide! Let the following Language Learning Quotes inspire you with their wisdom.

Click here to read the most inspirational Language Learning Quotes!

As legendary President Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” So, learning how to say Happy New Year in Vietnamese could well be a way into someone special’s heart for you! Let this year be the one where you to learn how to say Happy New Year, and much more, in Vietnamese – it could open many and unexpected doors for you.

6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages

Here’s a lovely bonus for you! Why stop with Vietnamese – learn how to say Happy New Year in 31 other languages too! Watch this video and learn how to pronounce these New Year’s wishes like a native in under two minutes.

7. Why Enrolling with VietnamesePod101 Would Be the Perfect New Year’s Gift to Yourself!

If you are unsure how to celebrate the New Year, why not give yourself a huge gift, and enroll to learn Vietnamese! With more than 12 years of experience behind us, we know that VietnamesePod101 would be the perfect fit for you. There are so many reasons for this!

• Custom-tailored Learning Paths: Start learning Vietnamese at the level that you are. We have numerous Learning Pathways, and we tailor them just for you based on your goals and interests! What a boon!
• Marked Progress and Fresh Learning Material Every Week: We make new lessons available every week, with an option to track your progress. Topics are culturally appropriate and useful, such as “Learning how to deliver negative answers politely to a business partner.” Our aim is to equip you with Vietnamese that makes sense!
• Multiple Learning Tools: Learn in fun, easy ways with resources such 1,000+ video and audio lessons, flashcards, detailed PDF downloads, and mobile apps suitable for multiple devices!
• Fast Track Learning Option: If you’re serious about fast-tracking your learning, Premium Plus would be the perfect way to go! Enjoy perks such as personalised lessons with ongoing guidance from your own, native-speaking teacher, and one-on-one learning on your mobile app! You will not be alone in your learning. Weekly assignments with non-stop feedback, answers and corrections will ensure speedy progress.
• Fun and Easy: Keeping the lessons fun and easy-to-learn is our aim, so you will stay motivated by your progress!

There’s no reason not to go big in 2018 by learning Vietnamese with VietnamesePod101. Just imagine how the world can open up for you!

Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Vietnamese? VietnamesePod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Vietnamese Christmas phrases!

Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Vietnamese speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas phrases and vocabulary, VietnamesePod101 will teach you the most important ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Vietnamese!

Table of Contents

1. How to Celebrate Christmas in Vietnam
2. Holiday Greetings and Wishes
3. Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary
4. Twelve Days of Christmas
5. Top 10 Christmas Characters
6. How VietnamesePod101 Can Help You

1. How to Celebrate Christmas in Vietnam

In Vietnam, Christmas or, Giáng sinh, is regarded as a public holiday even though it is not an official holiday. It is held from the evening of December 24 to December 25.

Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question-

What’s the greeting Vietnamese people use most often on Christmas cards?

If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep reading.

About a week before Christmas, trade centers and major hotels in Vietnam start to decorate pine trees around their properties to make Christmas trees, or cây thông Nô-en. People also put up decorative Santa Claus, or ông già Nô-en, reindeer mannequins, and many colorful lights to draw people’s attention. On Christmas Day, Catholic families prepare to attend the Mass at their parish churches, which are also decorated with shimmering lights to welcome parishioners on Christmas Eve, or đêm Giáng sinh in Vietnamese.

Although the majority of Vietnamese people are Buddhist, Christmas has become a widely-welcomed cultural festival in Vietnam. Young people in particular, including those who are not Catholic, eagerly prepare gifts for friends and loved ones on this holiday. After having meals, and going out and taking pictures with the Christmas trees and large snowmen, couples and groups of friends usually go to churches, or nhà thờ, to watch parishioners take part in the Mass and feel the atmosphere of Christmas Day more fully.

But of course, it wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention the most familiar character associated with Christmas: Santa Claus. Foreign companies in Vietnam often hire a person to play Santa Claus and perform in Christmas parties, or bữa tiệc Giáng sinh, for employees and their families. LIkewise, Santa Claus appears in large entertainment centers to pose for photos with children. In the week before Christmas, events in which Santa Claus delivers Christmas gifts are also popular. During this time of year, you will inevitably see a lot of Santa Clauses delivering gifts in person, not just sitting on sleighs pulled by reindeer or cars. They sometimes even drive motorbikes!

Now it’s time to answer our quiz question!

What’s the greeting Vietnamese people use most often on Christmas cards?

The most popular greeting on Christmas cards is “Chúc Giáng sinh an lành!” which means “Merry Christmas!” Also, you can find Chúc Giáng sinh vui vẻ và ấm áp! meaning “Wishing you a happy and warm Christmas Day” on many cards.

2. Holiday Greetings and Wishes for the Holiday Season

1- Merry Christmas!

Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ!

Do you know how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Vietnamese? Learn here how to pronounce it perfectly! ‘Merry’ means to be joyful, to celebrate and generally be in good spirits. So, with this phrase you are wishing someone a joyful, celebratory remembrance of Christ’s birth!

2- Happy Kwanzaa!

Chúc bạn ngày lễ Kwanzaa vui vẻ!

Surprise your African-American, or West African native friends with this phrase over the Christmas holidays! Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious celebration, starting on Dec 26th each year. It has its roots in African American modern history, and many people celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas!

3- Have a happy New Year!

Chúc bạn một năm mới hạnh phúc!

In countries where Christmas is not officially celebrated, but a Gregorian calendar is observed, this would be a friendly festive-season wish over New Year.

4- Happy Hanukkah!

Chúc bạn có một ngày lễ Hanukkah vui vẻ!

Hanukkah is the beautiful Hebrew festival over November or December each year. It is also called the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated to commemorate the Jewish freedom of religion.

5- Have a great winter vacation!

Chúc bạn một kỳ nghỉ đông tuyệt vời!

This is a good phrase to keep handy if someone doesn’t observe any religious festival over the Christmas holidays! However, this will only be applicable in the Northern hemisphere, where it is winter over Christmas.

6- See you next year!

Hẹn gặp bạn vào năm tới!

Going away on holiday over Christmas season, or saying goodbye to someone about to leave on vacation? This would be a good way to say goodbye to your friends and family.

7- Warm wishes!

Gửi tới bạn những lời chúc ấm áp!

An informal, friendly phrase to write in Vietnamese Christmas cards, especially for secular friends who prefer to observe Christmas celebrations without the religious symbolism. It conveys the warmth of friendship and friendly wishes associated with this time of year.

8- Happy holidays!

Chúc bạn kỳ nghỉ lễ vui vẻ!

If you forget how to say ‘Merry Christmas!’ in Vietnamese, this is a safe, generic phrase to use instead.

9- Enjoy the holidays!

Hãy tận hưởng những ngày nghỉ lễ!

After saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in Vietnamese, this would be a good phrase with which to wish Christmas holiday-goers well! It is also good to use for secular friends who don’t celebrate Christmas but take a holiday at this time of the year.

10- Best wishes for the New Year!

Chúc bạn những điều tốt đẹp nhất cho năm mới!

This is another way of wishing someone well in the New Year if they observe a Gregorian calendar. New Year’s day would then fall on January 1st.

3. Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary

Christmas is associated with many traditions and religious symbols in multiple countries across the world. It originated centuries ago in the West with the birth of Christianity, and the celebrations are often embedded with rich cultural significance. So, by now you know how to say Merry Christmas in Vietnamese! Next, learn pertinent vocabulary and phrases pertaining to Christmas, as well as how to pronounce them correctly. At VietnamesePod101, we make sure you sound like a native speaker!

1- Christmas

Giáng sinh

This is the Vietnamese word for ‘Christmas’. Most happy Christmas wishes in Vietnamese will include this word!

2- Snow

tuyết

In most Northern-hemisphere countries, Christmas is synonymous with snow, and for Christmas, the snowman is often dressed as Santa Claus.

3- Snowflake

hoa tuyết

Snowflakes collectively make up snow. A single snowflake is small, white, light like a feather and icy cold! When put under a microscope, the snowflake reveals itself to have the most beautiful, symmetrical patterns. These patterns have become popular Christmas decorations, especially in Western countries.

4- Snowman

người tuyết

As you guessed – a snowman is only possible to build if it is snowing! What a fun way to spend Christmas day outside.

5- Turkey

gà tây

Roast turkey is the traditional main dish on thousands of lunch tables on Christmas day, mainly in Western countries. What is your favorite Christmas dish?

6- Wreath

vành hoa

Another traditional Western decoration for Christmas, the wreath is an arrangement of flowers, leaves, or stems fastened in a ring. Many families like to hang a Christmas wreath outside on their houses’ front doors.

7- Reindeer

con tuần lộc

Reindeer are the animals commonly fabled to pull Santa Claus’ sled across the sky! Western Christmas folklore tells of Father Christmas or Santa Claus doing the rounds with his sled, carrying Christmas presents for children, and dropping them into houses through the chimney. But who is Santa Claus?

8- Santa Claus

Ông già Nô en

Santa Claus is a legendary and jolly figure originating in the Western Christian culture. He is known by many names, but is traditionally depicted as a rotund man wearing a red costume with a pointy hat, and sporting a long, snow-white beard!

9- Elf

yêu tinh

An elf is a supernatural creature of folklore with pointy ears, a dainty, humanoid body and a capricious nature. Elves are said to help Santa Claus distribute presents to children over Christmas!

10- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Ru đô, chú tuần lộc mũi đỏ

‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ is a Christmas song based on an American children’s story book with the same name. Rudolph is one of Santa’s reindeer. The song became more famous than the book, and can still be heard playing in many shopping malls over Christmas time across the globe!

11- North Pole

Bắc cực

The cold North Pole is where Santa Claus is reputed to live with his reindeer!

12- Sled

xe trượt tuyết

A sled is a non-motorised land vehicle used to travel over snow in countries where it snows a lot, and is usually pulled by animals such as horses, dogs or reindeer. This one obviously refers to Santa’s sled! Another word for sled is sleigh or sledge.

13- Present

quà tặng

Gift or present giving is synonymous with Christmas Eve and the greatest source of joy for children over this festive time! This tradition signifies that Christ’s birth was a gift to mankind, but not all people who hand out presents over Christmas observe the religious meaning.

14- Bell

chuông

On Christmas Day, or Christmas Eve, many religious celebrants enjoy going to church for a special sermon and Christmas rituals. The start of the sermon is often announced with bells or a bell, if the church has one. For this reason, the sound of ringing bells is often associated with Christmas Day.

15- Chimney

ống khói

The chimney is the entrance Santa Claus uses to deliver children’s presents on Christmas Day, according to folklore! Wonder how the chubby man and his elves stay clean…?!

16- Fireplace

lò sưởi

In most countries where it snows, Christmas is synonymous with a fire or burning embers in houses’ fireplaces. Families huddle around its warmth while opening Christmas presents. Also, this is where Santa Claus is reputed to pop out after his journey down the chimney!

17- Christmas Day

Ngày Giáng sinh

This is the official day of commemorative celebration of Christ’s birth, and falls each year on December 25.

18- Decoration

sự trang trí

Decorations are the colourful trinkets and posters that make their appearance in shops and homes during the Christmas holiday season in many countries! They give the places a celebratory atmosphere in anticipation of the big Christmas celebration. Typical Christmas decorations include colorful photographs and posters, strings of lights, figurines of Santa Claus and the nativity scene, poinsettia flowers, snowflakes and many more.

19- Stocking

bít tất

According to legend, Santa Claus places children’s presents in a red stocking hanging over the fireplace. This has also become a popular decoration, signifying Christmas.

20- Holly

cây ô rô

Holly is a shrub native to the UK, and parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. It is characterised by glossy, spiny-toothed leaves, small, whitish flowers, and red berries. Ironically, its significance for Christmas relates to Christ’s crucifixion and suffering rather than his birth. However, the leaves’ distinctive shape and image have become popular Christmas decorations.

21- Gingerbread house

ngôi nhà làm bằng bánh gừng

According to legend, the gingerbread house synonymous with Christmas is related to Christ’s birth place, Bethlehem. Bethlehem literally means ‘House of Bread’. Over centuries, it has become a popular treat over Christmas time in many non-religious households as well.

22- Candy cane

kẹo cây

According to folklore, Christmas candy canes made their appearance first in Germany in the 16th century. A choir master gave children the candy canes to suck on in church in order to keep them quiet during the Christmas sermon! Apparently, the candy is shaped like a cane in remembrance of the shepherds who were the first to visit the baby Jesus. Today, like gingerbread houses, they are still a popular sweet over the festive season!

23- Mistletoe

cây tầm gửi

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on certain trees. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the mistletoe has magical powers, and could protect a household from evil if hung above a door during December. The belief didn’t last but the habit did, and the mistletoe is another popular Christmas decoration!

4. Twelve Days of Christmas

Wow, you’re doing extremely well! You know how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Vietnamese, and you learned pertinent vocabulary too! The Twelve Days of Christmas is not very well known in modern times, so, you’re on your way to becoming an expert in Christmas traditions and rituals. Well done!

The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a traditional festive period of 12 days dedicated to celebrate the nativity of Christ. Christmas Day is, for many who observe Twelvetide, the first day of this period.

‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ is also a popular Christmas song about a series of gifts given on each day of Twelvetide. According to experts, these gifts were created as a coded reference to important symbols in the Christian church. Here is a list of those gifts mentioned in the song! Do you recognise them?

5. Top 10 Christmas Characters in American Culture

This is fantastic, you know how to explain almost everything about Christmas in Vietnamese! However, do you know the most popular Christmas characters in American culture? Your knowledge will not be complete without this list.

6. VietnamesePod101 Is One Of The Best Online Language Schools Available!

We don’t just say this – we can prove it! Geared to your personal needs and goals, we have several learning paths from which to choose. From Vietnamese for Absolute Beginners to Advanced Vietnamese, lessons are designed to meet you where you are, and increase your language abilities in fun, easy and interactive lessons! Mastering a new language has never been this easy or enjoyable.

We have over a decade of experience and research behind us, and it shows! With thousands of audio and video lessons, detailed PDF lessons and notes, as well as friendly, knowledgeable hosts, VietnamesePod101 is simply unbeatable when it comes to learning correct Vietnamese. Plenty of tools and resources are available when you study with us. New lessons are added every week so material remains fresh and relevant. You also have the option to upgrade and enjoy even more personalised guidance and services. This is a sure way to fast-track your learning!

So, this Christmas, why don’t you give yourself a present and enroll in VietnamesePod101? Or give an enrollment as a present to a loved one. It will be a gift with benefits for a whole lifetime, not just over Christmas!

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Vietnamese

Going through Vietnamese lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Vietnamese, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Vietnamese. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.

We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Vietnamese and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Vietnamese vocabulary word and the tangible object.

In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through VietnamesePod101.com.

Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Vietnamese Language from the Beginning!

1. Surround yourself with Vietnamese

By surrounding yourself with Vietnamese constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Vietnamese radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.

One great feature of VietnamesePod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.

2. Learn through observation

Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Vietnamese words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Vietnamese.

VietnamesePod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Vietnamese.

3. Speak out loud to yourself

Speaking to yourself in Vietnamese not only gets you in the mindset of Vietnamese, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.

With VietnamesePod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Vietnamese speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.

4. Practice daily

If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.

It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but VietnamesePod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with VietnamesePod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!

Conclusion

Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that VietnamesePod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!

Learn Vietnamese With VietnamesePod101 Today!

Hey Listeners!

Summer is here and love is in the air! But are you going to be able to go on that date with that special someone… who only speaks Vietnamese?!

Step up your game with our Top 10 Vietnamese words and phrases for going on a date! And don’t forget to sign up for a FREE (Yes, it’s a FREE account) lifetime account at VietnamesePod101.com to further your skills even more!

1. I love you.
Tôi yêu bạn.

2. You’re so beautiful.
Em đẹp quá.

3. Girlfriend
bạn gái

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4. Rose
hoa hồng

5. I think of you as more than a friend.
Tôi coi bạn hơn một người bạn.

6. Love
yêu

7. I’ve got a crush on you.
Tôi có cảm tình với bạn.

8. Boyfriend
bạn trai

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9. Romance
sự lãng mạn

10. We were meant to be together.
Chúng ta sinh ra là để dành cho nhau.

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P.S. If you are in a really lovey dovey mood, check out some of these related word lists!
1. Vietnamese Women’s Day
2. 15 Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day
3. Must-Know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary
4. Top 10 Phrases You Always Want To Hear
5. The Top 10 Conversational Phrases In Vietnamese

There are plenty of destinations where you can get by with English, but sometimes you want to do better than just ‘get by’. Here are 6 reasons you should learn the basics of the language of your next trip destination.

1. You will be able to discover your destination better than other tourists.
Getting by is one thing, but actually experiencing a trip abroad is quite another. No amount of guidebooks and online research can compensate for a basic lack of language ability. Speaking the language of your destination permits you to explore that destination beyond the regular tourist traps. Your language skills will not only allow you to dig into all the hidden gems of your destination, but they will also allow you to mingle with the locals to get a true experience on your holiday. Think of it this way: you’re not restricted to talking to the people at the tourist desk anymore.

2. Knowing how to communicate with local police or medical personnel can be life-saving.
Before you leave for your destination, make sure you learn how to ask for help in that destination’s local tongue. Do you know how to ask the waiter if this dish has peanuts in it? Or tell your host family that you’re allergic to fish? Can you tell the local doctor where it hurts? Moreover, an awareness of an environment improves your chance of remaining safe inside it. For example, walking around a busy marketplace, dazzled by an unfamiliar language, signs and accents will instantly render any tourist a more attractive mark for pickpockets. Communicating with other people, asking questions and looking confident will make you look like a semi-local yourself, and will ward off potential thieves.

Click here for Vietnamese Survival Phrases that will help you in almost every situation

3. It helps you relax.
Traveling is much less stressful when you understand what that announcement at the airport was saying, or if this bus line reaches your hotel. These things stress you out when traveling and they disappear when you understand the language. This allows you to focus on planning your trip in a better, easier way.

4. Speaking the language can provide you with a way to get to know people you’d never otherwise have the opportunity to speak with.
Sometimes those relationships turn into friendships, and other times they’re nothing more than a lively conversation. Either way, as Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” When you approach someone – even staff at a store or restaurant – with English, rather than their own language, an invisible divide has already been erected. Making even a small effort to communicate in the language of the place you’re visiting can go a long way and you’ll find many more doors open up to you as a result.

Click here for the Top 25 Vietnamese Questions you need to know to start a conversation with anyone

5. You’ll be a better ambassador for your country.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we know very little about other countries and cultures, especially the local politics. And what we do know is often filtered to us by the media, which tends to represent only certain interests. When you can speak the local language, you’re able to answer questions that curious locals have about your country and culture. Are you frustrated with how your country is presented in global news? Are you embarrassed by your country’s leaders and want to make it clear that not everyone is like that where you’re from? This is a very good opportunity to share your story with people who have no one else to ask. We all have a responsibility to be representatives of the place we come from.

6. Learning another language can fend off Alzheimer’s, keep your brain healthy and generally make you smarter.
For more information, check out this blog post about the 5 Benefits of Learning a New Language.