Vietnamese (also known as Annamese) is a rich and exotic language. It is spoken in Vietnam, as a second language in neighboring countries, and by 3 million Vietnamese living around the world, but mostly in the US.
It is relatively difficult for the native English speaker to learn Vietnamese. Like Chinese, Vietnamese is a tone language. It also borrows much of its vocabulary from Chinese. It was
originally written using the Chinese writing system, but today Vietnamese is written using an adapted version of the Latin alphabet. There are not as many published or free resources to learn Vietnamese as there are for other languages, but there are enough options to get you started.
Internet/Free Seasite-Vietsite
The Seasite main page for Vietnamese language and culture has lots of cultural info - history, music, food etc. There is also a Vietnamese language section which has lots of lessons with audio.
Internet/Free Vietnamese Online
This site has some interesting supplemental resources for learning Vietnamese. There is reading, listening practice, learning through songs, idioms etc.
Internet/Free FSI Language Courses
This site has downloadable versions (text files are in pdf format and the audio is mp3) of FSI language courses. Vietnamese Volume 1 is available. It is legal and free. This is probably your best free option to learn Vietnamese. The FSI courses are older and a little out-of-date (a lot in some cases) but they are comprehensive learning courses and you just can't beat the price.
Audio Only
Pimsleur Vietnamese Comprehensive
Vietnamese Comprehensive is a new addition to the Pimsleur line. Pimsleurs all-audio format is a great introduction to the language, and with it you'll develop a better accent and conversation ability than with any other published language method. It's a great way to begin to learn Vietnamese. For a more in-depth look at how Pimsleur products work, read
my review of Pimsleur,
or listen to the first lesson of Pimsleur Vietnamese free below!
Software
Rosetta Stone Vietnamese
Rosetta Stone software is probably the most comprehensive product to learn Vietnamese. It uses pictures, text and audio to guide you to learn Vietnamese in a natural way. There is also an online subscription option if you choose. Try out the free demo to get a feel for this excellent program -
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