Chào hỏi

A1 — Thực hành

Greetings: Xin chào, Chào anh/chị, Tạm biệt

Can greet people appropriately using pronoun-based greetings and common Vietnamese greeting customs

Examples

Chào chị! Chị khỏe không? — Hello! How are you? (to older woman)
Ăn cơm chưa? — Ăn rồi, cảm ơn! — Eaten yet? — Already, thanks!
Tạm biệt! Hẹn gặp lại! — Goodbye! See you!

Thực hànhA1

Greetings

Greetings and goodbyes

Learning Goal

Can greet and say goodbye appropriately

Exam Skills:Nghe hiểuNói

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Chào chị! Chị khỏe không?

Hello! How are you? (to older woman)

Ăn cơm chưa? — Ăn rồi, cảm ơn!

Eaten yet? — Already, thanks!

Tạm biệt! Hẹn gặp lại!

Goodbye! See you!

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Chào hỏi — Greetings

Vietnamese greetings incorporate the pronoun system — you greet differently based on who you're talking to!

Greeting	When	Register
Xin chào	General hello	Formal, safe for foreigners
Chào anh/chị/em	Hello (to specific person)	Natural, uses kinship pronoun
Ăn cơm chưa?	Have you eaten?	Casual = How are you?
Khỏe không?	Are you well?	Casual check-in
Tạm biệt	Goodbye	Formal
Chào anh/chị nhé	Bye (casual)	With pronoun + nhé
Hẹn gặp lại	See you again	Standard

Ăn cơm chưa? (Eaten rice yet?) is the classic Vietnamese greeting — like 'How are you?' You don't need to literally answer about food!

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Using Xin chào for everything (it's formal/textbook). All learners: Xin chào is what textbooks teach but Vietnamese people mostly use Chào + pronoun. A natural greeting: Chào anh! (Hello, older brother!) is much more natural than Xin chào.

Common Error Patterns

Used Xin chào when Chào + pronoun is more natural

Xin chào is formal/textbook. In real life, use Chào + pronoun: Chào anh! Chào chị! Chào em!

Chào chị! Chị khỏe không?

Hello! How are you? (to older woman)

Chào + pronoun is more natural than Xin chào. khỏe không? = well not? = Are you well?

Ăn cơm chưa? — Ăn rồi, cảm ơn!

Eaten yet? — Already, thanks!

The most Vietnamese greeting! Not really about food — it's like 'How are you?' Answer: Ăn rồi (Already) or Chưa (Not yet).

Tạm biệt! Hẹn gặp lại!

Goodbye! See you!

Tạm biệt = goodbye (formal). Hẹn gặp lại = arrange meet again = see you again.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Module 1: Greetings and introductions

Frequently asked questions

When is Chào hỏi used?: Vietnamese greetings incorporate the pronoun system — you greet differently based on who you're talking to!
How is Chào hỏi formed?: Ăn cơm chưa? (Eaten rice yet?) is the classic Vietnamese greeting — like 'How are you?' You don't need to literally answer about food!
What are common mistakes with Chào hỏi?: Using Xin chào for everything (it's formal/textbook). All learners: Xin chào is what textbooks teach but Vietnamese people mostly use Chào + pronoun. A natural greeting: Chào anh! (Hello, older brother!) is much more natural than Xin chào.

Greeting

When

Xin chào

General hello

Formal, safe for foreigners

Chào anh/chị/em

Hello (to specific person)

Natural, uses kinship pronoun

Ăn cơm chưa?

Have you eaten?

Casual = How are you?

Khỏe không?

Are you well?

Casual check-in

Tạm biệt

Goodbye

Formal

Chào anh/chị nhé

Bye (casual)

With pronoun + nhé

Hẹn gặp lại

See you again

Standard

Frequently asked questions

When is Chào hỏi used?

Vietnamese greetings incorporate the pronoun system — you greet differently based on who you're talking to!

How is Chào hỏi formed?

Ăn cơm chưa? (Eaten rice yet?) is the classic Vietnamese greeting — like 'How are you?' You don't need to literally answer about food!

What are common mistakes with Chào hỏi?

Using Xin chào for everything (it's formal/textbook). All learners: Xin chào is what textbooks teach but Vietnamese people mostly use Chào + pronoun. A natural greeting: Chào anh! (Hello, older brother!) is much more natural than Xin chào.