Currently, there are 85 million native speakers of Vietnamese, which makes it slightly more than the number of native speakers of Korean, Italian, or Egyptian Arabic (source Wikipedia). Vietnamese is the 20th most spoken language in the world and the 6th most-spoken language in the US. There is also a significant amount of Vietnamese population in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Czech Republic, where Vietnamese is officially regarded as a minority language as well. However, Vietnamese is rarely learned by foreigners, and it is not a language that is used in most parts of the world outside Vietnam. So, is there a benefit to learning Vietnamese?
I believe learning any language is beneficial and can open many doors for you, even if it’s a language that is rarely learned by other people. By learning Vietnamese, you will stand out from the crowd.
Also, I believe motivation and personal interests are important when it comes to learning a foreign language. If you are more interested in Vietnamese, than for example German or Chinese, go for it.
The Benefits of Learning Vietnamese
Vietnam is becoming increasingly more influential in the global market, and the country continues to develop at a rapid speed. The country will play a larger role internationally in the future.
Therefore, knowing Vietnamese can be beneficial, and will give you a competitive edge, if your work involves Vietnamese clients or companies. Knowing the language can open up job opportunities in various sectors (e.g. business, education, tourism, and international relations).
And let’s not forget about the cognitive benefits. Due to its tonal system and grammar structure, it provides a stimulating challenge for language learners. Learning a language can delay dementia too.
How many hours do you have to study to become fluent in Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is classified as Category IV in the language difficulty ranking, and it takes around 1,100 hours to learn Vietnamese.
If you want to become fluent in a year, you have to study around 21 hours per week. To reach this goal, you would have to study 3 hours per day.
However, to become fluent in such a difficult language, it may be better (and more realistic) to give yourself more time to learn a language. 3 hours per day might not be realistic for most people. 1 hour of study (sometimes less, sometimes more) is a good, realistic plan. Once you have learned the basics, it’s easier to consume content in the target language (e.g. movies, podcasts, books) and spend more hours on language immersion.
Materials for Learning Vietnamese
Youtube
VietnamesePod101 (For Beginners)
SlowVietnamese (Beginners)
Tieng Viet Oi – Vietnamese Lessons (Beginners, Intermediate)
Learn Vietnamese With SVFF (Beginners, Intermediate)
Apps
Clozemaster
Foreigners who speak Vietnamese (for tips and inspiration)
Lindie Botes (South African polyglot who is learning Vietnamese)
Featured Photo by Kiril Dobrev on Unsplash