Updated 11-26-11. I know there are folks out there who are looking for help with pronunciation of Vietnamese words and phrases, and are looking for accurate and easy to understand guidance and reference on how to properly pronounce certain words in Vietnamese. This post, which is Part 2 of this series, aims to help you with exactly what a word or phrase should sound like, in both Northern and Southern Vietnamese accents when appropriate.

Have a Vietnamese word or phrase you’d like to hear? Here’s what you do: Leave a comment to this post with the word(s) you would like to hear pronounced, and I’ll post a response with audio files demonstrating exactly how they should sound. Please include as much information about the words as you can, with maybe the context you found them in, their meanings (if you know), or where you encountered them. This is because with proper accent marks the same looking words may have different pronunciation and meanings altogether. This will help me say them correctly for you. This site is about pho first and foremost, but I’ll post answers to whatever inquiry received.

If you’re looking for more specific pronunciation, check out these posts:

• For the definitive guide to pronounce “pho” in complete conversational sentences with both English and Vietnamese audio: How to Pronounce Pho: You Can Say It, Pronounce Pho, Say: Phở…
• How to Order Pho in Vietnamese

Go to this link to find Part 1 of Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases. A single sound can sometime confuse you even more than no sound at all. Therefore, I’m also providing full sentences to demonstrate how the words/phrases should really sound in everyday conversation. You should be able to recognize these sounds in both English and Vietnamese conversational sentences. I’ll start with something requested by Louie from the last comment from Part 1.

1. Pronounce: “Người Rừng” which literally means “jungle people.”
   • Southern accent (twice, slower then faster) then Northern (twice.)
2. Pronounce the lady’s name: “Nguyệt.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
3. Pronounce: “Tôi nấu ăn cho gia đình tôi” which means “I cook for my family.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
4. Pronounce: “Bún chả giò chay” which means “Vermicelli noodles with Vegetarian Spring rolls.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
5. Pronounce: “Heo xào xả ớt” which means “Pork sautéed in Hot and Spicy Lemongrass.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
6. Pronounce: “Bò xào xả ớt” which means “Beef sautéed in Hot and Spicy Lemongrass.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
7. Pronounce: “nước mắm” which means “fish sauce.”
   • Southern similar to Northern, slow then faster.
8. Pronounce: “con chó, con mèo, con khỉ” which means “the dog, the cat, the monkey.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.

Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases, Part 2 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Bánh phở is the noodle used in the Vietnamese pho dish. Reader Eric left a request over at the other post “Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases” inquiring about what to say when you want to order extra Bánh Phở noodles, or a side order of pho noodles. Eric says:

hi there- i’m wondering how to pronounce the following question about ordering extra rice noodles:
có thể tôi xin có bún thêm cho một đồng đô la phụ? Tôi rất đói.
the direct translation (from google translate) is:
can i please have extra rice noodles for an extra dollar? i’m very hungry.
thanks!

Hmm Google translation helps sometimes, but not in this case.

But first let’s get something straight. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to have bánh phở added to your bowl in the kitchen before they pour in the hot pho broth. Some may prefer a side bowl of just bánh phở at your table, but if you think about it, you’ll want everything in the bowl before the broth is poured in. This is because bánh phở needs to cook with the rest of the other pho ingredients in the bowl. Even if the pho noodles are blanched and then served in a separate side bowl at your table, you’ll have to immediately put it in your bowl. Otherwise if you leave it in the side bowl while enjoying the main portion first, the side noodles will continue to cook on the inside and get all lumped up and mushed together, and will become cold and dry on the outside, all while your broth is cooling in your bowl as well. Anyway if you must then you must, but I recommend extra bánh phở inside the bowl, not outside.

Note that Eric’s message implies that he wants certain quantity (a dollar’s worth) of pho noodles. As far as I know, most pho restaurants either charge one price for sides or none at all. So specifying a dollar amount’s worth of banh pho may not work well in most situations. Also there is absolutely nothing wrong with the “very hungry” part, but I’ll leave that part out of the audio files as well. If someone really must have the “I’m very hungry” then please leave a request in the comment, I’ll do it then.

As requested by Eric, below are 3 variations of ordering extra pho noodles when you’re in a restaurant. The variation between each phrase is very minimal, but the impact can be major. They range from more formal to casual ordering tones.

Pronounce: Ordering extra bánh phở noodles with your phở.

• More formal. Xin cho thêm bánh phở (Please add/give more banh pho noodles.) Southern accent once, then Northern accent twice.
• Neutral. Cho tôi thêm bánh phở (Add/give me more banh pho noodles.) Southern then Northern accent.
• Casual. Cho thêm bánh phở (Add/give more banh pho noodles.) Southern then Northern accent. 

Thanks for the question Eric!

So have you ordered anything extra with your pho? Take the poll below.

How to Order Extra Bánh Phở Noodles With Your Pho is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 08-04-10. Per a request from Barb Carter over at the “Tips on Ordering Pho” post, here are audio files to help with your pho ordering in Vietnamese language. The selection is based on a typical pho menu one may find at many Viet restaurants. So drop me a note in the comment if I missed anything and I’ll add it.

First a few words about convention. In Vietnamese, the word “tô” means “bowl.” When ordering a bowl of pho tai, for example, a Viet would call a “tô phở tái” or just “tô tái.” If you’re already in a pho restaurant, then saying “phở” is redundant and is really not necessary (but optionally okay.) If you’re in a Viet restaurant that also serves pho, then ordering a ”tô phở tái’ would be more appropriate to make it clear that you want pho and not another dish. So for those who find saying pho a little challenging, “tô” will solve your problem!

Note: The “t” in “tô” pronounces as a hard t like in French (e.g., Tour de France) or in Spanish (e.g., Latino,) and not like a soft t in English (i.e., tow truck.)

For pho bo or beef pho, as noted in “Tips on Ordering Pho,” the seemingly endless pho options on the menu are really permutation and combination of the available meat cuts and types that you can mix and match. The most common options are:

• bo chin (sliced well-done steak),
• bo tai (sliced rare steak),
• nam (flank),
• ve don (crunchy flank),
• gau (fatty brisket),
• gan (tendon),
• sach (tripe) and
• bo vien (beef meatballs, normally with tendon).

So without further ado, here is the audio pho menu. As always each has the Southern Viet accent followed by Northern Viet accent.

1. Pronounce: Tô Đặc Biệt Xe Lửa (pho dac biet xe lua) – special (combo) large
   size pho
2. Pronounce: Tô Đặc Biệt (pho dac biet) – special (combo) regular size pho
3. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach) -
   rare steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
4. Pronounce: Tô Chín, Nạm, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach)
   - well-done steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
5. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín, Gầu, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Chin, Gau, Gan, Sach)
   - rare steak, well-done steak, fatty brisket, tendon, tripe pho
6. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín, Nạm, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gan, Sach)
   - rare steak, well-done steak, flank, tendon, tripe pho
7. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gân, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Gan, Sach) – rare steak,
   flank, tendon, tripe pho
8. Pronounce: Tô Tái (pho Tai) – rare steak pho
9. Pronounce: Tô Chín (pho Chin) – well-done steak pho
10. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Chín (pho Tai, Chin) – rare steak, well-done steak pho
11. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Gân (pho Tai, Nam, Gan) – rare steak, flank, tendon
    pho
12. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm, Sách (pho Tai, Nam, Sach) – rare steak, flank,
    tripe pho
13. Pronounce: Tô Nạm, Vè Dòn (pho Nam, Ve Don) – flank, crunchy flank pho
14. Pronounce: Tô Chín, Nạm, Vè Dòn (pho Chin, Nam, Ve Don) – well-done steak,
    flank, crunchy flank pho
15. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Gầu (pho Tai, Gau) – rare steak, fatty brisket pho
16. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Nạm (pho Tai, Nam) – rare steak, flank pho
17. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Gân (pho Tai, Gan) – rare steak, tendon pho
18. Pronounce: Tô Tái, Sách (pho Tai, Sach) – rare steak, tripe pho
19. Pronounce: Tô Bò Viên (Southern)/Tô Phở Bò Viên (Northern) (pho with meatballs) – Viet meatball pho
20. Pronounce: Nước béo (fatty broth) – Southern/Northern similar

Pho Pronunciation – How to Order Pho in Vietnamese is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

There are probably 2 reasons why a non-Viet speaking person wants to know how to pronounce phở. The obvious reason is to be able to order your favorite dish at the restaurant. The other is to be able to talk about and share it with others about your own satisfying gastronomic experience. Being able to do both well becomes the third reason. Why? Because we’re social creatures, and enjoying and sharing food experience is the best satisfaction of all social experiences. But it can be tricky.

So reading the article on Pho Pronunciation still leaves you confused? And “Tips on Ordering Pho” still gives you pause? Well a few readers felt the same way. In fact some indicated to me that they’re still confused, if not more confused, because they still hear different pronunciations of phở. Non-Viet speakers are really looking for something consistent sounding and repeatable, and what they hear from the different sources (including my own on this site) just don’t sound the same and therefore not duplicable.

On Pronouncing Pho

Here are a few things to keep in mind when listening to pho pronunciation while trying to learn to say it.

1. People just don’t speak the same way. Consider how tough it would be for a non-English speaker to learn American English from a New Yorker, a Louisianan and maybe a Californian. The accents alone would be confusing and to the untrained ears, the same word will sound differently depending on whom you talk to. This is why I recorded the audio files in both Northern and Southern Vietnamese, the 2 most prominent Viet accents, when applicable,.
2. It’s one thing to show how a single word sounds, it’s another to demonstrate how it should sound in conversational sentences. Demonstrating how a word sounds in a sentence is the only way for the listener to understand and recognize the word in practical scenarios. A single sound can’t help you speak another language. This is why I recorded the audio files in single word pronunciation plus in complete sentences, often with slower then faster rates of speech.
3. A word such as phở can be used in both Vietnamese and English sentences. There’s no translation for it from Viet to English. A native Vietnamese speaker (especially one with good command of English) will tend to say phở differently when speaking in Viet and in English sentences. This means he/she says phở the correct way when conversing with other Vietnamese, but inadvertently adjusts the pronunciation in such a way to sound ‘normal’ in English, which results in the added confusion. This is why I recorded both Vietnamese and English phrases with phở pronunciation spoken in Viet accent throughout. It’s the only way to get consistency.

So the best thing is to provide consistent, repeatable, varying and practical usage and scenarios, which I attempt to do with the series of audio recordings. My hope is that, with the various ways and context that phở is spoken, the listener will understand and find a way to say phở in his/her own way, correct but different. It’s the same way a Northern Viet and Southern Viet understand each other: we know the word and how it should sound, we know the context in which the word is used, and we know the other person’s accent, so our ears can make the proper adjustments. That’s exactly how we understand each other. I guess that’s why communication is both an art and a science.

On Ordering Pho

Alright, so here are some final thoughts. You may get a funny look from the order taker while trying to order pho in a restaurant. What do you do? Your situation will probably fall in one of these 3 scenarios:

• You’re really mangling the Viet word very very badly, in which case a little more practice is in order. Just have a fun moment and keep trying while pointing at the item on the menu. Absolutely resist the urge to order by the number. Even when the order taker says, “oh you mean number 3?”, just say “that’s right, phở tái chín sách, please.” Practice makes perfect.
• You’re pronouncing your pho selection to perfection that any Viet-speaking person would be proud of, yet the order taker still looks baffled. It may be that he/she didn’t expect such fluent Viet language coming out of your mouth. So just give him/her time to recover, and try again.
• You know you did okay with the pronunciation, but still feel like a fool because the order taker just wouldn’t understand you. He/she may be just messing with you and trying to put you back in your place (where a non-Viet speaking person belongs, i.e. ordering by numbers.) But don’t fret or give up. As a last resort, politely point to the item, smile and say it again. You’ll get what you want. Plus a little respect too.

Pronouncing Pho and Ordering Pho For the Confused and the Timid is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 08-13-11. I’m guessing that there may be folks out there who are looking for help with pronunciation of Vietnamese words and phrases, and are looking for accurate and easy to understand guidance and reference on how to properly pronounce certain words in Vietnamese. This post aims to help you with exactly what a word or phrase should sound like, in both Northern and Southern Vietnamese accents when appropriate. If you’re looking for more specific pronunciation, check out these posts:

• For the definitive guide to pronounce “pho” in complete conversational sentences with both English and Vietnamese audio: How to Pronounce Pho: You Can Say It, Pronounce Pho, Say: Phở…
• How to Order Pho in Vietnamese

Now, on with pronouncing Vietnamese words and phrases. A single sound can sometime confuse you even more than no sound at all. Therefore, I’ll also provide full sentences to demonstrate how the words/phrases should really sound in everyday conversation. You should be able to recognize these sounds in both English and Vietnamese conversational sentences. Here are some useful Vietnamese phrases in no particular order.

1. Pronounce: Pho bac – Northern style pho  
   • “This bowl of pho bac is quite big.”
   • “I eat pho bac every chance I get.”
2. Pronounce: Pho chay – vegetarian pho (Southern then Northern accents)
   • “Pho chay has no meat ingredients.”
   • “I had some pho chay just last week.”
3. Pronounce: Pho ga – chicken pho 
   • “My friend Tim eats pho ga and nothing else.”
   • “Pho ga is my sister’s favorite noodle dish.”
4. Pronounce: Pho tai – rare beef pho 
   • “My friend Mason orders pho tai every time.”
   • “Pho tai is very easy to enjoy.”
5. Pronounce: Hu tieu – a different kind of noodle dish 
   • “I’ll have some hu tieu when pho is not available.”
   • “Hu tieu uses the same noodle as pho.”
6. Pronounce: Tan Son Nhut (or Tan Son Nhat)
   • “Tan Son Nhut,” Southern Viet accent.
   • “Tan Son Nhat,” Northern Viet accent.
7. Pronounce: Hue-Saigon-Hanoi
   • “Hue-Saigon-Hanoi,” Southern Viet accent.
   • “Hue-Saigon-Hanoi,” Northern Viet accent.
8. Pronounce: Bun thit nuong cha gio (Bún thịt nướng chả giò)
   • Southern Viet accent, slow then faster.
   • Northern Viet accent, slow then faster.
9. Pronounce: Cà phê sữa đá / Cà phê sữa nóng (milk coffee, iced/hot)
   • Southern Viet accent, cà phê sữa đá.
   • Northern Viet accent, cà phê sữa đá.
   • Southern Viet accent, cà phê sữa nóng.
   • Northern Viet accent, cà phê sữa nóng.
10. Pronounce: Sữa chua (sour milk or yogurt)
    • Southern then Northern accents.
11. Pronounce: Chè sữa chua nếp cẩm (dessert: yogurt with sticky rice and coconut milk)
    • Southern Viet accent, slow then faster.
    • Northern Viet accent, slow then faster.
12. Pronounce: Dĩa tái sống (plate of uncooked sliced steak)
    • Southern then Northern accents.
13. Pronounce: Xin chúc mừng cho 50 năm hôn nhân và gia đình tuyệt vời (Happy 50th wedding anniversary and a splendid/magnificent family.) See comment #18 below.
    • Northern accent.
    • Southern accent.
14. Pronounce: Xin chúc mừng 50 năm hôn nhân và dồi dào sức khỏe, thọ lâu muôn tuổi (Happy 50th wedding anniversary, with great health and longevity.) See comment #18 below.
    • Northern accent.
    • Southern accent.
15. Pronounce: Chúc mừng sinh nhật (Happy Birthday.) See comments #20 and #21 below.
16. Pronounce: Bún Bò Huế (Hue-style spicy beef noodle). Southern then northern accent.
17. Pronounce: Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang (hu tieu Phnom Penh-style noodle). Southern then northern accent.
18. Pronounce: Bún Mắm (fermented fish soup noodle). Southern then northern accent.
19. Pronounce: Mì Quảng. Southern then northern accent.
20. Pronounce: Việt Nam. Southern then northern accent.
21. Pronounce: Xin Chúa nhận lỗi chúng con (Lord forgive our sins.) Southern then northern accent.
22. Pronounce: Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (Happy New Year.) Southern and northern accent are similar.
23. Pronounce: Bà Nội (Grandmother – maternalpaternal) and Ông Nội (Grandfather – paternal.) Southern and northern accent are similar.
24. Pronounce: Gỏi cuốn (Spring roll.) Southern then northern accents.
25. Pronounce: Đặng Thùy Trâm.
    • Southern and northern accent are similar.
26. Translate and pronounce: “Hey, just hold on there a minute!” This can be translated to several different ways in Vietnamese, depending on the context, personality and region of the speaker. Several variations are provided, but not by any means exhaustive, and each is just as valid and applicable as the other. Only southern accent is provided. First all 4 variations in written form, then audio of all 4 together.
    • 1. “Khoan, chờ một chút, từ từ đã!” “Wait, just a moment, slow down!”
    • 2. “Từ từ, chờ chút!” “Slow down, just a moment!”
    • 3. “Khoan, chờ một chút!” “Wait, just a moment!”
    • 4. “Khoan, từ từ đã, chờ một chút!” “Wait, slow down, just a moment!”
27. Pronounce: Xinh.
    • Southern then northern accent.
28. Pronounce: Cá kho tộ (clay pot fish, or braised fish in caramel.)
    • Southern and northern accents similar. Slower then faster speech.
29. Pronounce: Chúc bạn được một niềm vui và tình yêu thương (loosely translated to “I wish you joy and love.”)
    • Southern accent.
30. Pronounce: Hữu nghĩa (friendship.)
    • Southern accent. Slower then faster speech.
31. Pronounce: Ông ngoại, bà ngoại (grandpa, grandma.)
    • Southern/northern accents similar. Slower then faster speech.
32. Pronounce: Xin vui lòng yên lặng (one variation for “quiet please.”)
    • Southern accent slower then faster speech. Same for Northern accent.
33. Pronounce: Đức Huy Trần or Trần Huy Đức (for Viet names, it’s customary for the surname Tran to go first and the given name Đức goes last.)
    • Đức Huy Trần (Southern accent) then Trần Huy Đức (Southern then Northern accents.)
34. Pronounce: Phi công (pilot) and Đại uý (Army Captain)
    • Phi công – Southern and Northern accent similar, repeated twice.
    • Đại uý – Southern and Northern accent similar, slow then normal speech.
35. Pronounce: Hello, goodbye, please and thank you.
    • Chào (hello, rarely used alone as is,) chào anh (hello to young male acquaintance,) chào chị (hello to young female acquaintance) (Southern accent.)
    • Chào tạm biệt (goodbye.) (Southern then Northern accent.)
    • Vui lòng, xin vui lòng (please, each repeated twice.) (Northern accent.)
    • Cám ơn/Cảm ơn (thank you, either same meaning.) (Each with Northern then Southern accent.)
36. Pronounce: Phở áp chảo bò gà tôm (Pan fried flat rice noodle with beef, chicken, shrimp.)
    • Southern accent, slow then normal speech.
37. Pronounce: Chanh muối/soda chanh muối (salted preserved lemonade in soda.)
    • Southern accent, then Northern.
38. Pronounce: Soda chanh (fresh lemonade in soda.)
    • Southern accent twice, then Northern twice.
39. Pronounce: Sữa đậu nành (fresh soybean milk.)
    • Southern accent, then Northern.
40. Pronounce: Phù Long, Hai Phong VN (a place in North Vietnam.)
    • Southern and Northern accents similar (slow than normal speech.)
    • View Phù Long on map: View Larger Map
    • There are also other places called Phú Long (slow than normal speech.)
41. Pronounce: Bắc Ninh (Province in North Vietnam.)
    • Southern accent, then Northern.
42. Pronounce: Ordering extra bánh phở noodles with your phở in Vietnamese.
    • See “How to Order Extra Bánh Phở Noodles With Your Pho“.
43. Pronounce: Bánh da lợn (Pig skin cake, Vietnamese steamed layer cake made from tapioca starch, rice flour, mashed mung beans, taro, or durian, coconut milk and/or water, and sugar.)
    • Southern accent, then Northern.
44. Here’s a look at what bánh da lợn looks like for those not familiar.
45. Pronounce: Various types of Vietnamese bánh mì in Vietnamese.
    • See “ How to Say Bánh Mì (Banh Mi) Vietnamese Submarine Sandwich “.
46. Pronounce names of boys in orphanage requested by Kay Coombes: Trí Đức, Phước, Lương, Phong, Bình/Bính, Thanh/Thành, Thiên/Thiện, Toi (unknown/not pronounced,) Vũ, Sang, Tâm, Tân, Sơn, Nhật, Tùng, Tuấn.
    • Southern accent only.
47. Pronounce the female name Anh-Thư.
    • Southern accent, then Northern.
48. Pronounce words and names from the play “Minefields and Miniskirts” as requested by Melissa. All pronunciation in Southern accent.
    • Tự Do (freedom.)
    • Vũng Tàu (place name.)
    • Đồng Khởi.
    • Đà Nẳng (place name.)
    • Pleiku (place name.)
    • Lam Sơn (place name.)
    • Lê Lợi (Emperor of Vietnam and founder of the Later Lê Dynasty.)
    • Ban Mê Thuột (city name.)
    • Huế (place name.)
    • Giác Lâm (place name.)
    • Qui Nhơn (place name.)
    • An Khê (place name.)
    • Xanh (color green or blue.)
    • Phương (female name, different from Phượng, also female name or flower.)
49. Pronounce the female name Ngọc-Hân.
    • Southern accent, then Northern.
50. Pronounce the last name Nguyễn.
    • Southern accent (twice,) then Northern (twice.)

In cutlery section of a Little Saigon supermarket: "Please do not use knives to cut the jackfruit. Thank you."

Requests are closed for this post, but still have a Vietnamese word or phrase you’d like to hear? Here’s what you do: Go to Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases, Part 2 and leave a comment to that post with the word(s) you would like to hear pronounced, and I’ll post a response with audio files demonstrating exactly how they should sound.

Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 07-22-10. You need only read a few of my posts on this site and you’ll understand my passion for pho. I take my pho seriously. And personally, I’m not one to make fun at my favorite, beloved and respected chow. Certainly not in substance, not in name, and definitely not in pronunciation.

Fuh? foe? FO? Fu-uuuuuhh? PhuUUH? What the P…? Well, you will find no funny stuff here. On the other hand, pronouncing “pho” can be challenging if you don’t have the correct pho pronunciation to go by.

Use your favorite search engine and you’ll find various ways that people suggest how to pronounce pho. If you care and search long enough you’ll discover one or two ways to say “pho” getting propagated by many people. Well guess what, regardless of how widely spread and popular these Internet versions are, and how well-intentioned the individuals may be, these “pho” versions are incorrect pronunciation.

Since my goal aims to stop further proliferation of such ‘slanderous’ treatment of my favorite noodle dish called pho, I won’t mention them here to further the butchering of the word. Instead I’ll offer the following for your reading (and listening) enlightenment.

First let’s set the record straight. I’m not a hard-liner. I believe in freedom and capitalism as the next sensible person. But I think we can all do better with pho pronunciation. It’s not difficult, and with minimal effort, proper guidance/demonstration and practice, you’ll impress a Vietnamese-speaking person or enjoy watching him/her in shock with such unexpected fluency and command of the language and your knowledge of the dish. Yes, no more “f…” or “ph…”, or whatever. So here goes.

Wikipedia correctly makes a distinction between Vietnamese and English versions of written and pronunciation of pho. That is not to say that it is necessarily acceptable or there is nothing more to it. Granted, written words and their pronunciations in other languages have been “Americanized” before (read ‘butchered’,) so this is nothing new. But in this global economy it’s probably a good thing to try saying non-English words as correctly as possible. Hey anything to help foster international friendship and understanding, right? And when it involves “pho“, it’s even more important to pho lovers and newbies alike.

So, using the International Phonetic Alphabet, the Wiki explains that Phở is pronounced phonetically as [fə̃ː] which sounds like this:

“Pho” pronunciation from Wikipedia.

Below are my own versions. There are differences which will be explained below. Both wiki’s and my versions are correct pronunciation.

Normal speech.  

Slower speech.  

Note: the Wikipedia pronunciation is from a Southern Vietnamese speaker, whereas my pronunciation has both Southern and Northern accents, with probably a 40-60% (South-North) influence. Also I deliberately accentuate to demonstrate the different sounds that exist in the word. Both are phonetically correct and legitimate pronunciation of the word phở.

Sometime a single sound doesn’t really do justice. So below are a few additional phrases with proper pronunciation of “pho” in conversational usage so you get a better sense of the word “pho” and its inflections. You should be able to identify “pho” with no trouble. But more importantly you can now identify “pho” even when spoken in Vietnamese. Try numbers 3 and 4 below.

1. “Let’s go have some pho today.”
2. “I had pho with a friend this past weekend.”
3. “Let’s meet for pho at about 8 tonight” in Vietnamese.
4. “How is your beef pho?” in Vietnamese, to lady friend.

There. It’s pretty easy isn’t it?

Well there is another challenge. North, Central or South Vietnamese accents. Encountering one when you’re familiar with another can throw you off, but that’s for another post. I can tell you one thing, of the two Vietnamese phrases above, one is Northern and the other, Southern accent. Can you tell which is which? If you promise not to cheat, take this poll below, and the answer is at the end of this article.

I hope that if you enjoy eating pho and care about this noodle dish (and who doesn’t after the first bowl?), please pass on the proper pronunciation, or maybe gently correct a friend who has been misled. Better yet point them to this post so they can experience the recordings above themselves.

So what variety of pho pronunciation have you encountered? Share your views with us with a comment below.

By the way if you need help with Vietnamese pronunciation or would like some guidance or even request help, head on over to read my post on “Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases,” and leave a request.

#3: Southern Vietnamese accent
#4: Northern Vietnamese accent

Pho Pronunciation: You Can Say It, Pronounce Pho, Say: Phở… is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles