· 7 min read
Learn English for Vietnamese Speakers: Guide
By Language Lab editorial team
Learn English as a Vietnamese speaker: the alphabet is familiar, but word forms change. Which grammar to study first, free courses and a weekly plan.
A Vietnamese speaker meets English with one thing already in hand: the alphabet. Vietnamese is written in Latin letters, so reading English letters is not new. The real change is in the words themselves. Vietnamese is an isolating language, in which words keep one form: the single word là, for example, serves for am, is and are. English changes the form of verbs, and it adds articles before nouns. So begin with the British Council's short grammar lessons on the verb to be, the present simple, the past simple and the articles, follow one complete beginners' course, and listen to slow English every day. Cambridge English estimates 350–400 guided learning hours to reach B1 from beginner. Test yourself after every lesson, and speak from the first week.
What differs most
| Feature | Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Alphabet | Latin letters with additional marks | Latin letters |
| Word forms | An isolating language: là serves for am, is and are | The verb to be has its own beginner lesson |
| Articles | Not part of the grammar described in the sources used here | A, an and the, with two beginner lessons |
| Tones | A six-tone system | Not a tonal language |
Study these grammar points first
The British Council's A1–A2 grammar section has a short lesson on each of these.
- Present simple: 'to be'
- Present simple
- Question forms
- Past continuous and past simple
- Articles: 'a', 'an', 'the'
- Articles: 'the' or no article
- Nouns: countable and uncountable
Each lesson begins with an exercise, gives an explanation and then tests you again. For rules your own language does not use, that order, test, read, test, is the efficient one.
The same letters, different sounds
Because Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet, it is tempting to read English words with Vietnamese sounds. English spelling has plenty of irregularities, so learn each new word from a recording and repeat it aloud.
Free courses
| Resource | Who makes it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| USA Learns: 1st English Course | Sacramento County Office of Education | A complete first course: speaking, listening, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing and grammar |
| Let's Learn English, Level 1 and Level 2 | Voice of America | A beginners' course designed by certified American English teachers |
| LearnEnglish: A1 speaking and A1–A2 grammar | British Council | Useful phrases with video, and short grammar lessons with exercises |
| Learning English: easy level | BBC | A programme to follow every day |
| Learning English activities, A1–A2 | Cambridge English | Short practice by skill; many take ten minutes or less |
All five are in English. Voice of America's programmes are read one-third slower than normal English speed, which makes them a good first listening source. If you do not know your level, take the British Council's free level test.
A weekly plan
- Five days, 30 minutes: one lesson of a complete beginners' course.
- Daily, 10 minutes: one British Council grammar lesson from the list above.
- Daily, 10 minutes: slow English; listen first, read second.
- Daily, 5 minutes: say new sentences aloud, paying attention to verb forms.
- Weekly: test yourself on the week's material.
A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.
How long it takes
Cambridge English estimates approximately 200 guided learning hours to move up one level of the European framework, and 350–400 hours to reach B1 from beginner. It notes that the figures are a guideline and vary with your language background. Free courses give you reading, listening and grammar. Speaking needs practice of its own. Language Lab's English course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, which supplies spoken practice.
Frequently asked
Is English hard for Vietnamese speakers?
The alphabet is familiar, since Vietnamese uses Latin letters. The harder part is that English words change form, while Vietnamese is an isolating language in which they do not.
What English grammar should Vietnamese speakers study first?
The verb to be, the present simple, the past simple, question forms and the articles a, an and the.
Does Vietnamese have the same alphabet as English?
Both use Latin letters. Vietnamese adds marks to them.
What are good free English courses?
USA Learns, Voice of America's Let's Learn English, the British Council's LearnEnglish, BBC Learning English and Cambridge English's activities are all free.
How long does it take a Vietnamese speaker to learn English?
Cambridge English estimates 350–400 guided learning hours to reach B1 from beginner, and says the figure varies with language background.
Is English a tonal language?
No. Vietnamese has a six-tone system; English does not use tones to distinguish words in that way.
Sources: British Council, LearnEnglish: A1 speaking, A1–A2 grammar and home page; BBC Learning English; Voice of America, About Learning English; USA Learns; Cambridge English, Learning English and Guided learning hours; Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco), Vietnamese; Northern Illinois University, SEAsite Vietnamese, Lesson 1; BBC Languages, A Guide to Urdu and A Guide to Swahili (archived pages); Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Lake Louise shoreline, Banff National Park, by Dietmar Rabich / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
