Everyday Vietnam
Xe máy
Motorbike
The transport word you will hear constantly.
Southern Vietnamese
Vietnamese Transportation Phrases
Talk about routes, tickets, and getting around.
Quick answer
In one sentence
Vietnamese Transportation Phrases gives beginners a practical set of Southern Vietnamese phrases for transportation situations.
- Talk about routes, tickets, and getting around.
Day 27 transport focus
Intro: transportation
Learn the transport words you need first, then say how you move from one place to another.
Transport tip
In Vietnam, xe máy is king. In casual speech, đi xe often means going by motorbike.
Travel method
Tôi đi bằng xe máy
I go by motorbike
Use bằng before the vehicle.
Ride-hailing
Grab
Grab ride
Treat Grab as practical transport vocabulary.
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Day 27 vocabulary focus
Vocabulary: xe máy, ô tô, xe buýt, taxi, tàu, máy bay, xe đạp, tàu điện, Grab
Play each transport word, repeat once, then save the words you actually use.
Motorbike
Xe máy
Motorbike
The most common everyday vehicle in Vietnam.
Car
Ô tô
Car
A general word for car or automobile.
Bus
Xe buýt
Bus
Use this for city buses and public buses.
Taxi
Taxi
Taxi
A common loanword for taxi.
Train / boat
Tàu
Train / boat, depending on context
Context tells you whether it means train, ship, or boat.
Airplane
Máy bay
Airplane
Literally flying machine; use for airplane.
Bicycle
Xe đạp
Bicycle
Đạp means to pedal.
Metro
Tàu điện
Metro / electric train
Useful for metro or electric train systems.
Ride-hailing
Grab
Grab ride
A common ride-hailing word in Vietnam.
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Day 27 speaking skill
Speaking skill: say how you travel
Use the same frame and swap the vehicle after bằng.
Motorbike
Tôi đi bằng xe máy
I go by motorbike
Most common daily transport.
Car
Tôi đi bằng ô tô
I go by car
Use the same pattern with ô tô.
Bus
Tôi đi bằng xe buýt
I go by bus
Useful for public transport.
Taxi
Tôi đi bằng taxi
I go by taxi
A simple travel sentence.
Grab
Tôi đi bằng Grab
I go by Grab
Useful for ride-hailing.
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Day 27 grammar focus
Grammar note: đi + bằng + vehicle
Bằng marks the method or vehicle. Keep the verb simple: subject + đi + bằng + vehicle.
Pattern
Tôi + đi + bằng + xe máy
Tôi đi bằng xe máy
I go by motorbike.
Pattern
Tôi + đi + bằng + xe buýt
Tôi đi bằng xe buýt
I go by bus.
Pattern
Tôi + đi + bằng + taxi
Tôi đi bằng taxi
I go by taxi.
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Day 27 speaking exercise
Exercise: from home to 3 places
Practice the model routes, then replace the destination and vehicle with your real life.
1
Home to market
Tôi đi từ nhà đến chợ bằng xe máy
I go from home to the market by motorbike
2
Home to school
Tôi đi từ nhà đến trường bằng xe buýt
I go from home to school by bus
3
Home to airport
Tôi đi từ nhà đến sân bay bằng taxi
I go from home to the airport by taxi
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Mark this task complete, then continue without going back to the checklist.
All phrases
Play normal audio first, then slow audio, then save only the phrases you will actually need.
Xe máy
Motorbike
The most common everyday vehicle in Vietnam.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
XexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.máymayrisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Xe→xờ e xe
máy→mờ ay may sắc máy
Ô tô
Car
A general word for car or automobile.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
ÔolevelKeep the voice steady and level.tôtolevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Ô→ô
tô→tờ ô tô
Xe buýt
Bus
Use this for city buses and public buses.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
XexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.buýtbuytrisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Xe→xờ e xe
buýt→bờ uyt buyt sắc buýt
Taxi
Taxi
A common loanword for taxi.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TaxitaxilevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Taxi→tờ axi taxi
Tàu
Train / boat, depending on context
Context tells you whether it means train, ship, or boat.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TàutaufallingLet the voice fall gently.
Vietnamese spelling
Tàu→tờ au tau huyền Tàu
Máy bay
Airplane
Literally flying machine; use for airplane.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
MáymayrisingLift the voice upward.baybaylevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Máy→mờ ay may sắc Máy
bay→bờ ay bay
Xe đạp
Bicycle
Đạp means to pedal.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
XexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.đạpdapheavyĐ starts like English d; do not say z.
Vietnamese spelling
Xe→xờ e xe
đạp→đờ ap đap nặng đạp
Tàu điện
Metro / electric train
Useful for metro or electric train systems.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TàutaufallingLet the voice fall gently.điệndienheavyĐ starts like English d; do not say z.
Vietnamese spelling
Tàu→tờ au tau huyền Tàu
điện→đờ iên điên nặng điện
Grab
Grab ride
A common ride-hailing word in Vietnam.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
GrabgrablevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Grab→gờ rab grab
Tôi đi bằng xe máy
I go by motorbike
Use đi bằng + vehicle to say how you travel.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.xexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.máymayrisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
xe→xờ e xe
máy→mờ ay may sắc máy
Tôi đi bằng ô tô
I go by car
Bằng marks the travel method.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.ôolevelKeep the voice steady and level.tôtolevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
ô→ô
tô→tờ ô tô
Tôi đi bằng xe buýt
I go by bus
Swap the vehicle after bằng.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.xexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.buýtbuytrisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
xe→xờ e xe
buýt→bờ uyt buyt sắc buýt
Tôi đi bằng taxi
I go by taxi
A simple travel-method sentence.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.taxitaxilevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
taxi→tờ axi taxi
Tôi đi bằng Grab
I go by Grab
A common practical sentence for ride-hailing.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.GrabgrablevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
Grab→gờ rab grab
Tôi đi từ nhà đến chợ bằng xe máy
I go from home to the market by motorbike
A full route sentence: from home, to a place, by vehicle.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.từtufallingLet the voice fall gently.nhànhafallingLet the voice fall gently.đếndenrisingĐ starts like English d; do not say z.chợchoheavyDrop the voice low and short.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.xexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.máymayrisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
từ→tờ ư tư huyền từ
nhà→nhờ a nha huyền nhà
đến→đờ ên đên sắc đến
chợ→chờ ơ chơ nặng chợ
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
xe→xờ e xe
máy→mờ ay may sắc máy
Tôi đi từ nhà đến trường bằng xe buýt
I go from home to school by bus
Use this as a model for school or work routes.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.từtufallingLet the voice fall gently.nhànhafallingLet the voice fall gently.đếndenrisingĐ starts like English d; do not say z.trườngtruongfallingLet the voice fall gently.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.xexelevelKeep the voice steady and level.buýtbuytrisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
từ→tờ ư tư huyền từ
nhà→nhờ a nha huyền nhà
đến→đờ ên đên sắc đến
trường→trờ ương trương huyền trường
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
xe→xờ e xe
buýt→bờ uyt buyt sắc buýt
Tôi đi từ nhà đến sân bay bằng taxi
I go from home to the airport by taxi
A travel route sentence for airport trips.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.từtufallingLet the voice fall gently.nhànhafallingLet the voice fall gently.đếndenrisingĐ starts like English d; do not say z.sânsanlevelKeep the final n short.baybaylevelKeep the voice steady and level.bằngbangfallingLet the voice fall gently.taxitaxilevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
đi→đờ i đi
từ→tờ ư tư huyền từ
nhà→nhờ a nha huyền nhà
đến→đờ ên đên sắc đến
sân→sờ ân sân
bay→bờ ay bay
bằng→bờ ăng băng huyền bằng
taxi→tờ axi taxi
Tôi muốn mua vé
I want to buy a ticket
Bus, train, ferry.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.muốnmuonrisingKeep the final n short.muamualevelKeep the voice steady and level.véverisingLift the voice upward.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
muốn→mờ uôn muôn sắc muốn
mua→mờ ua mua
vé→vờ e ve sắc vé
Đi đến đâu?
Where does it go?
Route question.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
ĐidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.đếndenrisingĐ starts like English d; do not say z.đâudaulevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.
Vietnamese spelling
Đi→đờ i đi
đến→đờ ên đên sắc đến
đâu→đờ âu đâu
Chuyến này mấy giờ?
What time is this trip?
Transport schedule.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
ChuyếnchuyenrisingKeep the final n short.nàynayfallingLet the voice fall gently.mấymayrisingLift the voice upward.giờgiofallingLet the voice fall gently.
Vietnamese spelling
Chuyến→chờ uyên chuyên sắc Chuyến
này→nờ ay nay huyền này
mấy→mờ ây mây sắc mấy
giờ→giờ ơ giơ huyền giờ
Có trễ không?
Is it delayed?
Useful travel question.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
CócorisingLift the voice upward.trễtrebrokenUse a short broken rise.khôngkhonglevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Có→cờ o co sắc Có
trễ→trờ ê trê ngã trễ
không→khờ ông không
Xuống ở đâu?
Where do I get off?
Important for buses.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
XuốngxuongrisingLift the voice upward.ởodippingDip slightly, then recover.đâudaulevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.
Vietnamese spelling
Xuống→xờ uông xuông sắc Xuống
ở→ơ hỏi ở
đâu→đờ âu đâu
Cho tôi xuống đây
Please let me off here
Ride phrase.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
ChocholevelKeep the voice steady and level.tôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.xuốngxuongrisingLift the voice upward.đâydaylevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.
Vietnamese spelling
Cho→chờ o cho
tôi→tờ ôi tôi
xuống→xờ uông xuông sắc xuống
đây→đờ ây đây
Tôi muốn hỏi về đường đi
I want to ask about the route
Use this to open a the route conversation.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.muốnmuonrisingKeep the final n short.hỏihoidippingDip slightly, then recover.vềvefallingLet the voice fall gently.đườngduongfallingĐ starts like English d; do not say z.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
muốn→mờ uôn muôn sắc muốn
hỏi→hờ oi hoi hỏi hỏi
về→vờ ê vê huyền về
đường→đờ ương đương huyền đường
đi→đờ i đi
Bạn giúp tôi về đường đi được không?
Can you help me with the route?
A polite help request.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
BạnbanheavyKeep the final n short.giúpgiuprisingLift the voice upward.tôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.vềvefallingLet the voice fall gently.đườngduongfallingĐ starts like English d; do not say z.đidilevelĐ starts like English d; do not say z.đượcduocheavyĐ starts like English d; do not say z.khôngkhonglevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Bạn→bờ an ban nặng Bạn
giúp→giờ up giup sắc giúp
tôi→tờ ôi tôi
về→vờ ê vê huyền về
đường→đờ ương đương huyền đường
đi→đờ i đi
được→đờ ươc đươc nặng được
không→khờ ông không
Tôi chưa hiểu phần này
I do not understand this part yet
Use this when details are unclear.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.chưachualevelKeep the voice steady and level.hiểuhieudippingDip slightly, then recover.phầnphanfallingKeep the final n short.nàynayfallingLet the voice fall gently.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
chưa→chờ ưa chưa
hiểu→hờ iêu hiêu hỏi hiểu
phần→phờ ân phân huyền phần
này→nờ ay nay huyền này
Nói lại giúp tôi được không?
Can you repeat that for me?
Useful when the answer is too fast.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
NóinoirisingLift the voice upward.lạilaiheavyDrop the voice low and short.giúpgiuprisingLift the voice upward.tôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đượcduocheavyĐ starts like English d; do not say z.khôngkhonglevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Nói→nờ oi noi sắc Nói
lại→lờ ai lai nặng lại
giúp→giờ up giup sắc giúp
tôi→tờ ôi tôi
được→đờ ươc đươc nặng được
không→khờ ông không
Viết ra giúp tôi được không?
Can you write it down for me?
Helpful for names, prices, and addresses.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
ViếtvietrisingLift the voice upward.raralevelKeep the voice steady and level.giúpgiuprisingLift the voice upward.tôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.đượcduocheavyĐ starts like English d; do not say z.khôngkhonglevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Viết→vờ iêt viêt sắc Viết
ra→rờ a ra
giúp→giờ up giup sắc giúp
tôi→tờ ôi tôi
được→đờ ươc đươc nặng được
không→khờ ông không
Cái này nghĩa là gì?
What does this mean?
Use while pointing at a form, sign, or message.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
CáicairisingLift the voice upward.nàynayfallingLet the voice fall gently.nghĩanghiabrokenStart with the back-of-mouth ng sound.làlafallingLet the voice fall gently.gìgifallingLet the voice fall gently.
Vietnamese spelling
Cái→cờ ai cai sắc Cái
này→nờ ay nay huyền này
nghĩa→ngờ ia nghia ngã nghĩa
là→lờ a la huyền là
gì→gờ i gi huyền gì
Tôi cần thêm thông tin
I need more information
Keeps the conversation moving.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
TôitoilevelKeep the voice steady and level.cầncanfallingKeep the final n short.thêmthemlevelKeep the voice steady and level.thôngthonglevelKeep the voice steady and level.tintinlevelKeep the final n short.
Vietnamese spelling
Tôi→tờ ôi tôi
cần→cờ ân cân huyền cần
thêm→thờ êm thêm
thông→thờ ông thông
tin→tờ in tin
Khi nào xong?
When will it be finished?
Ask for timing clearly.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
KhikhilevelKeep the voice steady and level.nàonaofallingLet the voice fall gently.xongxonglevelKeep the voice steady and level.
Vietnamese spelling
Khi→khờ i khi
nào→nờ ao nao huyền nào
xong→xờ ong xong
Bao nhiêu tiền?
How much is it?
Use for prices, fees, and services.
Say it
Listen first, then use these tone cues.
BaobaolevelKeep the voice steady and level.nhiêunhieulevelKeep the voice steady and level.tiềntienfallingKeep the final n short.
Vietnamese spelling
Bao→bờ ao bao
nhiêu→nhờ iêu nhiêu
tiền→tờ iên tiên huyền tiền
Meaning check
Quick practice
Which Vietnamese line best fits this page?
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Week 4 · Day 27 in the 90-day path
Listen to at least 3 phrases
Use normal audio first, then slow audio.
Save at least 1 phrase
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