How to Order Dinner at a Vietnamese Restaurant

How to Order Dinner at a Vietnamese Restaurant

If you like Vietnamese food but don’t know how to order at a Vietnamese restaurant, follow this advice on getting a fantastic meal.

Instructions

Depending on what you like, there’s a lot of different options to choose from when ordering and eating at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Start off with an order of crispy spring rolls or fresh summer rolls if you don’t want fried foods.

Wrap the spring rolls in the lettuce leaves that are brought to the table and dip them in the fish sauce that comes with the order.

Then, if you like noodle soup, you should definitely order a tasty bowl of Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup).

It’s thin slices of braised beef immersed in broth with noodles.

If you’re into rice dishes, you can order grilled porkchops still on the bone served over sticky rice.

If you like grilled meats, order a plate of grilled sliced beef served over vermicelli noodles, dressed in sweet fish sauce.

Fish sauce is the staple of Vietnamese cuisine and it’s used most often as a dipping sauce or a dressing.

It makes everything more tasty, but beware not to get it on you for it stinks.

Source: www.ehow.com

How to Order Dinner at a Vietnamese Restaurant

How to Order Dinner at a Vietnamese Restaurant

If you like Vietnamese food but don’t know how to order at a Vietnamese restaurant, follow this advice on getting a fantastic meal.

Instructions

Depending on what you like, there’s a lot of different options to choose from when ordering and eating at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Start off with an order of crispy spring rolls or fresh summer rolls if you don’t want fried foods.

Wrap the spring rolls in the lettuce leaves that are brought to the table and dip them in the fish sauce that comes with the order.

Then, if you like noodle soup, you should definitely order a tasty bowl of Pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup).

It’s thin slices of braised beef immersed in broth with noodles.

If you’re into rice dishes, you can order grilled porkchops still on the bone served over sticky rice.

If you like grilled meats, order a plate of grilled sliced beef served over vermicelli noodles, dressed in sweet fish sauce.

Fish sauce is the staple of Vietnamese cuisine and it’s used most often as a dipping sauce or a dressing.

It makes everything more tasty, but beware not to get it on you for it stinks.

Source: www.ehow.com

How to Learn Vietnamese Easy

How to Learn Vietnamese Easy

Learning a new language can be fun and take a lot of effort.

Vietnamese is no exception.

If you are fluent in other Asian languages, you will be able to pick up the script and pronunciations faster.

If you are fluent only in Western languages, it will likely take more time to grasp Vietnamese.

Regardless, the best way to learn Vietnamese is to surround yourself with the culture and practice speaking every day.

Instructions

1. Get involved with the Vietnamese community in your area

Find an Asian cultural center or Vietnamese grocery store.

Meet with the local Vietnamese student group or attend a Pan-Asian cultural festival.

This will be helpful in learning more about Vietnamese culture and finding people to practice speaking with.

It will also provide context for the process of learning the language.

2. Familiarize yourself with pronounciation

Listen to Vietnamese language CDs, music and movies to get a feel for common pronounciations and rhythm of speech.

Vietnamese is a tonal language that uses a variety of tones (usually 5 or 6) to express meaning.

3. Learn Chữ Nôm

The Vietnamese script uses Chinese-like characters and takes practice for non-natives to learn.

Pick up a book of children’s stories in Vietnamese or try online software that uses both audio and visual aids.

Many companies offer trial software for free.

4. Practice

Hire a tutor for precise lesson plans and very focused practice.

If you are short on money, ask a community member to sit and talk with you in Vietnamese several times a week and offer them dinner as payment.

5. Visit Vietnam

Though this can be the hardest and most expensive step, spending time in Vietnam is the surest and quickest way to learn Vietnamese.

When you are put in a situation where you have to speak the language to communicate basic needs, you learn much quicker.

The longer amount of time you spend in the country, the better your grasp of the language will be.

By Kelsy Erin Shipman

Source: www.ehow.com

Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Ceremony

Getting married is an important event in a Vietnamese’s life. The procedure of the ancient wedding ceremony was very complicated. Current wedding ceremony procedures include the following steps: the search for a husband or wife, the proposal, the registration, and finally the wedding.

Depending on habits of specific ethnic groups, marriage includes various steps and related procedures, but generally there are two main ceremonies: Le an hoi (betrothal ceremony): Some time before the wedding, the groom and his family visit the bride and her family with round lacquered boxes known as betrothal presents composed of gifts of areca nuts and betel leaves, tea, cake, fruits, wines and other delicacies covered with red cloth and carried by unmarried girls or boys. Both families agree to pick a good day for wedding. Le cuoi (wedding ceremony): Guests would be invited to come to join a party and celebrate the couple’s happiness. The couple should pray before the altar asking their ancestors for permission for their marriage, then to express their gratitude to both groom’s and bride’s parents for raising and protecting them. Guests will share their joy at a party later.

Special food in the North

Special food in the North

Pho (Rice noodle soup) Pho, a typical dish of Hanoi people, has been existing for a long-time. Pho is prepared not only in a sophisticated manner but also in the technique which is required to have sweet but pure bouillon, soft but not crashed noodle, soft and sweet-smelling meat. Only in cold days, having a hot and sweet-smelling bowl ofPho to enjoy, would make you experience the complete flavor of the special dish ofHanoi.  Bun thang ("Ladder" soft noodle soup) Dishes made of soft noodle soup are diverse such as vermicelli and fried chopped meat, Bun Thang, vermicelli and sour crab soup, stewed vermicelli and boiled lean meat, etc. The popular dish is vermicelli and sour crab soup whilst Bun Thang is for con-noisseurs, unique and available in Hanoi only. A bowl of Bun Thang includes lean pork paste, thin fried egg, salted shredded shrimp, chicken, onion, shrimps paste, and a little Belostomatid essence. Especially, Bun Thangbouillon made from shrimps and meat must be very sweet and pure. Without enjoyingBun Thang when arriving to Hanoi, it somewhat seems to lack of a part of taste ofHanoi.  Mon oc (Snail dish) Snail dish is a popular but unique dish of Hanoi people. It is easy to order some dishes like snail steamed with ginger leaf, gingered snail, snail sauted with carambola, snail boiled with lemon leaf, snail steamed with Chinese herbs, and so on, in many small restaurants, restaurants, and even hotels. However, vermicelli and snail sour soup is the most attractive to young ladies because of brittleness by snails, the slightly sour taste by snail soup, and hot by chilly boiled down, making even gorged people keep eating.  Com (Grilled green rice) Every autumn, around September and October, when the cool north-westerly wind brings a cold dew, the sticky rice ears bend themselves into arches waiting for ripe grains because these rice grains are at their fullest and the rice-milk is already concentrated in the grains, predicting that the com season has arrived. Better than any other person, the peasant knows when the rice ears are ripe enough to be reaped to begin making com. Com is made from green sticky rice that is harvested in blossom period, roasted in many times, crashed and sieved. Com is a speciality; at the same time, it is very popular. One can enjoy com with tieuripe banana. When eating com, you must eat slowly and chew very deliberately in order to appreciate all the scents, tastes, and plasticity of the young rice. Com is an ingredient also used in many specialities of Vietnam, including com xao(browned com), banh com (com cakes), che com (sweetened com soups), etc. Com may be obtained anywhere in the North of Vietnam, but the tastiest com is processed in Vong Village, 5km from Hanoi, where com making has been a professional skill for many generations.  Cha ca La Vong (La Vong grilled fish pies) Cha ca La Vong is a unique specialty of Hanoi people, therefore one street in Hanoi was named as Cha Ca Street. Cha ca is made from mud-fish, snake-headed fish, but the best one is Hemibagrus (Ca lang). Fish bone is left away to keep fish meat only, then seasoning, clipping by pieces of bamboo, and frying by coal heat. An oven of coal heat is needed when serving to keep Cha ca always hot. Cha cais served with roasted peanuts, dry pancakes, soft noodle soup, spice vegetables and shrimps paste with lemon and chilly. The Cha ca La Vong Restaurant on No.14 Cha Ca Street is the "ancestor restaurant" of the dish.  Banh cuon (Rolled rice pancake)  Banh cuon is popular to Vietnamese as disk for breakfast. The cake preparing process includes grilled rice which is steamed and oil-spread to have sweet-smelling. Banh cuonis prepared available. Leaves of cake put on plate as the customers ask for the disk. The cake is called Banh cuonThanh Tri due to its origin is Thanh Tri Village of South Hanoi. Besides Banh cuon Thanh Tri, there is rolled rice pancake with the filling of the cake is made from minced pork mixed with Jew's ears and thin-top mushrooms. The cake, placed on plate, serve with salted shredded shring and fried dry onions. The customers immediately experience the disk as it is just finished and stilI very hot. It is the sauce of the cake that fascinates the customers. The cake-makers have their own know-how, some of them prepare Banh cuon with Belostomatid essence to have sweet -smelling to attract to the customers.  Lon quay Lang Son (Lang Son roasted pork) Anyone who arrives in Lang Son Province could find it difficult to say no to Lon quaydish. Lon quay Lang Son is delicious for many reasons, however, the main specific taste of the dish comes from the unique flavor of a kind of leaf called "Mac mat" (meaning "sweet leaf"). The leaf is soaked with spices, fish sauce, glutamate, flavoring powder, then stuffed into clean pig belly and placed on reverted furnace. Pig is fried the spread with watery honey so as to make the skin turn golden and brittle, and pork is soft and sweet-smelling as finish.  Banh tom Ho Tay (Ho Tay fried shirmp cake) All people who used to live in Hanoi are familiar with Banh tom Ho Tay Restaurant on the Thanh Nien (Young) Street. The cake preparing process includes wheat flour mixed with potato fibres, placing on shape with shrimps upper, then fried with oil. The cake is brittle, soft, sweet-smelling, and served with vegetable pickles and sweet and sour fish sauce for best taste.

Special food in the South Viet Nam

Special food in the South

Xoi chien phong (Bloating fried sticky rice) A round plate of Xoi chien phong, placed next to a plate of buttery roasted chicken, is always attractive to anyone. A lump of sticky rice will become a plate of Xoi chien phong as big as a grape-fruit by talent chefs. In the past, Xoi chien phong was offered only in the Binh Duong Restaurant, Dong Nai Province. At present, you can taste the dish in star classified hotels in Ho Chi Minh City.  Lau mam (Mixed vegetable and meat hot pot) At present, Lau mam folk dish in the past hundred years - become a luxurious specialty in the South. Chau Doc fish sauce made from fresh-water fish, a kind of sweet- smelling and greasy fish, which must be as required to have a delicious Lau mam dish. Substances to prepare for Lau mam, including fresh food-stuffs such as snake-head fish, "keo" fish, pork, peeled shrimps, eel, beef, and so on, accompanied with at least 10 kinds of vegetable, sometime amounting to 24 kinds of vegetable. They include water-lily, egg-plant, balsam-apple, straw mushroom, bean sprouts, chilly, etc. When boiled, the flavors of the sauce, which is mixed with citronella, chilly, vegetables, fish, shrimp and meat, are very sweet-smelling. Lau mam roam is scoop out into bowls and served with soft noodle soup, simply but deliciously.  Goi Buoi (Salad of shaddock) Goi buoi is available at the majority of famous restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. The major substances to prepare for the dish include shaddocks mixed with fresh shrimps, pork, and dry cuttle-fish. The dish is originated in Miet Buoi, Bien Hoa City. Goi buoi dish is especially flavored with slightly sour, sweet, peppery-hot and buttery tastes. It is also added with spice vegetable, white sesames, coconut and dry cuttle-fish. Therefore, the dish will be appeared on dining table as a fresh colorful picture and attractive to customers.  Ca tai tuong chien xu ("Tai tuong" bloating fried fish) "Tai tuong" fish is classified as a kind of luxurious food-stuffs. The fish is as white as chicken, delicious and sweet smelling but not crushed. There are two ways to prepare for the dish: Boiled down or bloating fried. In bloating fried way, pour plenty of oil into pan, wait for the oil to boil before placing the fish in. In boiled oil, fish scabs would be raised up as porcupine's feathers. As serving, place the fish on to the plate, arrange boiled quail eggs around with, fried potato, fresh onion and tomato slices at the edge, season with chilly. Finally, pour soup and sprinkle fried peanuts and crashed onion on to the fish. The dish is served with sour and sweet sauce of fish. Ca tai tuong chien xu is an unique and luxurious specialty in the South.  Ca nuong trui (Bare fried fish) The Southern villagers in countryside areas usually have fried fish in the field. They use a bamboo piece to cross through the fish. Pitch the head side to ground, pile up rice straws at the wind-swept place to smoke fish. As serving, use hand to remove the burned fish scabs. Fish will become as white as chicken. Place the hot fish on a lotus leaf, take up each piece of fish and dip it in peppery salt, squeeze with some lemon drops, roll in fig leaf or sesame young shoot to experience the dish. Bowl and chopsticks are not necessary. At home, the dish can be served with dry pancake, soft noodle soup and vegetables. Ca nuong trui is a dish that accompanies drinking. It is popular and exciting.  Ca kho to (Dry-boiled catfish) Fish, which used to prepare for the dish, can be catfish, anabas or snake-head fish. Necessary spices include dry garlic, fresh lemon, onion, chilly, sugar, glutamate, fish sauce, grease, and a spoon of pepper and wine. Although Ca kho to is a popular dish in the South, it is also a cheap specialty. As serving, pick up fish to other bowl, boil the bowl of fish on a low fire and sprinkle some peppers to have sweet-smelling: Keep fire when serving, Ca kho to can be served with such boiled vegetables as shallot, white cabbage, spinach to dip in Ca kho to sauce. It is more convenient to serve it with pickles such as vinegary beet or green pineapple.  Cua rang muoi (Fried salted crabs) The Westerners, especially those in land-locked countries, usually appreciate the dish as soon as they firstly experience it. At parties, a plate of bright red Cua rang muoi is usually acted as aperitif. Customers suddenly feel sweet-smelling of spices and delicious buttery flavor of crab at the same time. Highly qualified chefs in Vung Tau coastal area usually select brackish water crabs with much meat and liver-pancreas. A delicious crab dish also depends on the soup, added to frying crabs in pans, including star aniseed, cinnamon, cardamom. The connoisseurs immediately experience the dish as it is still very hot, mixed with some lemon drops.

Special food in Vietnam

Special food in Vietnam

Nem ran (Spring roll) Nem ran (called cha gio in the south) is a much-appreciated speciality, although it is very easy to prepare. Since long ago, nem ran has been a familiar dish on the menu at all households during the New Year’s festivities, at family parties, and at receptions. The stuffing of the nem ran is comprised of mince pork, sea crabs, eggs, minced Jew's ears, thin-top mushroom, dried onions, bean-sprouts, pepper, spiced salt, etc. The mixture is then rolled in flat rice cakes and fried in a pan until crispy. Nem are eaten hot with a sauce that it is, at the same time, somewhat salty, sweet, acidic and scented (with the flavours of onion and pepper). Papaya and a few fresh scented vegetables are added. Gio lua (Silky lean meat paste) By itself, the name “silky lean meat paste” evokes thoughts of the silky aspect of this speciality. Gio lua is made with lean pig meat, which is pounded with a pestle until it becomes a sticky paste. Fresh banana leaves are tied very tightly around the paste, and then it is well cooked. Goodgio lua has a fine white colour, is firm, and has a perfumed and sweetish taste. Gio lua may be obtained anywhere in Vietnam, but the best gio lua is from Uoc Le Village (Hanoi), where the know-how for Gio lua is strictly kept so as to allow no secrets of the job to flow out from Uoc Le. Slices of Gio lua are slightly pink, moist, and sweet-smelling meat, fish sauce and banana leaf.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam National Anthem Mainland Territory: 331,211.6 sq. km Population: 85,789.6 thousand inhabitants (Apr. 2009) National Capital: Hanoi Lying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is a strip of land shaped like the letter “S”. China borders it to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, the East Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the east and south. The country’s total length from north to south is 1,650km. Its width, stretching from east to west, is 600km at the widest point in the north, 400km in the south, and 50km at the narrowest part, in the centre, in Quang Binh Province. The coastline is 3,260km long and the inland border is 4,510km. Latitude: 102º 08' - 109º 28'  east Longitude:  8º 02' - 23º 23'  north Vietnam is also a transport junction from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Climate: Vietnam lies in the tropics and monsoon (detail) Topography: Three quarters of Vietnam's territory consist of mountains and hills (detail)Administrative Units: Vietnam is divided into 63 provinces and cities

Các thanh điệu trong tiếng Việt ( Tones in Vietnamese language)

Các thanh điệu trong tiếng Việt ( Tones in Vietnamese language)

There are six tones in Vietnamese

1.    The first tone is the level tone. It is called Thanh không or không dấu, without any mark on the syllable.

Example : xa ( far) , đi ( go)

2.    The second tone is written with the dia-critical mark ( \ ) above the vowel. It falls gradually. This tone is called thanh huyền hay dấu huyền.

Example:  bà ( grandmother) mà ( but)

3.    The third tone is called thanh sắc or dấu sắc. This tone is a rising tone. It is written with diacritical mark ( / ) above the vowel.

Example: cá ( fish) , bé ( small)

4.    The fourth tone is written with the diacritical mark ( ?) above the ) owel. It called thanh hỏi or dấu hỏi. This tone is a falling rising tone.

Example: trả ( return, give back)  cả ( all)

5.    The fifth tone is called thanh nặng or dấu nặng. It is sharp falling tone and has a heavy glottal stop. This tone is written with the diacritical mark ( .) under the vowel.

Example: họ ( they) , mẹ ( mother)

6.    The sixth tone is written with the diacritical mark ( ~) above the vowel. This tone is a broken- rising tone and has a glottal stop. It is called thanh ngã or dấu ngã.

Example : sẽ ( will) , ngã ( fall)

Greetings Xin chào

1.    Chào ông ạ                             Good morning, Sir ( to an old man)

2.    Chào bà ạ                               Good morning , madam ( to an oChald woman)

3.    Chào anh                                Good morning ( to young man)

4.    Chào chị                                  Good morning ( to young woman)

5.    Chào Rachel                           Hi Rachel

6.    Chào các anh                         Good morning ( to young men)

7.    Chào các ông                                     Good morning, Sirs ( to old men)

8.    Chào các bà                           Good morning, Ladies ( to old women)

9.    Ông có khỏe không?              How are you? ( Asking an old man)

10.  Anh có khỏe không?               How are you? ( Asking an young man)

Bye - See you again

11.  Tạm biệt                                  Bye

12.  Hẹn gặp lại                              See you again

13.  Chúc may mắn                       Good luck for you

Cảm ơn – Xin lỗi

1.Cảm ơn                                            Thanks

2. Không dám                                                 You are welcome

3. Xin lỗi                                              Sorry

Lesson 8: Taxi

Lesson 8: Taxi

• Aims of lesson:

After the lesson, you will learn:

• How to take the taxi
• Make question with “bao lâu”
• The conjunction “nên”

• Content
• Hội thoại  (Dialogue)

On the afternoon Mary is going to British Embassy, now she is calling to Hanoi taxi agency to reserve a taxi.

Agency: Dạ! Hà Nội taxi xin nghe!
Mary: Alô! chào anh ạ! anh có thể gọi cho em một xe taxi bốn chỗ tới địa chỉ số 27 đường Xuân Thủy, Cầu Giấy được không ạ?
Agency: Dạ vâng ạ! chị vui lòng chờ một lát, taxi sẽ đến ngay ạ
Mary: Cảm ơn anh nhiều, chào anh!
Agency: Dạ không có gì ạ, chào chị!

Some minutes later, Mary sees a four-seat taxi is coming; she waves her hand as a sign.

Taxi driver: Xin lỗi, có phải chị gọi taxi không ạ? 
Mary: Vâng! đúng rồi ạ, anh có phải từ bên Hà Nội taxi không ạ?
Taxi driver: Vâng! Thưa chị, mời chị lên xe ạ. 
Mary: Cảm ơn anh!
Taxi driver: Bây giờ chị muốn đi đến địa điểm nào ạ? 
Mary: Anh đưa tôi đến Đại sứ quán Anh ở số 31 Hai Bà Trưng.
Taxi driver: Vâng! Phiền chị thắt dây an toàn để chúng ta có thể khởi hành ạ. 
Mary: Vâng! tôi đã sẵn sàng, anh có thể cho tôi hỏi một chút được không ạ?
Taxi driver: Vâng chị cứ nói ạ. 
Mary: Từ đây đến Đại sứ quán mất bao lâu ạ?
Taxi driver: Bây giờ đường không đông lắm nên khoảng 30 phút nữa chúng ta sẽ đến Đại sứ Quán. 
Mary: Vâng! vậy là tôi yên tâm rồi. Cảm ơn anh!
Taxi driver: Dạ! không có gì ạ.

Thirty minutes later, Mary gets to British Embassy; she gets off the taxi and makes the payment.
Taxi driver: Thưa chị! Đại sứ quán đây rồi ạ 
Mary: Vâng! cảm ơn anh nhé, xin hỏi hết bao nhiêu tiền ạ?
Taxi driver: Dạ! hết 90.000 đồng chẵn ạ. 
Mary: Đây thưa anh, cảm ơn anh nhiều ạ.
Taxi driver: Dạ! không có gì ạ, chị có muốn tôi đợi không ạ? 
Mary: Không cần đâu, chào anh!
Taxi driver: Cảm ơn chị! Chào chị!

(See the translation)
Dialogue 1:
Agency: Hello! Thank you for calling to Hanoi taxi, can I help you?
Mary: Hello! Could you arrange one four-seat taxi to pick me up at No.27 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay Dist.?
Agency: Yes, Madam. Could you please wait for some minutes, our taxi will come now.
Mary: Thank you very much and goodbye!
Agency: You’re welcome, goodbye!
Dialogue 2:
Taxi driver: Excuse me! Did you call for a taxi?
Mary: yes, I did. You are from Hanoi taxi, aren’t you?
Taxi driver: Yes, I am. Please get in the car.
Mary: Thanks you!
Taxi driver: Where would you go to now?
Mary: Please take me to British Embassy at No.31 Hai Ba Trung Street.
Taxi driver: yes, could you please wear seatbelt and we can departure.
Mary: Yes, I am ready, may I have a question?
Taxi driver: yes, please!
Mary: How long does it take from here to British Embassy?
Taxi driver: At the moment, the street is not so crowded, so it may take about 30 minutes.
Mary: Yes, It’s good, thank you!
Taxi driver: Not at all!
Dialogue 3:
Taxi driver: Here is British Embassy.
Mary: Yes, thank you! How much is it?
Taxi driver: It is 90.000 VND.
Mary: Here you are! 
Taxi driver: Thank you! Do you need me to wait for you?
Mary: No, thanks! Goodbye!
Taxi driver: Thank you and goodbye!

(make a list of Taxi agency in Hanoi and its  phone number) see as reference of the lesson)

Vietnamese	Sound	English equivalent
Chỗ (chỗ ngồi)		seat
vui lòng		please
chờ		to wait
một lát		a little (in this lesson: some minutes)
gọi		to call
lên xe		to get in
địa điểm		place
đưa/ đưa đón		to take, to pick up
thắt		to tie
dây an toàn		seatbelt
có thể		can, could, might, may
sẵn sàng		ready
đông		crowed
nên		so
bao nhiêu tiền		how much