The other day while I was getting my eyebrows shaped I suddenly realized yet again how much of a melting pot America is and while travel abroad is dandy and all, that there is still a lot to learn from the people here. I believe all but eight words were spoken in the Vietnamese language by the staff around me. Hoping they weren’t talking about how out of control I let my bushy brows grow, I later requested some of their Vietnamese lingo knowledge for you guys here. I asked them what ‘to pamper’ or ‘to treat yourself’ would be in Vietnamese, but there was a slight debate on the word meanings there, so I stuck with the one listed below.
Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:
tam biêt – (pronounced tam be-eh) good-bye
To continue learning Vietnamese online start with phrase list found at the NY Public Library. This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi, Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.
Past Vietnamese words: Xe Ðap, xinh xinh, cam hut thuoc