DO YOU KNOW…. HOW TO PRONOUNCE VIETNAMESE?
To pronounce Vietnamese correctly, you need to understand the two most basic issues: Tones in Vietnamese and the transcription of vowels and consonants.
1. Tones in Vietnamese – How to Pronounce Vietnamese
Unlike most other languages, Vietnamese has 6 tones and 5 bar marks. Just by being different in tone, the meaning of words can completely be changed.
- Level: No accents. Ex: Ca, Co, Ba,...
- Acute (´): A slash is placed on a vowel. This is the highest tone. Ex: Cá, Có, Bá,...
- Grave (`): Backslash with chromatic accent and also placed on vowels. When reading this tone, lower your voice. Ex: Cà, Cò, Bà,...
- Tilde (~): Placed on vowels. Ex: Cỗ, Ngã, Tã,...
- Hook above (?): Placed above a vowel. Ex: Cả, Cỏ, Bả,...
- Underdot (.): Put below the vowel. Ex: Cạ, Cọ, Bạ, Lạ
2. IPA Vietnamese
a : /a:/ . Sound like “fathe”
ă : /a/ . Sound like “cut”
â : /ə/ . Sound like “but”
e : /ɛ/ . Sound like “set”
ê : /e/ . Sound like “day”
i,y : /i/ . Sound like “tea”
o : /ɔ/ . Sound like “law”
ô : /o/ . Sound like “ bowl”
ơ : /ə:/ . Sound like “sir”
u : /u/ . Sound like “too”
ư : /ɨ/ /ɯ/ . Sound like uh-uh (US)
For more: https://learningvietnamese.edu.vn/blog/speak-vietnamese/pronounce-vietnamese-ipa-vietnamese/?lang=en