Learn Vietnamese: Southern Vietnamese or Northern Vietnamese?

A lot of people asked me if they should learn Southern Vietnamese or Northern Vietnamese.

1/ In order to answer this question, first of all, we take a look at the map of Vietnam

The South Vietnam includes Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city; Mekong delta (Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long) and some more provinces such as Binh Duong province, Dong Nai province,Tay Ninh province, Ba Ria – Vung Tau province

The Central Vietnam includes Hoi an ancient town, Danang beach city, Hue city…

The North Vietnam includes Hanoi and other provinces in the Northwest and Northeast

2/ Now we will talk about the number of speakers

Vietnam has a population of over 93 millions

Ho Chi Minh city is the most crowded city in Vietnam. It has a population of over 10 millions

Mekong delta is the most crowded area in Vietnam, with 13 provinces and city. Mekong delta has more than 20 million people

Most of overseas Vietnamese in USA, France, Canada, Australia speak Southern Vietnamese

Hanoi is the capital city. And it has only over 7 million people

So, you can see that most Vietnamese people speak Southern Vietnamese.

And if you are living in USA, Canada, France, Australia, you should learn Southern Vietnamese

3/ If you plan to travel to South and Central Vietnam, learn Southern Vietnamese

If you plan to visit Hanoi and North Vietnam, learn Northern Vietnamese

4/ Economy or politics

Ho Chi Minh city is the largest  and the most developed city in Vietnam.

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam. If you have to communicate with government officers, Northern Vietnamese is your choice

If you think of doing business, or look for a job, Ho Chi Minh city is a good place to choose

Just let you know that there are more than 100,000 Korean people living in Ho Chi Minh city.

Most of Vietnamese Chinese live in the South Vietnam. And Chợ Lớn area is the China town of Ho Chi Minh city

In Ho Chi Minh city, there is an area around Lê Thánh Tôn and Thái Văn Lung streets called Little Japan

5/ But don’t worry about the decision too much. Southern Vietnamese and Northern Vietnamese are just like American English and British English.

Enjoy learning Vietnamese :)