Whether attending a wedding or eating snails, the Vietnamese are fond of drinking beer. Let’s look at how to say cheers in Vietnamese, and some other vocabulary that might come in handy if you find yourself drinking beer in Vietnam.
How to drink beer Vietnamese-style
Every time you take a sip of your beer, you must clink glasses with your companions.
Sometimes you just clink and drink, but often you’ll hear one of the following.
How to say cheers in Vietnamese
How to toast in Southern Vietnam:
một, hai, ba, vô! (always pronounce vô as /yo/)
= 1, 2, 3, cheers!
Northerners have adapted this toast into their own:
một, hai, ba, /zo/! (often written as dô)
hai, ba, /zo/
hai, ba, uống!
= 1, 2, 3, cheers!
2, 3, cheers
2, 3, drink!
Other common drinking phrases
Somebody may well clink glasses (cạn ly) with you and say:
một trăm phần trăm
= 100% (they want you to down the glass)
You may be able to get away with:
năm mười phần trăm (= năm mười)
= 50% (they want you to drink half of your glass)
If you can’t or don’t want to drink:
[Anh/Chị/Em/…] không uống bia được.
= I can’t drink beer.
In Vietnamese culture, drinking beer goes hand in hand with eating food. Beer snacks vary from peanuts to seafood. Beer is also common at celebrations and festivals. Wherever you’re drinking beer, you’ll be encouraged to eat, or you can invite others’ to eat with:
ăn đi!
= eat!, please eat
Or if you spend too much time eating, you may be told to: uống đi!
Over to you: Have you ever drunk beer with Vietnamese people? Share your experiences in the comments!
Photo credit: dantri website