Languages of Vietnam

[vijayjohn]

Vietnam officially does not have an "official language" but rather a "national language," namely, Vietnamese. However, many other languages are spoken in Vietnam as well. In addition to languages from various branches of the Austroasiatic family, many Hmong-Mien languages and especially Tai-Kadai languages are spoken in the north, and some Chamic languages (from the Austronesian family) are spoken in the south. A few Sino-Tibetan languages are also spoken near the border with China. Almost all of them are also spoken across the border, with the exceptions of the Loloish languages Cốông and Laghu, which are spoken exclusively in Vietnam.

[Tenebrarum]

Don't forget the Southern Chinese languages that are spoken in and around Saigon and other Southern localities. Chiefly Cantonese and Teochew. Originally there were Hokkien, Hakka and Hainanese as well, but my Cantonese teacher told the class that those three have largely died out.

That's because the largest and most recent wave of Chinese immigrants was in the 1930s (during the Japanese invasion of China) i.e not even a century ago. This really contributes to the "Hồng Kông bên hông Chợ Lớn" vibe of Saigon.

[vijayjohn]

Those are really interesting points, thanks! My next-door neighbors are Teochew from Vietnam.