Overview of the Vietnamese Language
Vietnamese Language
Geographical Distribution
Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam 🇻🇳, where it is spoken by the vast majority of the population. It is also recognized as a minority language in countries such as Czech Republic 🇨🇿. Due to historical migration and diaspora communities, Vietnamese is also widely spoken in countries like the United States 🇺🇸, Australia 🇦🇺, France 🇫🇷, Canada 🇨🇦, and Cambodia 🇰ðŸ‡.
Number of Speakers
Vietnamese is spoken by approximately 85 million to 95 million people worldwide. It is the native language of more than 85 million people, making it one of the most spoken languages in the world.
Language Status
Vietnamese is the official and national language of Vietnam. It is used in government, education, media, and all public life. In regions with Vietnamese diaspora, it is often maintained through community schools, media outlets, and cultural associations.
Language Family
Vietnamese belongs to the Austroasiatic language family, specifically the Vietic branch. Among the Austroasiatic languages, it is by far the most widely spoken.
Similar Languages
Vietnamese has linguistic similarities with other Vietic languages, such as Muong. Due to centuries of influence, it also shares vocabulary with Chinese (especially Classical Chinese) and more recently has borrowed words from French and English. Tonal and monosyllabic features make it structurally similar to languages like Chinese and Thai, although they are not closely related.
Writing System and Historical Context
Modern Vietnamese is written using the Latin-based Vietnamese alphabet called Quốc Ngữ. This writing system includes letters with diacritics to indicate tones and certain pronunciation differences.
Historically, Vietnamese was first written using a modified version of Chinese characters called Chữ Nôm, which adapted Chinese script to write native Vietnamese words. Before that, Classical Chinese (Chữ Hán) was used for centuries in literature, administration, and scholarship.
The Latin-based Quốc Ngữ script was developed by Portuguese and French missionaries in the 17th century, and later promoted during the French colonial period. It eventually replaced Chữ Nôm and became the official script in the 20th century.