Vietnam Languages

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Vietnam Background

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Cultural Groups

Local Research Resources

In other languages: tiếng Việt

Vietnam

Languages

Description

The majority of the population of Vietnam speak the national language of the country which is Vietnamese, a tonal Austroasiatic language (Mon–Khmer).
Vietnam's minority groups speak a variety of languages which consists of:

The French language, a legacy of colonial rule, is spoken by many educated Vietnamese as a second language, mostly among the older generation and those educated in the former South Vietnam, where it was a primary language in administration, education and commerce.
English has been progressively used as a second language and the study of English is now mandatory in most schools either alongside or in place of French. ^[1]