Languages

Vietnam has one of the most complex ethno linguistic patterns in Asia. The Vietnamese language is spoken throughout the country, although some of the ethnic minorities do not speak it widely. There are slight differences between the north and south with regard to certain words and pronunciations. Vietnamese is tonal, suggesting an affinity with the Sino-Tibetan family, which includes the Chinese and Tai languages. It also has structural similarities to languages in the Mon-Khmer group of the Austro-Asiatic family, which are not tonal. With each syllable, there are six different tones that can be used, which change the definition and it often makes it difficult for foreigners to pick up the language.

There are other languages spoken as well such as Chinese, Khmer, Cham and other languages spoken by tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions. Indian influence is found among the Cham and Khmer minorities.

Writing

In written form, Vietnamese uses the Roman alphabet and accent marks to show tones.  This system of writing called quoc ngu, was created by Catholic missionaries in the 17th century to translate the scriptures.

Dialects

There are 4 commonly understandable regional dialects of the Vietnamese language. It includes the Northern Vietnamese (spoken in Hanoi, Haiphong), North-central Vietnamese (Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh), Central Vietnamese (Hue, Quang Nam), and Southern Vietnamese (Saigon, Mekong). These dialects generally differ in sound systems, vocabulary (basic and non-basic), and grammar. Other common languages spoken by minority groups in Vietnam include Murong, Chinese, Tay, Nung and Hmong. French is still spoken by a number of older Vietnamese as second language.