Vietnamese Culture and Tradition Vietnamese name generally contains three parts: family name or surname, middle name, and last name. Vietnamese family name comes first and then middle name and last name. For example Phan Van Khai, Phan is the family name, Khai is the first name and Van is the middle name.
It is always a good idea to ask a Vietnamese person which name is the family name and which name you should call your him or her. Vietnamese always say the first name when they want to mention someone.
For business purposes, it is traditionally acceptable to call a Vietnamese person by the surname, together with a title, such as Director Pham or Chairman Nguyen. If a person does not have a professional title, you can address a person using his or her first name, such as Mr. Khai or Ms. Thu, but always remember to say the first name with a title like Anh (bother) or Chị (sister).
Formality is a sign of respect, and it is advisable to clarify how you will address someone very early in a relationship, generally during your first meeting.
Refer the table below to get the idea.
| I | Tôi | toy |
| You | Anh (male) when addressing people the same age, formal | ang |
| Chị (female) when addressing a woman who is slightly older than you | chee | |
| Em (both male and female) when addressing some younger | em | |
| Ông(male),Bà(female) when addressing an elderly man(ông) or woman(bà) | ong/ba | |
| Cháu (male or female) when addressing a child | chow |
Unlike US and Western culture, A married Vietnamese woman always keeps her family name. She will rarely use her husband’s last name on occasions for formal addressing only.
You should address people using official titles such as General, Committee Member, or Doctor whenever possible.
