Product Description
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Vietnamese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Vietnamese can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

The 10 lessons in the Basic Vietnamese are the same as the first 10 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Vietnamese Level 1.

The 10 lessons in Basic Vietnamese are also the first 10 lessons in the 16-lesson Conversational Vietnamese edition.

Pimsleur learners progress from either the Basic or the Conversational to the Comprehensive Level 1, and not from Basic to Conversational edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

tieng Viet
This series is a good supplement to learners of Vietnamese.I often listen to the CDs while driving or on the iPod.The exercises are somewhat repetitive, but they drill in the rules & pronounciation.I plan on using the entire series.

Bao trong,

Douglas Tallant
San Marcos, TX

Learn to speak Vietnamese WRONG
I bought this CD series to learn Vietnamese before I visited as a tourist.It was not easy as there is no written materialThe first thing I did was embarrass myself in thanking the airline clerk.I said, "Come on ang."

Later I learned that "ang" was used with young children, not younger adults.The material never introduced the far more useful word for you, "em" which is used for colleagues, merchants and service people.It also did not teach the word, "seen" which is used for formal and plural you.Thus you can't properly say hello or thank you.

Some of the phrases used are archaic or incorrect.This material is "unsafe at any speed."

It amazes me that the Vietnamese people who did the speaking did not tell the producer of his error.I wonder if Pimsleur's other products are equally bad.Oh that there is not a "Learn in the Car:Vietnamese."That series is excellent in teaching tourists just what they need to know.

Pretty good, but no visual aids
I just started listening to these CDs.The first two lessons consist of learning how to say: excuse me, do you understand english/vietnamese, are you vietnamese/american, how are you, etc.The lessons do a pretty good job of pointing out the different tones, but there are no visual aids that come with the CDs - for me, this makes learning a little bit more difficult.If you are a visual learner, you will need to get another item or supplement this one with a book or an on-line source.

An Impressive Introduction
I heard from friends that Pimsleur was the way to go, so I bought this introductory course and made sure to follow the directions as provided. After the first few days, I didn't feel much progress, but after the first week, I remember making some comment in Vietnamese (to a Vietnamese speaking friend of course), and my friend told me how amazed she was that I sounded Vietnamese. I felt that the best part of Pimsleur is that I learned a lot of grammar with very few words. It was indeed frustrating being unable to interact with the person I'm listening to, but I stuck it out, and even though I don't feel quite fluent in Vietnamese, my Vietnamese friends are impressed.

Unique Learning Method
This is the first time for me to use the Pimsleur method, and I must say that I'm impressed.After going through each lesson twice, I felt I was ready to handle basic conversations on my trip to Vietnam.This was exactly what I needed for my trip.Other methods seem to assume that anyone starting a language has the intention of spending their life mastering it.This one just gives you the basics without any pressure.It works. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

The Best
If you need a pocket-size English-Vietnamese dictionary, buy this! I have gotten so much use out of this, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Vietnamese Dictionary
I find this dictionary very helpful to my wife and myself. The vocational school she attends to learn english said it is a excellant book and well chosen for student use.

A good dictionary for quick reference
I appreciate this book very much.I use it when I communicate with my family in Vietnam.Because I do not speak Vietnamese and they speak little English, it helps to have a ready, easy to use reference handy.

Happy so far...
I purchased this book for my mother and she is happy with it so far. For the price it's great! ... Read more

Product Description
You can use Teach Yourself Vietnamese Complete Course to learn at your own pace or as a supplement to your classwork. This complete course utilizes the very latest learning methods in an enjoyable and user-friendly format.

The new edition also features:

• Engaging visual materials such as menus, photographs, signs, and tickets
• A clear, accessible new page design
• Strong, striking cover photography

Customer Reviews (14)

Audio needs improvement
Like another reviewer said, teaching tones needs more attention and practice, especially in contrasting them. I am not complaining about the audio amount in the main text but it would be advisable to have it clearer, slower and with pauses between phrases, even if Vietnamese people speak faster naturally. Alternatively, recording in 2 speeds could be provided - slow and natural. Individual vocabulary words could be read as well. As for the text, vocabulary choice and exercises, they are not bad and manageable, not always spoon-fed but the words can be found in the provided glossary. For any serious learner, a dictionary is a must, so... I give it 4 points for some flaws with audio. Perhaps, having Southern accent example would be good but this may only confuse some learners, taking into account the difficulty of the accent.

a lot of organizational shortcomings
This book is now in its second edition, which should mean more than just a pretty new cover. In its favor the material in the dialogues is usually interesting, and although the speed with which they are acted out on the CDs makes them difficult to follow for a beginner, it does get easier with regular listening practice. The grammar is not difficult, but the author has given good explanations of different kinds of sentence patterns so that it isn't too hard to get a handle on Vietnamese syntax early in the game. On the other hand, the audio sections dealing with Vietnamese phonics are hard to follow, not well presented, and do not track the order of the same material in the book.Very confusing for a beginning student, and not a good start in a language with a very complex system of pronunciation (and a particularly bad beginning in a tonal language). A much more thorough treatment of pronunciation in general would be highly recommended.There is a wealth of exercises after every chapter, but there are a lot of words in the exercises whose meaning (and usage) is not given either in the lesson vocabularies or in the glossary, and many of the answers given in the answer key have these unknown soldiers as well. I'm going to be generous and give this book three stars, but I can also understand the frustrations of those reviewers who chose to give it less.

Too fast
The content is pretty good but the CD goes way too fast. It would have been nice if they repeated things three times instead of going it over once REALLY fast.

good conversational learning tool
have not started listening to the cds, but the book that comes with this set is good. has alot of conversational dialogue that is fairly comprehensive. the book goes over dialogue word by word compared to other books that will just explain the phrases. highly recommend along with other learning guides.probably not the best for beginners.

Useless for Beginners
Unfortunately, I paid good money for this book/audio CD at the bookstore to help my husband learn to speak vietnamese (I speak vietnamese).It was so intense and haphazard - he tried to work through the first few lessons - learned next to nothing.We then did what we should have done first - researched online - and found out that others thought this program was terrible as well. ... Read more

Product Description
Written for those who already have a basic knowledge of Vietnamese, this intermediate language text stresses conversational skills. The goal is to help students communicate effectively and absorb meaning through speaking, listening, reading, and writing, incorporating the most up-to-date features of the interactive approach to language learning.

The book provides insights into Vietnam's multifaceted culture. Each of the 24 chapters includes a list of competencies to be achieved and concepts to be studied; essential and expanded vocabulary lists, pronunciation drills, dialogues, and oral activities; a section devoted to grammar with exercises, and explanations in English; proverbs and popular phrases to be memorized and recited; situations to help achieve fluidity of speech in real-life communication; a summary of vocabulary, grammar points, and pattern sentences for review; a listening section; and Vietnamese newspaper articles with reading and writing assignments.

The text also includes three audio CDs, a glossary, and an index to grammar notes. Review lessons following every three chapters are designed to keep the learner current at all times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great buy
This was a great buy.Product came in on time and in perfect condition.On top of that, I had a great deal!

for cultural readings and vocabulary
It is not easy to find books on intermediate Vietnamese, in Europe you don't find books like this in the bookstores, well...except in the UK and France. So finding one like this, that is readily available, was fantastic.

I have previously completed a bunch of books on beginner's Vietnamese and was looking for some good intermediate material.

This book is exactly what I was looking for:
+ ALOT of reading material
+ variety in exercises
+ ALOT of cultural information
+ large vocabulary build-up

Did I mention this book is huge?

Great book but intended for classroom use
This is a strong, comprehensive book, but really intended for classroom use. It lacks answers for all the activities and the reading sections. I think the idea is that you'll learn through the context, but if you are studying alone, this isn't easy.

I had already lived in Vietnam for two years, and I'd done an additional year of self-study before tackling this book. Still, right from the beginning there was a lot of new material. I'm about halfway through the book and feeling bogged down with the vocabulary at this point, and now looking for more options/books to try and supplement. Unfortunately, this is one of the only texts for intermediate speakers available in the USA, so there are very few choices of supplemental or alternative material available.

good intermediate instruction book with 3 audio CDs
I found this book helpful to make progress with my Vietnamese. This book is your typical classroom book. It's great if you have a partner to do the exercises (I had a tutor, since I couldn't take the class). I especially enjoy listening to the dialogues on the audio CDs and try to understand the language as it is spoken in real life.

The book is divided into about 20 chapters plus a couple review chapters (personally I don't think the review chapters are necessary and the same vocabulary is repeated on the summary pages, which makes the book much longer, thicker and heavier); each chapter contains relevant vocabulary, dialogues, and exercises. The downside of the book for me is that it's somewhat Americanized Vietnamese (for Vietnamese people living in the US) except for the Vietnamese proverbs at the end of each chapter (which are a bit hard to understand without someone explaining it to you); having spent half a year in Vietnam, there is some vocabulary that is completely useless in Vietnam (like fast-food, vacuum cleaner, etc.). Many dialogues are also setup more for a typical American life style, not the current Vietnamese life style. Also, there is one guy on the CD whose pronounciation is pretty sloppy and simply not very good. All in all, the CDs are a strong point, though, and the book has been quite useful.

CHUNG TA NOI
I have been learning Vietnamese for over five years have not followed any structured course or school, and this is the discipline approach I need.I have only been through Chapter 1, and it has a lot of new vocabulary with an emphasis on verbs.The vocabulary used is from North Vietnam and the Southern equivelents are not given.I like the info on Vietnamese culture in the exercises, and each chapter has some ca dao (Vietnamese proverbs) to learn.The CDs sound like a few college students gathered around a tape recorder, and the sound quality could be better.The listening exercises are challenging, with both North and South speakers represented.The CD does not give the English eqivalents to the dialog or vocabulary.Pure and fast Vietnamese only.Amazon says the book is only 19 pages but it is actually 400.Very comprehensive.I look forward to improving my Vietnamese with this book.Another good book at this level is Intermediate Spoken Vietnamese. ... Read more

Product Description
Q&S English for Vietnamese includes the first 8 lessons from the Pimsleur Comprehensive Level I. 4 hours, audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

English lessons for Vietnamese speakers.
Inexpensive audio program teaches Vietnamese people simple and basic American English.
Recommended for Vietnamese tourists and those seeking English as a second language.
(word is pronounced in Vietnamese and then repeated in American English).

For beginners
This is for Vietnamese with no English proficiency. My wife was using Rosetta Stone but the birth of our son made a purely verbal program seem like a good idea.She had to jump to level 6.However, some beginners I work with like it and we are going to give it to our nieces.I had Pimsleur for Spanish and thing the technique is very effective. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive, flexible, and up-to-date vocabulary reference and teaching tool for English language learning. The Oxford Picture Dictionary and its components create a highly teachable programme that can be used as a complete, four-skills beginning course, or as a language development supplement and practical reference. NEW Grammar Activity Book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Picture Dictionary
This dictionary is well-organized with lots of pictures grouped into useful topics.Words are given in English and whatever other language for the edition you have purchased.Recommended.

fast delivery & good book look new
bought two to avoid shipping.look new and fast shipping.recommend to everyone.

Oxford Picture Dictionary - English-Vietnamese
These books were purchased to be used in a church ESL language center.We have used them before.They are very useful working with ESL students.Not only have we used them with this language, but with other languages, too, according to the students being helped.

Stephen, Charlotte, NC - Excellent Book
The authors tried hard to present the materials in an easy to understand format. This book is all about Picture-word association for different settings (at the work place, at home,...etc). It is a "must have" for all. You'll enjoy learning new words and use them in converations, intelligently. I suggest also to get the Pocket Vietnamese Dictionary: Vietnamese-English and English-Vietnamese.

Awesome dictionary
This is awesome for those who are rusty in Viet. It is not good for someone who needs to understand grammar, but is excellent for those who need to build vocabulary. I am using it to brush up on my Viet. It looks like this is a series so they should have it in other languages. It is definitely worth the twelve dollars and change. I bought this along with The Rough Guide to Vietnamese Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks). Get it now! ... Read more

Product Description
Newly revised, Elementary Vietnamese is a complete college-level language course. It uses examples from media and culture to teach the language and provide a general introduction to modern Vietnamese society and culture. Elementary Vietnamese is essential for anyone planning to travel, study, or work in Vietnam. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Elementary Vietnamese
I highly recommend this text book and have also purchased the 8 CD's from Dr Binh Nhu Ngo, the Author which make learning so much easier.

Elementary Vietnamese - great resource!
Elementary Vietnamese: Revised Edition (Vietnamese Edition) This I found to be an excellent learning resource while attending Vietnamese 101 and 102 at San Diego Mesa College, during the '08-09 school year.The CD set was a nice addition, to get more exposure to hearing the correct Vietnamese pronunciation.I don't know how I could use the book as a stand-alone resource, but in conjunction with an instructor-led course at a community college, which cost only $100.00, it was quite effective.

by far the best option for beginners
This course has far and away the most comprehensive and easy-to-use section on Vietnamese pronunciation.This assumes, of course, that you also obtain the CDs (which are excellent) or have the help of a native speaker- everyday help if possible. Each chapter builds very well on previous chapters and the drilling,while pretty old fashioned and rote, is effective. More exercises on translating into Vietnamese from English would be a help, but these can be found in other books.For really getting one's feet on the ground in learning how to produce (and distinguish) the different phonemes of Vietnamese (especially the tones and diphthongs) there really isn't any close competition.

I studied with professor Binh
I'll make this quick because I'm supposed to be working. I studied with the professor who wrote the book. He teaches at Harvard, and whatever they're paying him is too little.

The book, as I bought it (to study with Professor Binh before going to Vietnam for school -- it didn't come *from* Amazon), came with CDs to help pronounce the words. It teaches the northern (Ha Noi) accent which can sound funny to people in HCM (Sai Gon). But it's the best for a beginner.

Good luck.

Barely adequate book, awful CDs
I am reviewing this book from the perspective of someone who used it for self-study rather than as part of a classroom course. I was very impressed with this book when I saw it in the bookstore, but after delving into it and buying the accompanying CDs, I found that I had made a mistake in choosing this book. While it may (or may not) be suitable for classroom use, I strongly advise against the use of this book for independent study for the following reasons: 1. The book is full of linguistic jargon which is unnecessarily complex and confusing. Terminology in plain English would have been quite sufficient and made the book much eaiser to understand and follow. It seems at times that Dr. Ngo is addressing his fellow Ph.D.s in linguistics rather than the interested student of Vietnamese, and the text borders on the pedantic at times.2. Entire chapters of the book are full of vocabulary and dialogues which are of no use to anyone but a college student, such as "In the Classroom" and "In the Dormitory." Topics the average person would need to talk about, such as shopping, eating out, and talking about the weather, are saved for the end of the book. 3. Vocabulary items are introduced in large quantities and often used only once or twice in the entire book, making it virtually impossible to retain them. A smaller amount of useful vocabulary, repeatedly reinforced, would have been much more effective. 4. The CDs which accompany the book (available for an additional $108) are, in my opinion, next to useless and could have been made drastically better with a minimum of effort and foresight. Two and a half of the 8 CDs are devoted entirely to sound practice, which is undoubtedly important in itself but certainly too much of a good thing in this case. The dialoges are read only once with no time to repeat the sentences, and the vocabulary items are likewise read only once with no time to repeat them. Most ridiculous of all, every page of the grammar sections of the book is read for the student on the CDs, word for word, in English (no, I'm not kidding!) as if the users of the book are presumed to be illiterate! Finally, the Vietnamese sentences on the Audio-lingual course on the CDs are often nearly impossible to understand simply because the rest of the CD does such a poor job of showing the student how Vietnamese is to be prouounced, so the student is hardly prepared to recognize a given Vietnamese word when hearing it. Quite honestly, after buying these CDs, I feel cheated. If you want to learn Vietnamese on your own, this book is definitely not the way to go. Don't make the same mistake I made. ... Read more

Product Description
This introduction to spoken Vietnamese is designed for English speakers to acquire a basic working ability in conversational Vietnamese, predominantly in the northern (Hanoi) dialect. Lessons are centered oneveryday situations; each conversation builds on previous lesson and introduces new structures and vocabulary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

disappointing text
I found this text rather disappointing.My Vietnamese teachers, who are both Northern and Southern, pointed many flaws in the dialogues, mixing formal and informal idioms which is inappropriate, the use of idioms that no one else apparently has ever heard of, and a failure to cover important basics.We used the text, but it was really the skill of the teachers that made it workable.This text appears to be supported by various organizations, but I am not sure why, quality does not appear to be the reason.

I have since discovered Ngo's text, which seems much better.

BETTER TEXT OUT THERE
I used this book for my first year Vietnamese class.While the dialouges are good and some passages toward the end are funny, the book as a whole does not teach the basic pronunciations, alphabet, colors...basics for anylanguage.There are better books out there such as Binh Ngo's text.Stayaway from this one!

Simple and Straightforward but...
The content of this book relates much to North Vietnam. Some of the vocabulary are outdated (read: ancient) in the modern parts of Vietnam, for e.g., Ho Chi Minh City. Any information about Vietnam learnt from this bookmust be taken with a pinch of salt. Vietnam is a long country... and localcultures vary somewhat. It'll depend on your teacher to make lessonsinteresting and relevant, especially if you are to travel to a specificarea of Vietnam.

Great resource for learning Vietnamese!
i used this textbook while studying at hanoi national university as part of hobart and william smith college's study abroad program.this book is well written and easy to follow.i purchased the book without the tapes soi do not know how they are.

A reasonably good overview of the Northern VN dialect
A pretty good overview of the Northern dialect.The accompanying audiotapes are not very extensive or of particularly high quality ... Read more

Product Description
Now in a playful board book format, Milet's popular picture dictionary, in English and 12 bilingual editions.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Mini Picture Dictionary
This big is a good tool in helping me teach english to a young vietnamese student

Milet Mini Picture Dictionary: English-Vietnamese
This book is very easy to understand along with colorful pictures even young kids can read it.

Good addition to my nephew's book collection
I purchased this book for my 22 months nephew and have spent many good reading sessions together.I'm making sure that my nieces and nephew know the language of their family by only speaking Vietnamese to them at all times. This book has helped me because having grown up here in the US my Vietnamese is rusty.

Fun illustrations and most Vietnamese correct
The pictures and illustrations are good and my son enjoys the book.We identify in English and then in Vietnamese. Most Vietnamese words are correct.A few needed minor corrections, many with the accent marks. the book is enjoyable enough that my toddler son will pick it up and play with it on his own. ... Read more

Product Description
This intermediate-level text presumes a working knowledge of basic Vietnamese sentence structure and vocabulary in the northern (Hanoi) dialect. It is designed for experienced beginners who wish to further their ability to converse in more official or professional capacities, and to research and discuss varied topics. Audio availiable in audio or MP3 CDs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Contpemorary Vietnamese
The book was in brand new condition along with the Cd's - received the book within 10 days of making the order

Excellent text book
Contemporary Vietnamese: An Intermediate Text (Book + audio) (Southeast Asian Language Text Series)
I am very fortunate in that my current Vietnamese teacher is actually the author of this book, Co Thuan, so I could easily be accused of some bias.However Co Thuan is not only a fabulous teacher, helping me progress more in the last two months then I have in the last year, but her book is interesting, informative and clear, with plenty of examples and exercises.I highly recommend this text to anyone learning Vietnamese - although this is an intermediate text book, Co Thuan has also written a beginner's text in the same style, and further books as you progress.Chuc may man!

viet language textbook
My order didn't come with any audio as noted. I would probably return the product if it were not for the inconvenience and cost of shipping.
As an Intermediate text,audio is a must for it. There
are sections with no English translations and without audio is not much of any help.

pearl vietnam
It arrived with 3 CDs. I threw a cursory glance into the book and found that I need a good start to jump into this highly developped book. Every exercise has its solution given and every vietnamese passage has its translation given on the last pages of the book. Colossal work for vietnamese lovers.

great text
When I first got this book I was unsure about how effective it would be.After plunging into the first bit of it so far, I've got to say that I'm very impressed.It has a lot of vocab covering diverse situations one would encounter were on to go to Vietnam, though much of the vocab would be useful in many other settings too.For the book to be effective, it just takes a concentration on learning the vocab well, but I must say that for myself I'm very pleased. ... Read more

Product Description
A thoroughly original picture dictionary featuring beautiful artwork. The vibrant pictures encourage the reader’s creativity while learning to identify objects and words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Colorful Book with nice drawings
My 2-1/2 year old enjoys looking at the pictures.The book is colorful and the drawings are nice.With my limited Vietnamese, I do not know if the accent marks are correct or not.I sure wish that this book was still made as a board book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great little Pocket Dictionary fromBarbara Marie
I work in a nail shop with a lot of Vietamese people. Since I don't speak the language (as it is a hard one to learn), This English - Vietnamese pocket dictionary allows me to get my point across when needed.It fits readily in the side pocket of my purse thus I have access to it at any time.

Good for most situations
This dictionary is at least something I can use to try and communicate with non-English speaking students.It is not perfect but has at least words that are close to what I usually need to say.

Handy little reference
I was fluent in Vietnamese 38 years ago during the war.I will return soon to tour Vietnam, and need a quick reference for all the vocabulary that I have forgotten since I was there 38 years ago.This dictionary is perfect for this.If one did not have a basic knowledge of Vietnamese, this book would be less useful.But with a basic understanding of how Vietnamese works, this book provides a great reference to words needed in every-day conversation.

It must be good!
Honestly, I can't speak more than a few words of Vietnamese--and I'm probably not doing that right! =P
But my friend is Vietnamese, and she loved this book! She was born in America, so she doesn't speak Vietnamese fluently, but she's really close. And whenever she forgets something while talking to her parents or other family members, she goes straight to this book. =) And, although I don't speak Vietnamese, I own this book and try to talk to her using it. =S Once again, not very well. Haha. ^.^ But it is a very useful book!

Stephen, Charlotte, NC -- Great Reference Book
This book is concised and to the point. It is a perfect dictionary for day-to-day conversation. I am a native speaker living in the United States for over 25 years. My Vietnamese is rusty and, therefore, having a hard time expressing my ideas in conversations. This book helped me because it has practical words that I can use right a way. This is a must have for everyone. Thank you! (I suggest to also get The Oxford Picture Dictionary: English-Vietnamese addition.) ... Read more

Product Description
Take along the Rough Guide Vietnamese Phrasebook and make some new foreign friends while on your trip. This thoroughly-revised third edition has both A-Z English- Vietnamese and A-Z Vietnamese translations – perfect for quick word reference. Practice your pronunciation with the 16-pages of additional scenario material; available as downloadable audio files, the scenarios have been recorded by native Vietnamese speakers and are compatible to either your computer or iPod. The guide includes a detailed grammar section and a helpful menu and drinks list reader – ideal when sampling the local cuisine. With this pocket-sized phrasebook in your backpack you are sure to have a good trip! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Review from a Vietnamese who teaches Vietnamese on Sundays
After looking at the pages that are available, I'd say you'd be better off showing your intended audience the pages rather trying to say them as the instructions are terrible.
I give the book 3 stars instead of 1 because its size is convenient for traveling, and it does have what you need in case you're lost somewhere.

Great phrasebook, great price.
I compared this Vietnamese phrasebook to others. It has accurate pronunciations and is my first choice.

You cannot trust the pronunciation instructions.
This book is good for learning basic Vietnamese vocabulary for the price and size.

However, I found a few grammatical mistakes.

And the pronunciation instructions are horrible.For example, I don't understand why all the beginning c is instructed to pronounce as g.In fact the c sounds k.The pronunciation of"cam on", thanks in English, is shown [gam urn].If you say like this, Vietnamese people never understand you.I have tried it already.My husband is a Vietnamese who speaks tieng Viet.

no need to use it.
You can easily get by in Vietnam using Enlish and a few Vietnamese phrases. If you're planning an extended stay, it's probably better to properly learn Vietnamese.

More Dictionary than Phrasebook--not useful
I usually don't bother to review things unless they are an outlier to my expectations, which this book was.I'm actually in Vietnam now, and I have not cracked this thing once.Of the 250 pages in the book, the only phrasebook part of it was pp 13-27.The rest of it is a dictionary with a menu reader at the end.Not recommended unless you are looking for a dictionary. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The 8-lesson (4 cassettes or CDs) Quick & Simple gives customers the chance to test-drive the incredibly effective and efficient, world-famous Pimsleur Comprehensive Program.A real TRY IT BEFORE you BUY it deal.Customers will love the experience of acquiring the essential grammar and vocabulary of Vietnamese, during the spoken practice sessions.It is this ease of language acquisition that make the full Comprehensive Pimsleur Program so popular and successful for adult language learners.. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Good for Northern Vietnam
Great learning tool for basic communication, However, the accent and dialect is from the North. If you plan to spend any time in the South you would be well advised to stay away form this one. I have learned the hard way that many people from the South have deep seated resentment for people from the North, and express a real disdain for the Northern dialect and accent. If you plan to visit Hanoi, then this would be a great starter course.

Working well for me
I had to listen to the first lesson about 10 times, but so far the rest have been much easier, since each builds on the last. I've learned some Mandarin already, so I'm used to listening for tones, but Vietnamese has more of them, and this set does a good job of teaching them. Yes, the vocabulary you learn is limited, but this is an introductory course, so how much can you really expect? The tones are the most important thing to learn in the beginning with a tonal language, in my opinion. One thing I do wish they had though is maybe a card that relates the sounds to the letters in the Vietnamese alphabet. Some of those relationships are not at all obvious to a native English speaker.

Excellent product!
This set of cd's does an excellent job!This is just the first 8 lessons of Course 1, though, so you don't learn much with the Quick and Simple.If you want to learn more, you need to purchase the whole course 1.The first 8 lessons of the beginner course are the same lessons in the quick & simple, so if you buy them both, you waste your money on the quick & simple.

Outstanding way to learn Vietnamese
I have been trying to learn Vietnamese for the last two years.I had bought books, dictionaries and P/C software prior to buying these CD's.After just 3 weeks, I have learned more than I did in two years using those other methods!If you are serious about learning this language, this is a great starting point.

The only course that works!
After trying so many other courses this is the only one that gave me some progress.
Will buy the complete course. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the second edition of the book "Vietnemese for Beginners" by Jake Catlett which is much improved from the first one. This book and CDs (sold separately) teach the Southern dialect of Vietnam. Vietnamese for Beginners is designed for either self-study or classroom use. It teaches all four language skills - speaking, listening (when used in conjunction with the audio), reading and writing; and offers clear, easy, step-by-step instruction building on what has been previously learned. Lots of exercises and useful phrases. Very user-friendly and fun to use. There is an audio version that follows the book. Three CDs are available separately. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Finally a book for southern dialect.
I've just started with this book and it's refreshing that there's finally a south Vietnam grammer book. Being
written by an American living in Saigon probably makes the difference. This was written for today's speaking and
grammer style in southern Vietnam. Another grammer book I have is Beginner's Vietnamese by Robert M. Quinn. That
one is an over-formal Hanoi dialect. My wife who is from Saigon sneered at it, "people don't talk that way in
Vietnam". Jake Catlett's book is in a refreshing style written for foreigners who have no previous Vietnamese
language experience. I would recomment this book as part of a regimen for anyone wanting to learn Vietnamese.
Don't forget to purchase the audio CD's that go with the book.

Vietnamese with a southern accent
Definitely the best material to learn Vietnamese with a southern (Sai Gon) accent!The recordings are excellent. Following the book, they start with a long (but manageable) list of words, read both in English and in Vietnamese. Then there are two or three dialogs, all read at normal speed. Then there are some sentences both in English and in Vietnamese to practice the basic structures taught in each lesson.All the material is in the book. The book additionally contains very succint and clear grammar explanations, with several exercises to practice further. At the end of the book there are solutions for all the grammar and vocabulary exercises. Definitely one of the best materials to learn Vietnamese in the market! The price for the book and the recordings (sold separately) is reasonable.Ah... the second edition is identical with the first edition. ... Read more

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Vietnamese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Vietnamese can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational Vietnamese includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic Vietnamese plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational Vietnamese are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Vietnamese Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Needs an instructional booklet
The CD's need to come with a booklet to let you also read what you are trying to pronounce.I am somewhat fluent in Vietnamese and the audio only was a little bit confusing.When the sentences were broken up into words, some of the pronuciation must have gotten cut off. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

This product is the one I recommend to the beginner.
This product consists of two CDs and a small phrase book.The phrases are short but practical in everyday life. The CDs show clear pronunciation and intonation by native (northern) speakers.A phrase is spoken in English followed by in Vietnamese twice, and then there is a short pause for you to repeat after.

If you master all of the phrases in the book, which is not difficult to do, it will be the most useful basis for your Vietnamese learning.You can build more of your Vietnamese language skills with other products such as Beginner's Vietnamese by Robert M. Quinn.

I have several Vietnamese language learning products (plus a Vietnamese husband who speaks tieng Viet).This product is the one I recommend to the beginner.

A good product
I own this and Pimsleur Quick and simple Vietnamese. This is much better than Pimsleur. A lot of bang for the buck.

Great price, great introduction to Tieng Viet (Vietnamese)
This is a great introductory learning product.The price is excellent.It is essential to hear the language and these CDs are a portable way to do it.It is important to take time to go through both the included phrase book as well as listening to the audio.Then revisits to either of them are of continued benefit.

Recommended! ! !
This is a short (2-tape) but very well put together course.It goes through all the SOUNDS of Vietnamese, which is critical in a tonal language.(other languages such as Spanish allow a lot of leeway for poor pronunciation; not so Vietnamese)The essential beginning phrases are here, as well as good basic vocabulary.Repeated playing of tapes, with a fair amount of rewinding is what is needed in using this course, more so than in a course like the Pimsleurs, which have a lot of repetition built-in.
While the Pimsleur courses have what I consider to be a better approach to language instruction, you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck out of this 2-tape course and since Pimsleur has a very limited Vietnamese offering, I consider this mini-course an essential for the beginner.

your basic tourist course
Language/30 courses basically teach phrases that you learn like a parrot. If you are a linguist, you will figure out which words mean what and a few ideas of the grammar. This has the advantage of using both men and women speakers, which is esp. important with a tonal language, but has a glossary restricted to the vocabulary in the course. Bottom line: a good way to get used to the sounds and start making them yourself, but if you need to say more than is on the tape or CD you will be out of luck. ... Read more

Product Description
Colloquial Vietnameseis a practical course in everyday written and spoken Greek, requiring no prior knowledge of the language. It is ideal for anyone seeking to develop a sound command of contemporary Vietnamese. For self-study or class use.

This paperback in the Colloquial Language Learning Series is available individually here or as part of a cassette pack. To purchase the book and the cassettes, please refer to the cassette pack listing for this language. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

"Colloquial Vietnamese" by Tuan Duc Vuong is disappointing
Writing a short grammar of Vietnamese for English speakers is not especially easy: the syntax (word order) and vocabulary, to say nothing of the pronunciation, are very different from English. Still, even bearing these difficulties in mind, this book is a disappointment.

First, let's begin with some of the good points. Each lesson is broken up into a number of parts and each begins with a short, useful dialogue in Vietnamese with an English translation below and with a short vocabulary list below. That's good. Most lessons then have several short discussions of new grammar or vocabulary introduced in that dialogue. Also good. There is usually at least one other dialogue with translation in the middle, and a final dialogue without translation at the end. The problem is that too often the final dialogue includes vocabulary items that are new. This final dialogue should only be used to recycle and review terms and structures already covered in that lesson; it should not be used to introduce new material, especially as it remains untranslated.

However, there are many weaknesses in the book. Often dialogues and exercises include terms that have not been introduced. It's tedious to flip to the glossary in the back, and a good introductory text never requires users to do this. Vocabulary should be introduced in a regular and careful manner, and new, as yet undefined terms, should not be introduced without a gloss.

A huge weakness is in the pronunciation. Far too little attention is given to this in the first chapter, and the accompany tape does a very poor job. It consists of far too rapid readings of some of the dialogues and gives only a few minutes to practice on the tones themselves. The transcription system, especially for the vowels, is limited. It combines sounds which in Vietnamese must be kept separate. Simply urging the reader to find a native speaker or to enroll in a course is not acceptable. The title is **colloquial** Vietnamese, and to be true to the name of the book and the series, much more needs to be given on the speaking.

Some of the exercises are good: fill in the blank, definition, describing, answering questions, making questions to match answers that are given. Moreover, the answer key in the back is certainly helpful.

But there should be more of these exercises. A number of times a supposed matching game is set up (match the Vietnamese terms on the left with the English translation on the right) but this is often executed sloppily. Many times the matching terms are opposite each other, and often the reader is expected to match terms that have not been adequately introduced.

Very Poorly Organized
This is one of the most poorly laid out language books I have studied from.First of all, I would like to state that languages are not my forte and I am not a natural at linguistics.Vietnamese is the fifth language I have studied and this book has made it most frustrating.The vocabulary is scattered all over each chapter rather than concisely at the beginning or end like better organized books.The glossary often does not have words the reader is looking for when they have forgotten them chapters later.There are also a few typographical errors in the answer key which further confuse the student.
Also, table of contents only lists the titles of the chapters and does not list subtopics or chapter objectives. So if the student wants to reference a certain language point, he/she has to remember which chapter it was from then comb the chapter to find it.

has a large number of exercises but that's the only thing good about it
I quickly gave up trying to use the cd's out of pure frustration,
and the pronunciation guide in the book is just a joke, a not-so-funny one ...someone at Routledge should have been fired for allowing such bad quality to leave them.

Without the cd's the book itself is quite good:
+ the exercises are very varied and so you get to practise your grammar skills from all angles
+ there are many reading passages, so if you like to learn by reading, like me, this is great

But there are better material for learning Vietnamese:

Quinn's Beginner's Vietnamese (Beginner's (Foreign Language)), and
Vietnamese for Beginners Vietnamese for Beginners with CD (Audio)
If you want something with very good audio material I'd recommend Paiboon as Quinn has none, if you have access to a Vietnamese speaker or can speak some already, I'd recommend Quinn.

Final note:
this Colloquial book was very useful to me as a supplement to the Paiboon-book because of its many reading passages, but on its own I would not recommend it.

Inappropriate content
I'm using this book and tapes/CDs under the guidance of a language instructor in a one-on-one situation and I find it woefully lacking. Both the content and the pace of introduction of new vocabulary are inappropriate. Why would one expect to be speaking with a diplomat in the second lesson of a language instruction series? There is no model for pronunciation at the start of the CD/tapes other than a very quick series of vowel sounds that are far too quickly presented and inadequately explained. I've asked my language lesson provider to find a different text to use.

Good for a second course of study only
For a true beginner this course is not truly user-friendly.I have been to Viet Nam and was married to a native in Ho Chi Minh City.This series did nothing to prepare me to communicate in the language.The tonal system is not explained, practiced, or heard in the attempts given.Vietnamese without true tonal understanding is unintelligible.The audio version leaps into full conversation with little to no preparation.It was necessary to take another course in a classroom type setting to understand what this series was trying to get across.The book is fine, but one would need a native speaker to record the lessons in lieu of the audio portion. ... Read more

Product Description
Comprehensive Vietnamese I includes 30 lessons of essential grammar and vocabulary -- 16 hours of real-life spoken practice sessions -- plus an introduction to reading.

Upon completion of this Level I program, you will have functional spoken proficiency with the most-frequently-used vocabulary and grammatical structures. You will be able to:

* initiate and maintain face-to-face conversations,

* deal with every day situations -- ask for information, directions, and give basic information about yourself and family,

* communicate basic information on informal topics and participate in casual conversations,

* avoid basic cultural errors and handle minimum courtesy and travel requirements,

* satisfy personal needs and limited social demands,

* establish rapport with strangers in foreign countries,

* begin reading and sounding out items with native-like pronunciation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Way better than Rosetta Stone
Pimsleur is way better than Rosetta Stone if you want to learn to speak natively.

I own both Vietnamese I on Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone.And I have tried both.(And I have tried BYKI as well.)Rosetta Stone is nice, but time-consuming as it require me to sit in front of the computer.Also, it's hard to feel like I am immersed in the language simply by looking at a computer screen.

Pimsleur creates that immersion process.The native speakers are speaking in real time.And it is repetitive; perfect for someone like me to learn easily.It also is step-wise in that it allows me to learn in 30-min bite-sized chunks.

Overall, if I want to learn how to write in Vietnamese, I would go with Rosetta Stone...but in terms of native speaking, there is none better than Pimsleur.

Confusing with the word 'chi'
Haven't tried this program yet but there seems to be a bit of confusion with the word 'chi'.It literally means older sister.The only time you would use that is if you are addressing an older female (but not someone your mother's age or slightly younger-- there is another word you would use).'Em' is used for anyone younger than you (male or female) is literally means younger person.I'm am Vietnamese (north) and am looking for a program that has both written and spoken Vietnamese.I have tried other Pimsleur products but think it would if it came with a workbook.

Pimsleur Is the way to go...
I have always had good luck with the programs.I used Pimlseur to brush up on my French.This program, as with just about all Vietnamse language courses, is based on the Northern Vietnamese language.I have several friends from southern Vietnam and said that even with the (slight) differences, people will still understand you. You learn quite a bit about the language, and will end up with enough knowledge to take what you have learned and form your own phrases in conversations.
This program is not by anymeans sexest.What it does is place you in several situations such as: You are a young man greating a young woman, you are an older woman greeting an older man...e.t.c...One reviewer said that "chi" is used to address a younger woman...that is the northern way of addressing a woman.In southern vietnam, "em" is used and "chi" is used for older and "bac" for the grandmother type.These programs are wonderfull and I would highly suggest that if you want to learn a foriegn language, go with this program..you will not be sorry.

Very useful
I have had good luck with Pimsleur programs in several languages, including Vietnamese. I've found them easy and better for learing basic phrases through repetition than other materials. Further, since the vast majority of the program is auditory, I was able to listen in the car or on a portable device and learn phrases without having to folllow in a book.

My big concern with the series is that they are pitched to male travelers and there is a certain amount of sexism in the dialogues (for example, dialogues where "you are an older American man talking with a younger Vietnamese woman" and the dialogue concerns drinking beer or wine "at my place."

In the case of the Vietnamese CDs, the pronunciation is Northern, which is somewhat different from the Southern.

I'm not sure why another reviewer was told that "chi" was impolite or incorrect for a female; while it literally means "older sister," it is used to a "youngish woman" (Rough Guide Vietnamese Dictionary-Phrasebook). It is how I was addressed by my native Vietnamese language instructor, a woman somewhat younger than myself, and by my Vietnamese-speaking students who are younger than I. Because of my age and status relative to these speakers, I am a woman for whom "ba" is not appropriate. I note that "ba" with an accent (low falling tone) is used for an older woman, where "ba" without an accent (and pronounced with a mid-level tone) means "dad." Perhaps this is the cause of the confusion.

Ok, but some mistakes... barely responsive customer service
I have purchased this item and the shorter version. During my studies I was told by several Vietnamese that some words and forms of address taught by Pimsleur were incorrect (and could be insulting).For instance, the word 'chi' should never be used to address a younger woman; you are calling her an old man. Although this thread runs through the course, most of it is OK... if you don't mind making the correct substitutions yourself.When customer service was contacted they said they would have a linguist 'get back to me'.Never happened.
... Read more