Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit) [Paperback]

Nguyen Xuanthu (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0864423470 | ISBN-13: 978-0864423474 | Publication Date: December 1995 | Edition: 2nd

-- an essential aid to discovering this popular destination
-- clear guides to grammar and pronunciation
-- extensive food section
-- covers accommodation, getting around and other essentials
-- comprehensive two-way dictionary
-- with Vietnamese index and headings

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Vietnamese

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 2nd edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864423470
• ISBN-13: 978-0864423474
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 3.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,440,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Appropriate Title, January 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook with Two-Way Dictionary (Paperback)

As an individual who has spent about 2 years learning Vietnamese I believe this to be a very good book. The comments of the previous two reviewers should be dismissed (as one did not read the book and the other is already fluent). As long as you understand the setup and reasoning for the layout of a phrasebook this book will not dissappoint anyone. Unlike a dictionary where words are alphabetically listed, this book has similar items arranged (i.e. foods, health, animals). If you went to Vietnam and needed a book to take with you this is the only one I would recommend. It will allow you to survive; and, if you had trouble pronouncing words you could also point to the phrase you were trying to say (this of course would only work if the other individual was literate). If you are planning on learning the language at all (other than for a brief trip) then I'd strongly recommend getting other books (Elementary Vietnamese is good, but Colloquial Vietnamese is awful).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent phrasebook, but missing a couple of things..., December 28, 2002

By 

Omar Siddique (Ellicott City, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook with Two-Way Dictionary (Paperback)

I don't speak Vietnamese to rate the translations and phrasing used in this pocket-sized guide, but I have used a number of Lonely Planet phrasebooks for languages that I do know more about. This guide follows the format of those other guides, broken down into sections by situation, with a 2-way dictionary at the back and a pronounciation guide at the beginning of the book.

Two notable omissions. There is not a section on "love and dating" as there is in every other LP Phrasebook I've used.

Also, unlike the Russian phrasebook, which contains the english phrase, a phonetic pronounciation, and then the actual spelling, this book does not contain a phonetic spelling. For a language likely to be as difficult as Vietnamese for native English speakers and considering that such speakers are the book's target audience, phonetic spellings (indicating inflection as well) would help a lot.

Still, a decent phrasebook as LP ones tend to be.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Phrase Book, July 14, 2002

By 

Heather C (Alberta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook with Two-Way Dictionary (Paperback)

An nice, small companion for those needing a quick reference. Its dimensions ensure that that the book will fit neatly into a pocket or pack, and frequently needed phrases are easy to locate. This reference guide also includes a Vietnamese-English / English-Vietnamese dictionary, though the selections are rather slim. A little more information on pronounciation would be ideal, but as this book is geared more for the traveller, the basics are well addressed.

Phrases are collected according to what you think you'll need to ask - so you'll find a section with phrases and words for ordering food, for going to a doctor, and for talking to locals. As a tool to help you learn some vocabulary, there are small crossword puzzles...which are more of a nice afterthought than something really useful.

Definitely not exhaustive by any stretch of the imganation, but well worth the money if you need a quick reference guide.