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

Nguyen Xuan Thu (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0864421737 | ISBN-13: 978-0864421739 | Publication Date: March 1993 | Edition: 1st

Lonely Planet's "language survival kits" contain essential words and phrases for effective communication with local people. Independent travellers, in particular, should find that these phrasebooks cover almost every travel situation and should assist travellers to make the most of their travels. Features of this series include: format and organization which should help travellers find the right words at the right time, with ease; pronunciation guide; basic grammar; all words written in relevant script, where applicable; information about local cuisine; and useful travel tips. Some knowledge of Vietnamese is vital to finding your way around this country and to really get to know about Vietnamese people and their culture. This phrasebook includes language information and pronunciation guides that should help with reading signs, ordering food and organizing accommodation and transport.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Vietnamese --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 1st edition (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864421737
• ISBN-13: 978-0864421739
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 3.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,080,461 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.