Pronunciation

“ia” is a diphthong in Vietnamese.

Its sound is:

/iə/ (Northern Vietnamese)

/iə/ → /iɜ/ or /iə// (Southern Vietnamese)

It is very similar to the English sound in “ear”, “idea”, “weird”, but shorter and cleaner.

How to pronounce “ia” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

Step 1 — Start with /i/

tongue high and forward

lips unrounded (smile shape)

same as English “see”

Step 2 — Move to /ə/

tongue relaxes and moves slightly backward

mouth opens slightly

lips remain unrounded

similar to English “sofa” unstressed vowel

Important

It is one smooth sound, not “i + a”.

Northern vs Southern

Northern (Hanoi)

Very clear diphthong /iə/

Example: kia = /kiə/

Southern (Saigon)

Often more open at the end /iɜ/

Sounds a bit like English “beer” without the final /r/.

Pronunciation

“ưa” is a monophthong-like vowel, but technically a diphthong written as:

/ɯə/ (Northern Vietnamese)

/ɨə/ (Southern Vietnamese — more central)

It does NOT exist in English.

How to pronounce “ưa” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

Step 1 — Start with /ɯ/

This is the Vietnamese unrounded “u”.

Lips: NOT rounded (different from English “u”)

Tongue: high and back

Mouth: only slightly open

This is a very important difference:

English “u”: lips rounded

Vietnamese “ư”: lips NOT rounded

Step 2 — Move to /ə/

tongue moves slightly forward

mouth opens slightly more

lips remain unrounded

ends with a weak central vowel

Important

It is one smooth sound, not “ư + a”.

Do NOT open your mouth wide for “a”.

Northern vs Southern

Northern (Hanoi)

Clear /ɯə/

“ươ” (in tone-changed forms) sounds more closed.

Southern (Saigon)

Often more central: /ɨə/

Sound is slightly more relaxed and open.

Pronunciation

“ua” is a diphthong pronounced:

/uə/ (Northern Vietnamese)

/uə/ → /uɜ/ (Southern Vietnamese)

It is similar to the English sound in “poor” (British) or “tour”, but shorter and smoother.

How to pronounce “ua” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

Step 1 — Start with /u/

lips rounded and protruded

tongue high and back

same as English “food” /u/

Step 2 — Move to /ə/

lips relax slightly

tongue moves slightly forward and lowers

mouth opens a little

similar to English “sofa” unstressed vowel

resembles a weak “a” sound

Important

The two parts blend smoothly—not “u + a”.

Northern vs Southern

Northern (Hanoi)

Clear and tight diphthong /uə/.

Example: mua = /muə/

Southern (Saigon)

End vowel more open /uɜ/.

Sounds a little like English “poor” (without /r/).