Pronunciation

Vietnamese “tr” is a retroflex /tʂ/ sound in the Northern accent, and an alveolar /tʃ/ (like English “ch”) in the Southern accent.

For learners, the Northern retroflex version is standard.

STANDARD (Northern) Vietnamese tr = /tʂ/ (retroflex)

Place of articulation

Retroflex: Tip of the tongue curls up and slightly back toward the roof of the mouth

NOT touching the teeth

NOT touching the gum ridge

Tongue position

Tongue tip: curled upward/backward

Tongue blade: not touching anything

Tongue body: mid–low

Tongue sides: relaxed

Mouth

Slightly open

Lips neutral (not rounded)

Airflow

A stop + fricative combination:

Air stops behind curled tongue (like “t”)

Air releases with a strong hissing (like “sh”)

→ the result is t + sh = tʂ

Voicing

Voiceless

Sound quality

Like Mandarin Chinese “zh” (as in 张 / Zhāng)

Not like English “tr” in “tree”

Stronger, more retroflex than English “ch”

Pronunciation

Vietnamese “s” (Northern standard) is a strong alveolar fricative /s/, but slightly sharper and more tense than English s.

Important:

Northern: s ≠ x (two different sounds)

Southern: s = x (they merge and sound like /s/)

Below explanation uses the standard Northern pronunciation.

1. How to Pronounce Vietnamese s

Place of articulation

Alveolar

→ Tip of the tongue is close to the alveolar ridge (ridge behind upper teeth)

Tongue position

Tongue tip: very close to the ridge (almost touching, but not quite)

Tongue blade: slightly raised

Tongue body: mid–low

Sides of tongue: raised enough so air only escapes through the center

Mouth / Lips

Lips slightly open

Not rounded

Mouth is narrow to create strong friction

Airflow

Very strong, narrow airflow

Produces a sharp “ssssss” sound

Tighter and more hissing than English /s/

Voicing

Voiceless (vocal cords do NOT vibrate)

2. Sound quality

Vietnamese s is:

Sharper than English s

Stronger airflow than Japanese サ行

Not rounded like English “sh” (/ʃ/)

Pronunciation

Important:

Vietnamese r has different pronunciations depending on the region.

1. Northern Vietnamese “r” (Hanoi)

In Hanoi Vietnamese, r is pronounced like the /z/ sound in English:

Similar to “z” in zoo, zero.

It is a voiced alveolar fricative.

The vocal cords vibrate.

Tongue position:

Tongue tip lightly touches or approaches the alveolar ridge (the ridge behind your upper teeth).

Air passes through a narrow space, creating friction.

2. Southern Vietnamese “r” (Ho Chi Minh)

Southern Vietnamese has two common variants, depending on the speaker.

Variant A: Voiced retroflex fricative /ʐ/

Pronounced like the retroflex “zh” sound.

Similar to the Polish “rz” or Mandarin “r” in “rén”.

Tongue:

Curl the tongue tip slightly up and back (retroflex position).

Vibrate the vocal cords.

Produce a strong buzzing friction (“zh”).

Variant B: Voiced alveolar trill /r/

(Some speakers, especially older or rural speakers)

Pronounced like a Spanish rolled R (“rr” in perro).

Tongue rapidly taps/vibrates at the alveolar ridge.

Not common among younger speakers in Saigon.