Pronunciation

Vietnamese ng = the velar nasal sound /ŋ/.

Same sound as:

English “ng” in sing, long, ring (but Vietnamese has it at the beginning of words too)

1. IPA

ng = /ŋ/ (voiced velar nasal)

2. How to Pronounce It — Step by Step

Tongue Position

Raise the back of your tongue to touch the soft palate (velum).

Tongue tip remains down behind lower front teeth.

Only the back of the tongue makes the closure.

Contact Point

The closure happens where English k / g are made.

Same place as “k” in sky

Same place as “g” in go

Airflow

Airflow through nose only (like all nasals).

The mouth is closed at the velar region.

Voicing

Vocal cords vibrate (voiced consonant).

Characteristics

Very smooth nasal sound.

Occurs frequently at the beginning of Vietnamese words:

ngà, nghe, ngủ, người(This does NOT happen in English.)

Pronunciation

Vietnamese c = a voiceless velar stop /k/.

It is the same sound as the English k in sky, school, scan.

(Not like “k” in key, which has a strong puff of air.)

In Vietnamese, c only appears before “a, o, ô, u, ă, â, ơ, u, ư”.

Before “e, i, ê”, Vietnamese uses k instead.

1. IPA

c = /k/ (unaspirated voiceless velar stop)

2. How to Pronounce “c” Step-by-Step

Tongue Position

Lift the back of your tongue (dorsum) to touch the soft palate.

Same tongue position as English k or g.

Tongue tip stays low, touching the back of the lower front teeth.

Contact Point

Back of the tongue fully closes against the soft palate.

This blocks airflow completely.

Airflow

Pressure builds up behind the closure.

Release it quickly, with no puff of air (unaspirated).

Voicing

Vocal cords do not vibrate.

Key difference from English

English k (especially at the start of words) is aspirated (big puff of air).

Vietnamese c is not aspirated, so it sounds softer, shorter, and cleaner.

English “sky” /skai/ comes closest to the Vietnamese “c”.

Pronunciation

Vietnamese kh = /x/ (voiceless velar fricative)

Same sound as:

German “ch” in Bach, ach

Scottish “loch”

Spanish strong “j” in José (in some dialects)

This sound does NOT exist in English.

1. IPA

kh = /x/ (voiceless velar fricative)

2. How to pronounce “kh” (Step-by-step)

Tongue Position

Raise the back of your tongue close to the soft palate (same area as “k”).

Do NOT touch fully—leave a small gap.

Tongue tip stays relaxed behind the lower front teeth.

Mouth / Contact

The back of the tongue comes very close to the soft palate, creating a narrow passage.

Airflow

Push air through the small gap, causing friction.

Air should “scratch” or “hiss” at the back of the mouth.

Mouth stays open.

Voicing

Vocal cords do NOT vibrate.

It is voiceless.

Sound impression

Like clearing your throat gently, not strongly.

Similar to a “hoarse h.”

Think: the “h” sound, but moved to the back of the mouth.

Pronunciation

Vietnamese g has two different pronunciations depending on the region:

Northern Vietnamese (Hanoi)

/ɣ/ = voiced velar fricative

→ sounds like a soft, voiced version of kh (/x/)

→ similar to Spanish "g" in lago (in some dialects)

Southern Vietnamese (Saigon)

/ɡ/ = voiced velar stop

→ same as English g in go

Important:

Before e, ê, i, Vietnamese uses gh instead of g (but the sound is the same).

Northern Vietnamese “g” = /ɣ/

A voiced velar fricative.

This sound does not exist in English.

How to pronounce /ɣ/ (Northern)

Raise the back of your tongue close to the soft palate, but do not touch it completely.

Create a narrow gap → air passes through with friction.

Add vocal cord vibration (voiced).

The sound is like a softer, buzzing version of kh (/x/).

Think:

A “soft gargling” sound

A gentle version of the Arabic “gh”

Voiced version of German “ch” in “Bach”

Southern Vietnamese “g” = /ɡ/

Same as English “g” in go, get, gum.

How to pronounce /ɡ/ (Southern)

Back of tongue touches soft palate fully.

Air pressure builds behind closure.

Tongue releases the closure → g sound.