Vietnamese for markets: bargaining, weights and word traps
At a Vietnamese market the first price is an opening, not an insult, and walking away is part of the conversation rather than the end of it. These are the phrases for the whole exchange, with northern and southern wording marked, plus the syllables that shift meaning on one small mark.
You are the buyer, talking to the seller. The lines assume a woman somewhat older than you, which is why they use chị for her and em for you. For an older man it is anh, and both swap if you are the older one.
Asking and choosing
Một cân bao nhiêu ạ?
North
How much for a kilo?
ký in the south, cân in the north.
Cho em nửa cân.
North
Half a kilo, please.
Cái này có tươi không ạ?
Is this fresh?
Em nếm thử được không ạ?
Can I taste it?
Có loại nào rẻ hơn không ạ?
Do you have anything cheaper?
Em lấy hai cái.
I'll take two.
Cái này gọi là gì ạ?
What is this called?
Bargaining
Mắc quá!
South
That's too expensive.
Đắt quá in the north. Locals soften it by adding the address term: Mắc quá chị ơi!
Bớt một chút được không ạ?
Could you come down a bit?
Hai trăm nghìn được không ạ?
How about two hundred thousand?
Mua hai cái có rẻ hơn không ạ?
If I take two, is it cheaper?
Em trả đến mức này thôi ạ.
That's my last offer.
Cảm ơn, em đi xem thêm đã.
Thanks, I'll look around first.
The polite way to walk away. Often gets you a better price.
Được, em lấy ạ.
All right, I'll take it.
Paying and leaving
Em quét mã QR được không ạ?
Can I scan the QR code?
Chị có tiền lẻ không ạ?
Do you have change?
Literally do you have small change. In the south you will also hear thối lại for giving change, trả lại in the north.
Đây không phải giá lúc nãy chị nói ạ.
That's not the price you said.
In quicker speech you will hear Lúc nãy chị nói giá khác mà, where mà carries the mild but you said.
Chị gói riêng giúp em nhé.
Could you wrap them separately?
Cho em cái túi ạ.
A bag, please.
Cảm ơn chị, hẹn gặp lại ạ.
Thank you, see you again.
Tone and vowel traps
mua sounds like mưa and múa, but means to buy
Mua is to buy, múa is to dance: same vowel, different tone. Mưa, rain, is a different vowel again, ưa against ua. Only one of the three gets you the mangoes.
cá sounds like cà and cả, but means fish
Cá is fish, cà is aubergine, cả means whole or all. At a market stall the difference is what ends up in your bag.
đắt sounds like đất, but means expensive
Đắt quá means that's too expensive. Đất is soil or land. Both carry the same sắc tone: the difference is the vowel, ă against â, which is why the marks on vowels matter as much as the tone marks.
rẻ sounds like rẽ, but means cheap
Rẻ is cheap, the word you want when bargaining. Rẽ means to turn, which is what you say to a Grab driver instead.
tiền sounds like tiện, but means money
Tiền is money and tiện means convenient. Bao nhiêu tiền asks the price; tiện belongs in a different sentence entirely.
cam sounds like cấm and cắm, but means orange, the fruit
Cam is an orange, cấm means forbidden, cắm means to plug in. Here the vowels do the work, a against â against ă, and cấm and cắm even share the sắc tone. Point at the fruit if you are not landing it.
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask most about this situation.
Is bargaining always expected?
At tourist markets like Bến Thành, yes, and the first price assumes it. At neighbourhood markets prices are close to fixed and hard haggling reads as rude. In supermarkets, malls and cafés there is no bargaining at all.
How much should I offer?
At a tourist market, starting around half the asking price and settling somewhere in the middle is normal. At a local market, asking for a small reduction is the most you should expect, and being cheerful about it matters more than the number.
Should I call the seller anh, chị or cô?
The relationship between you decides, mostly relative age and gender. Chị for a woman a little older than you, anh for a man, cô or bác for someone of your parents' generation, and em for yourself when you are the younger one. If you are clearly the older one, those words swap around. Calling yourself em deliberately puts you in the junior position, which is exactly the polite footing you want when bargaining. Ạ at the end marks respect, especially towards someone older, but it has to fit the sentence rather than being stuck onto any ending.
Can I pay by card at a market?
Rarely by card, but almost every stall now has a QR code for bank transfer, which locals use for even the smallest amounts. Carry small notes as well: handing over a 500,000 note for a bag of fruit often means the seller has to go and find change.