You’ve decided to embark on the awesome adventure of earning Vietnamese! Maybe you have plans to travel to Vietnam one day. Perhaps you have friends or loved ones who speak the language and you want to connect on a deeper level. Or maybe you simply love Vietnamese culture and history.
Whatever your reason is, you’re excited. You hop online to find the best Vietnamese learning course. You’ve heard good things about Babbel, and naturally you search for a Babbel Vietnamese course. But there’s one problem…
There is no Babbel Vietnamese course.
Why is there no Babbel Vietnamese course?
I don’t know for sure, but here are some possible reasons why there is no Vietnamese course on Babbel.
Vietnamese isn’t as popular as some other foreign languages
When compared to other languages like Spanish, French, and German there simply aren’t as many people looking to learn Vietnamese as a foreign language. This lack of demand might mean Babbel doesn’t think it’s worth it to spend the time and resources to develop a Vietnamese course.
Vietnamese can be harder to teach to native English speakers
Vietnamese grammar and vocabulary is hard, but not any more difficult than most other foreign languages. The big hurdle in learning Vietnamese is pronunciation. Vietnamese is a tonal language. This means that the way you pronounce words can change what it means entirely. If you have a bad accent no one will be able to understand you when you speak Vietnamese.
This makes Vietnamese a bit more challenging to teach than other languages.
Alternatives to Babbel Vietnamese
Don’t let the absence of a Babbel Vietnamese program keep you from learning the language. Here are a few alternatives you can use to learn Vietnamese.
Pimsleur Vietnamese
Pimsleur Vietnamese is an audio based course that teaches you how to think and speak basic Vietnamese. It uses a unique prompt and recall method. In each lesson you learn new words and phrases, and then you’re prompted to ask and answer questions completely in Vietnamese. The prompts aren’t predictable so you have to think on your feet much like you do when talking with real people. Pimsleur also pays close attention to pronunciation. Phrases are broken down syllable by syllable so that you can learn the nuances of the Vietnamese sound system and speak with a good accent.
Vietnamesepod101
Vietnamesepod101 is a Vietnamese course in the form of a podcast. There are hundreds of lessons across five different proficiency levels (beginner to advanced). Each lesson features a real dialogue between two native Vietnamese speakers. The hosts of the podcast breakdown difficult grammar concepts and point out essential vocabulary as they introduce each dialogue. In addition to the podcast lessons, Vietnamesepod101 has some great bonus features too. You’ll find video lessons, a Vietnamese/English dictionary, pronunciation guide, audio phrase lists, and some other useful stuff too.
Learn Vietnamese with Master Ling
Master Ling teaches foundational vocabulary through minigames and activities. You’ll work through thematic lessons on topics like family, work, and weather. Using what you learn you’ll work through a series of mini exercises including fill in the blank, matching, conversing with a Vietnamese chatbot, and listening to full dialogues.
