Vietnamese is the official and national language of Vietnam. It is a tonal language, meaning that the tone of a word can change its meaning. There are six different tones in Vietnamese, which can be a challenge for non-native speakers to learn.

The Vietnamese language uses the Latin alphabet, with diacritical marks added to indicate the tone of a word. This system is known as the Vietnamese alphabet, or Quoc Ngu. Prior to the adoption of the Latin alphabet, Vietnamese was written in Chinese characters and then a modified version of the Chinese script.

While Vietnamese is the official language, there are also many regional languages and dialects spoken throughout the country, such as Cantonese, Hmong, Khmer, and Tay. Many people in Vietnam also speak English, especially in larger cities and tourist areas. However, outside of these areas, it may be more difficult to communicate in English, so it can be helpful to learn some basic Vietnamese phrases before traveling to Vietnam.