Three Vietnamese phrases that save you from 90% of restaurant troubles

You don't need to learn Vietnamese to eat well here. You just need the right three sentences.

Give me this one." (pointing with a finger)

Approximate pronunciation: cho toi cai nay. Used to order food by pointing at the bowl on the next table, pointing at a photo, or pointing at a pot. This is the most powerful phrase on the list, because it completely bypasses the whole problem of dish names.

Question 2 — "Don't add chili.

Approximate pronunciation: khong bo ot. It's much more specific than "not spicy," because it describes an action rather than a feeling. If you want to eat a little spicy, change it to "ít ớt" (a little chili).

Question 3 — "Check, please.

Approximate pronunciation: tinh tien. Doing the gesture of writing it on your palm makes it stick even better. In the South, people say "tính tiền," in the North they say "thanh toán" — in the Central region, either phrase works fine.

Three bonus sentences, if you want to be liked:

• "Thank you" — use it more often than you think is necessary • "Delicious!" — ten times more effective than a tip • "How much is it?" (bao nhieu tien) — ask before ordering at shops without listed prices, it's completely normal

A note on forms of address: Vietnamese has no neutral word for "you." You have to choose it based on the age of the person you're speaking to. Safe way for newcomers: call younger women or women around your mother's age 'chị,' older women 'cô,' young men 'anh,' and older men 'chú. If you accidentally use the wrong title or rank to address someone, no one will be upset — they'll just find it amusing.

And if you're really stuck: smile and point. This method has never failed.