5 Epic Podcasts to Boost Your Vietnamese
Posted by Podcasts are one of your best allies to improve your listening comprehension. Not only do they provide you with real-life input, but they also make for a great way to practise while you are commuting or having a break.
Still, when it comes to some languages, like Vietnamese, it may be difficult to find quality resources for free. Luckily for you, we have gathered some of the best Vietnamese podcasts available for your listening pleasure!
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Beginners Vietnamese
If you are just getting started with Vietnamese and do not know where to begin, these are all great podcasts for you! They use English as well as Vietnamese to make sure you understand what is going on. The hosts speak very slowly, so you have time to process the new language. Vocabulary is kept simple most of the time, though it is not overly basic in an unnatural way.
VietnamesePod101
This is one of the primary go-to sources for Vietnamese language learners. Its main aim is to help listeners internalise basic phrases necessary to carry out essential language functions, like introducing oneself. The hosts also discuss effective learning strategies and recommend resources. If you are constantly on-the-go, you will appreciate the shortness of each episode. They usually last between one and 10 minutes, which makes them perfect to listen to on your lunch break or while commuting.
Vietnamese Survival Phrases
If you need to learn the language fast because you have a trip to Vietnam coming up, then this podcast will be the perfect complement to your language course for travellers. As its name suggests, “Vietnamese Survival Phrases” covers all the basic vocabulary you will need to get by on your trip, like greeting someone, ordering food, asking for directions, and more.
It will also introduce you to some of the main cultural differences that people from English-speaking countries may encounter in Vietnam, so they do not catch you unaware. For example, did you know that when going out for dinner with friends, it is not common to split the bill; rather one person usually invites the rest?
The episodes start by setting the context in which you will need these phrases, and then the host will break them up into parts and repeat them at different speeds, so you can imitate the pronunciation and start to sound like a native speaker.
Intermediate Vietnamese
Once you become confident putting together simple sentences in Vietnamese and feel like you have mastered the basic grammar and pronunciation rules, you will be ready to move on to more complex podcasts.
Vietnamese 4 Everybody
If you are struggling to perfect your pronunciation, this six-episode podcast is one of the best resources you can find on the internet. It will help you review some of the basics and then go into each topic in more depth. You will understand how to pronounce vowels and consonants in the standard varieties, as well as get some insights into how accents vary.
Though the series is quite short, it will give you a nice thorough review of all the topics you need to master before moving on to more advanced podcasts. The episodes cover:
- Vowels
- Consonants
- How to combine consonants
- Accents
- Pronunciation
- Numbers
Advanced Vietnamese
If you have reached the point where you understand the language with ease, you can keep on polishing your listening skills with podcasts entirely spoken in Vietnamese. As the hosts do not speak in English in these podcasts, listening to them will be challenging at first. But this effort will pay off by strengthening your ability to understand the language under real-life conditions.
SBS Vietnamese
The Special Broadcasting Service covers the most important Vietnamese national and international news. The topics they delve into are many: from business and design to football and mental health. The good news is that there are a significant number of episodes already available for you to download, and there are more available every day.
Their bite-sized episodes are ideal for you to practise your Vietnamese whenever you have a little time. And since the topics they cover are usually related to international happenings, you will have a head start when they cover topics of which you are already aware.
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Vietnamese Online Radio
Once you are completely fluent in Vietnamese, you will need to keep on practising to keep your language skills sharp. One of the best ways to do this is by listening to the radio. Fortunately, Vietnamese radio programmes are accessible to everyone. Listen to the language in its most real and unfiltered form and avoid forgetting all you have worked so hard to learn.
Listening skills are one of the hardest to develop, especially when it comes to languages like Vietnamese, which are entirely different from English. Listening to podcasts will help you learn new phrases and polish your pronunciation, so you become fluent faster. All this while you discover things that interest you and the culture at large, so you stay motivated to learn.
Want to boost your learning experience by taking classes with a native speaker of Vietnamese? Explore our Vietnamese courses with native tutors! And if you would prefer to learn from the comfort of your home while making new friends from all over the world, our online group courses are ideal for you!