Desktop publishing in Vietnamese can present a unique set of challenges and opportunities, stemming from its Latin-based alphabet, tonal nature, and complex honorific system. This text can serve as a guide for DTP specialists working with Vietnamese texts, featuring essential topics such as fonts, diacritics, punctuation, line breaking, and more. This guide will help professionals who aim to create marketing materials, books, or digital content, in navigating the challenges of Vietnamese typesetting with confidence.
1. Overview of the Vietnamese Alphabet and Phonetics
The Vietnamese alphabet consists of 29 letters, derived from the Latin script but adapted with additional diacritical marks for tones and phonetic distinctions. The Latin letters may make Vietnamese relative easy to format in comparison to Asian languages in comparison to other Asian languages, but the diacritics play a huge role in the meaning and pronunciation.
1.1 Vowels and Consonants
- Vowels: There are 12 simple vowels and various diphthongs and triphthongs (e.g., ai, au, iêu, oai, ươi).
- Consonants: Vietnamese features 17 simple consonants, with 9 consonants formed by two letters (e.g., “ch,” “nh”) and one consonant made of three letters: “ngh.”
The Vietnamese language is also marked by three phonetic pairs that are written differently: ia – yê – iê, ua – uô, ưa – ươ.
1.2 Tonal System and Diacritics
Vietnamese is a tonal language with six tones, each altering the meaning of a syllable. These tones are indicated by specific diacritical marks, or “dấu.” A vowel can have up to two diacritics, one for tone and one for phonetic marking. There are 134 distinct letter forms (both uppercase and lowercase) when all combinations of diacritics are considered.
Common tones include:
- Sắc (´): High rising tone
- Huyền (`): Low falling tone
- Ngã (~): Creaky rising tone
- Nặng (.). Glottal tone
Example of Diacritic Importance:
- “ma” (ghost) vs. “má” (mother) vs. “mã” (code) vs. “mạ” (rice seedling)
2. Fonts and Diacritic Compatibility
The extensive use of diacritics makes selecting the right font crucial when it comes to DTP in Vietnamese. Some fonts may lead to diacritic collisions, which can affect readability.
Fonts suitable for Vietnamese:
- Times New Roman
- Arial
- Roboto
- Open Sans
- Noto Sans Vietnamese
- Montserrat: Montserrat is a modern sans-serif font inspired by urban typography, offering excellent support for Vietnamese characters and widely used for web design, branding, and editorial layouts.
- Roboto Mono: Roboto Mono is a clean and functional monospaced font ideal for coding and technical documents, with full support for Vietnamese characters.
- Oswald: Oswald is a bold, condensed sans-serif font with strong support for Vietnamese, perfect for impactful headlines and space-efficient designs.
- Nunito: Nunito is a friendly, rounded sans-serif font supporting Vietnamese, ideal for body text and headings in websites, blogs, and educational materials.
- Playfair Display: Playfair Display is an elegant serif font with high contrast, supporting Vietnamese characters, perfect for editorial design, titles, and luxury branding.
- Manrope: Manrope is a geometric sans-serif font with simplicity and clarity, supporting Vietnamese and ideal for corporate branding and minimalistic user interfaces.
- Quicksand: Quicksand is a rounded, playful sans-serif font with Vietnamese support, great for children’s books, creative websites, and product packaging.
- Dosis: Dosis is a minimalist sans-serif font with rounded edges, supporting Vietnamese and commonly used in tech startups, infographics, and digital design.
- Ballet: Ballet is a sophisticated and stylish typeface supporting Vietnamese, ideal for fashion branding, invitations, and artistic projects.
- L’Hanoienne Free Typeface: L’Hanoienne Free Typeface, designed by Manh Nguyen, blends traditional Vietnamese aesthetics with modern typography, perfect for cultural and heritage branding.
When working with uppercase letters, diacritics may need to be adjusted for size and balance to ensure they don’t overwhelm the letters.
3. Line Breaking and Word Wrapping
Words are typically monosyllabic in Vietnamese, making proper line breaking essential. Incorrect breaks can change the meaning of a sentence or create nonsensical words.
Bad Line Breaking Example:
- Original: “Chúng tôi đi học.”
- Meaning: “We go to school.”
- Incorrect break: “Chúng tôi đi h-ọc.”
- Meaningless and awkward.
Correct Line Breaking:
- Keep syllables and words intact to preserve meaning.
- Disable hyphenation when using DTP software to prevent awkward splits.
4. Punctuation and Spacing
Vietnamese punctuation is quite similar to English punctuation, however there are a few rules to keep in mind:
- No space before commas, periods, colons, or semicolons, but always a space after.
- Use single or double quotation marks for speech, depending on the style guide or client request.
Correct Example:
- “Anh ấy nói: ‘Tôi sẽ đi.'”
5. Formatting Addresses and Phone Numbers
5.1 Addresses
Vietnamese addresses are written in a specific order, from smaller to larger units. In Vietnamese, addresses are usually written in this format: house number (space) streed, ward, district, city. For DTP, ensure each level of the address is clear and consistent.
Example: No. 1, Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 12, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
5.2 Phone Numbers
Vietnamese phone numbers are grouped for readability:
- Domestic format: 0903 123 456
- International format: +84 903 123 456
Ensure that phone numbers and addresses remain intact across line breaks.
6. Date and Number Formatting
6.1 Dates
Vietnamese uses the DD/MM/YYYY date format.
Example:
- 22/09/2024 (22nd September 2024)
6.2 Numbers
The Vietnamese format for numbers differs from the English system. Natural numbers larger than 999 might have a thousand marker. For numbers larger than 999.999 the marker is mandatory, unless the number has only zeros after the initial number:
- Thousand separator: A period (.) is used.
- Decimal point: A comma (,) is used.
Example:
- 1.000.000 (one million)
- 3,14 (three point fourteen)
7. Honorifics in Vietnamese
Honorifics are a very important part of Vietnamese communication, and translators and DTP specialists should be extra careful when it comes to honorifics. The honorific system is built on age, gender, social status, and familial relationships.
Example of Honorifics:
- Ông (Mr.) for elderly men
- Bà (Mrs.) for elderly women
- Chị (older sister) or Em (younger sibling) used to address peers.
8. Dialects in Vietnamese
There are three main dialects in Vietnamese: Northern (Hanoi), Central, and Southern (Saigon). DTP specialists and translators should be aware of which dialect to use based on the target audience. The Northern dialect is the official standard in Vietnam, while the Southern dialect is often preferred for Vietnamese communities abroad.
9. Translation Challenges and Considerations
9.1 Honorifics System
When translating for Vietnamese audiences, it’s essential to clarify the target audience to ensure that the appropriate level of formality is used. This includes understanding the client’s expectations about whether the document should use formal or casual tones.
9.2 Target Market
- For translations aimed at Vietnamese communities in the USA, use the Southern dialect.
- For translations aimed at people living in Vietnam, use the Northern dialect.
9.3 Localization
Localizing involves a unique form of transliteration, where foreign names written in the Latin alphabet are converted into Vietnamese spelling to reflect Vietnamese pronunciation. This traditional method follows the rules of Vietnamese spelling and pronunciation, though some variations in localized names may occur.
10. Proofreading and Quality Assurance
Proofreading is an essential part of the DTP process. Even small errors in diacritics can result in a completely different meaning. The text should be reviewed properly to ensure everything is correct.
Conclusion
Desktop publishing for Vietnamese requires an understanding of both technical and cultural aspects. From selecting diacritic-friendly fonts to ensuring proper line breaks and addressing the honorifics system, attention to detail is paramount. By following these guidelines, DTP specialists can create visually appealing, accurate, and respectful materials tailored to the Vietnamese language.