- \n
- Vowels<\/strong>: There are 12 simple vowels<\/strong> and various diphthongs<\/strong> and triphthongs<\/strong> (e.g., ai, au, i\u00eau, oai, \u01b0\u01a1i).<\/li>\n
- Consonants<\/strong>: Vietnamese features 17 simple consonants<\/strong>, with 9 consonants formed by two letters (e.g., “ch,” “nh”) and one consonant made of three letters<\/strong>: “ngh.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Vietnamese language is also marked by three phonetic pairs that are written differently: ia \u2013 y\u00ea \u2013 i\u00ea, ua \u2013 u\u00f4, \u01b0a \u2013 \u01b0\u01a1<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
1.2 Tonal System and Diacritics<\/h3>\n
Vietnamese is a tonal language with six tones, each altering the meaning of a syllable. These tones are indicated by specific diacritical marks, or “d\u1ea5u.” 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Common tones include<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
- \n
- S\u1eafc<\/strong> (\u00b4): High rising tone<\/li>\n
- Huy\u1ec1n<\/strong> (`): Low falling tone<\/li>\n
- Ng\u00e3<\/strong> (~): Creaky rising tone<\/li>\n
- N\u1eb7ng<\/strong> (.). Glottal tone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Example of Diacritic Importance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
- \n
- “ma” (ghost) vs. “m\u00e1” (mother) vs. “m\u00e3” (code) vs. “m\u1ea1” (rice seedling)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2. Fonts and Diacritic Compatibility<\/h2>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fonts suitable for Vietnamese:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Times New Roman<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Arial<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Roboto<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Open Sans<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Noto Sans Vietnamese<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Montserrat: <\/strong>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.<\/li>\n
- Roboto Mono: <\/strong>Roboto Mono is a clean and functional monospaced font ideal for coding and technical documents, with full support for Vietnamese characters.<\/li>\n
- Oswald: <\/strong>Oswald is a bold, condensed sans-serif font with strong support for Vietnamese, perfect for impactful headlines and space-efficient designs.<\/li>\n
- Nunito: <\/strong>Nunito is a friendly, rounded sans-serif font supporting Vietnamese, ideal for body text and headings in websites, blogs, and educational materials.<\/li>\n
- Playfair Display: <\/strong>Playfair Display is an elegant serif font with high contrast, supporting Vietnamese characters, perfect for editorial design, titles, and luxury branding.<\/li>\n
- Manrope: <\/strong>Manrope is a geometric sans-serif font with simplicity and clarity, supporting Vietnamese and ideal for corporate branding and minimalistic user interfaces.<\/li>\n
- Quicksand: <\/strong>Quicksand is a rounded, playful sans-serif font with Vietnamese support, great for children\u2019s books, creative websites, and product packaging.<\/li>\n
- Dosis: <\/strong>Dosis is a minimalist sans-serif font with rounded edges, supporting Vietnamese and commonly used in tech startups, infographics, and digital design.<\/li>\n
- Ballet: <\/strong>Ballet is a sophisticated and stylish typeface supporting Vietnamese, ideal for fashion branding, invitations, and artistic projects.<\/li>\n
- L\u2019Hanoienne Free Typeface:<\/strong> L\u2019Hanoienne Free Typeface, designed by Manh Nguyen, blends traditional Vietnamese aesthetics with modern typography, perfect for cultural and heritage branding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When working with uppercase letters, diacritics may need to be adjusted for size and balance to ensure they don\u2019t overwhelm the letters.<\/p>\n
3. Line Breaking and Word Wrapping<\/h2>\n
Words are typically monosyllabic in Vietnamese, making proper line breaking essential. Incorrect breaks can change the meaning of a sentence or create nonsensical words.<\/p>\n
Bad Line Breaking Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Original: “Ch\u00fang t\u00f4i \u0111i h\u1ecdc.”\n
- \n
- Meaning: “We go to school.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Incorrect break: “Ch\u00fang t\u00f4i \u0111i h-\u1ecdc.”\n
- \n
- Meaningless and awkward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Correct Line Breaking:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Keep syllables and words intact to preserve meaning.<\/li>\n
- Disable hyphenation when using DTP software to prevent awkward splits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
4. Punctuation and Spacing<\/h2>\n
Vietnamese punctuation is quite similar to English punctuation, however there are a few rules to keep in mind:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
- \n
- No space before<\/strong> commas, periods, colons, or semicolons, but always a space after.<\/li>\n
- Use single or double quotation marks<\/strong> for speech, depending on the style guide or client request.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Correct Example<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
- \n
- “Anh \u1ea5y n\u00f3i: ‘T\u00f4i s\u1ebd \u0111i.'”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
5. Formatting Addresses and Phone Numbers<\/h2>\n
5.1 Addresses<\/h3>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Example: No. 1, Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 12, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City<\/p>\n
5.2 Phone Numbers<\/h3>\n
Vietnamese phone numbers are grouped for readability:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Domestic format<\/strong>: 0903 123 456<\/li>\n
- International format<\/strong>: +84 903 123 456<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ensure that phone numbers and addresses remain intact across line breaks.<\/p>\n
6. Date and Number Formatting<\/h2>\n
6.1 Dates<\/h3>\n
Vietnamese uses the DD\/MM\/YYYY<\/strong> date format.<\/p>\n
Example<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 22\/09\/2024 (22nd September 2024)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
6.2 Numbers<\/h3>\n
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:<\/p>\n
- International format<\/strong>: +84 903 123 456<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Domestic format<\/strong>: 0903 123 456<\/li>\n
- Use single or double quotation marks<\/strong> for speech, depending on the style guide or client request.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- No space before<\/strong> commas, periods, colons, or semicolons, but always a space after.<\/li>\n
- Meaningless and awkward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Arial<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Times New Roman<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Huy\u1ec1n<\/strong> (`): Low falling tone<\/li>\n
- Consonants<\/strong>: Vietnamese features 17 simple consonants<\/strong>, with 9 consonants formed by two letters (e.g., “ch,” “nh”) and one consonant made of three letters<\/strong>: “ngh.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/a>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.<\/p>\n